116 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



such varieties as the Gravenstein, Williams, and Mcintosh Red 

 should be used, as these are practically annual bearers. 



In all fruit planting thorough preparation of the ground is 

 essential. It is better to wait a y^ar and prepare your ground 

 rather than plant on newly-turned sod-land, although in many cases 

 successful plantings of apples have been made right in newly- 

 cleared woodland, pasture, or even on heavy sod; but the person 

 who is able to handle trees successfully in this way could do so 

 under any conditions. On old garden soil small fruit, pears, 

 cherries, and plums do much better, for these fruits can stand an 

 abundance of nitrogen better than can the apple and grape. By 

 thorough preparation of the soil is meant breaking it up from the 

 sod or fallow state and planting to some crop as corn, potatoes, or 

 other hard crop, so that all perennial weeds and grasses shall be 

 killed out. On light soil, fertilizer in the form of manure or green 

 crops ploughed in will fit the land in good shape. One year's 

 cultivation of the soil will generally suffice to place it in the best 

 condition and after the trees are set, yearly applications of a 

 mixture of basic slag, low grade sulphate of potash, and nitrate 

 of soda in the following proportions can be used : 



6 pounds of slag 



2 pounds of potash (low grade sulphate) 



I pound nitrate of soda. 

 An application of a pound of this mixture per tree, per year of 

 tree's age, will keep it growing in a healthy state. That is, if 

 the tree is one year old, give one pound of mixture; if two years, 

 two pounds, and so on, up to five years, when if the tree is bearing, 

 the nitrate of soda should be dropped and nitrogen supplied by 

 turning under leguminous crops, or in case of sod-orchards by the 

 application of manure or decayed vegetable matter. Rules like 

 the above are only in general and cannot be made fast as the laws 

 of the Medes and Persians, for the successful person will soon find 

 out what his soil needs and govern himself accordingly. Cer- 

 tainly most of our soils need lime, and the best form of lime to use 

 is calcium carbonate or pure ground unburned limestone. This 

 does not burn the lime from the soil, neither is it available at once, 

 but can be applied in small yearly applications, and its effect on 

 soils is most beneficial. For heavy clay or muck soil the caustic 

 lime is better. 



