314 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 



our work have shown any consistent abil- 

 ity to improve color or size of fruit. Color 

 is doubtless chiefly dependent upon ma- 

 turity in sunlight, while average size is 

 apparently mainly dependent upon the 

 amount of moisture available per indi- 

 vidual fruit. 



10. Our present general recommenda- 

 tion of fertilizer for apples in this state. 

 In amounts per acre, is the following 

 combination: 30 pounds of actual nitro- 

 gen. 60 to 75 pounds of actual phosphoric 

 acid (P,0.-.), and 50 pounds of actual 

 potash (KoO). This may well be supple- 

 mented by cover crops, through which all 

 the nitrogen may be obtained, and alter- 

 nated with stable manure at the rate of 

 about 10 tons per acre at least every 

 third or fourth year. 



11. Proper moisture conditions are es- 

 sential to the securing of best results 

 from fertilizers. In most jjlaces moisture 

 conservation is best accomplished by the 

 soil or dust mulch maintained by fre- 

 quent tillage. Where tillage is advisable, 

 it can also be done very satisfactorily 

 with a good mulch of foreign materials, 

 such as straw, chaff, leaves, manure or 

 dead weeds. 



12. Leguminous crops apparently make 

 less draft upon soil moisture than the 

 grasses or cereals. This, together with 

 their favorable nitrogen relations, makes 

 them decidedly preferable to the latter in 

 apple orchards, whether used as inter- 

 crops, cover crops, or permanent covers 

 in connection with a mulch. 



13. Accompanying the fertilization 



above, a good plan of soil management 

 for many situations is tillage with a 

 leguminous cover crop while the orchard 

 is young, followed by a mixed grass and 

 leguminous sod-mulch when bearing age 

 and size is reached. After the bearing 

 habit is established, a return to tillage 

 at least every second or third year should 

 be made, increasing the frequency of till- 

 age with the age of the orchard and the 

 demands of the fruit. 



14. Current orchard practice may be 

 improved by the owners adopting the 

 methods apparently best for their or- 

 chards as a whole, and then maintaining 

 some parts for experimentally determin- 

 ing whether the methods chosen are really 

 best for their conditions. 



JoHX P. Stewart. 



The Pennsylvania State College Experiment 

 Station. 



Soil Constituents Removed 1)) tlie Apple 



One of the most natural questions 

 which arises when considering the sub- 

 ject of fertilizing an orchard is. What soil 

 constituents are removed by the apple and 

 in what proportions? An answer to this 

 question, together with an analysis of the 

 particular soil under consideration, will 

 give the clue to the fertilizing needs of 

 that particular orchard. 



Composition of Fruit 



The general composition, viz., the per- 

 centage of water, organic matter and ash 

 which make up the whole, and the amount 

 of nitrogen, are given for the four vari- 

 eties examined in the following tabulated 

 form: 



Name or Variety of A|iplp 



Duchess of Oldenburg 



Wealthy 



Fameuse 



Northern Spy 



Average 



