APPLES 



319 



is an immediate need of nitrogen. Tliis 

 element is mostly needed early in the 

 season to provide for a good growth of 

 branch and root and abundance of foliage. 

 An excess, especially late in the season, 

 tends toward continued growth and late 

 maturing, and poorer color in the fruit. 



Quantity Xeeded 



In case dependence is placed on the 

 commercial forms of potash and phos- 

 phoric acid, the conditions will ordinarily 

 call for at least 200 pounds of ground 

 bone, 100 pounds of Carolina superphos- 

 phate and 100 to 200 pounds of muriate 

 of potash. The amounts mentioned would 

 ordinaril.v prove moderate applications. 

 The potash may he increased to 400 or 

 500 pounds per acre without injury, but 

 of course large amounts must not be 

 placed immediately about the roots, es- 

 pecially near the trunk. The commer- 

 cial forms of potash and phosphoric acid 

 tend to produce a firmer wood than stable 

 manures, or natural fertility, and this 

 means less tenderness under winter con- 

 ditions. The application should com- 

 monly be made previous to a plowing 

 when it will be mixed with the soil. Fer- 

 tilizers on the surface, if slowly soluble, 

 have a tendency to invite the feeding 

 roots to the surface. To reduce the ef- 

 fects of drouths to the minimum the 

 plan from the start would be to encour- 

 age a deeper root system, which early 

 plowing, fertilizing and subsequent till- 

 age will encourage if thoroughly done. 

 Ernest Walker. 

 Fa.vetteville, Ark. 



Soil Balancers 



We know what it means to have a 

 balanced ration of human food. No mat- 

 ter how good an article of food may be, 

 if the individual is compelled to eat that 

 and nothing else, he not only tires of 

 it, but it is impossible for him to main- 

 tain on that food alone a good degree of 

 health. 



This has been discovered to be true in 

 the feeding of stock, and it is a com- 

 mon remark among the breeders of poul- 

 try that hens in order to lay large quan- 

 tities of eggs must have a balanced ra- 

 tion. The same is true of vegetable life. 



The elements necessary for plant growth 

 must be in proper proportions if the 

 plant is to thrive. 



Some soils act as balancers for others. 

 It is known that clay is a fertilizer for 

 sandy loam, that is, the clay when added 

 to the sand improves the soil by mak- 

 ing a balanced ration, thus fertilizing it. 

 Sand will also fertilize a clay soil. In 

 like manner, it will fertilize a boggy soil, 

 a gumbo or an adobe soil, and in turn 

 the boggj' soil will fertilize the sand or 

 the clays of the upland. A soil rich in 

 humus will fertilize both sand and clay, 

 while gypsum is a good top dressing for 

 alkali soils, and alkali is a fertilizer for 

 soils deficient in the alkali substances. 

 Alkali is a fertilizer up to a certain 

 point, after which it becomes injurious. 

 The proper balance of food substances 

 for the different kinds of vegetables and 

 fruits may be hard to determine, but in 

 his ability to discover this balance lies 

 the difference between the ordinary 

 farmer and the one who succeeds in the 

 highest degree. 



Granville Lowtheb. 



Manufactured Fertilizers 



There are many kinds of manufactured 

 fertilizers, some of which are valuable 

 onl.v for special soils or special crops. 

 It is diflBcult to determine what fertilizer 

 it is best to use without knowing what 

 elements are lacking in the soil. The 

 three elements most commonly needed 

 by soils are nitrogen, potash, and phos- 

 phoric acid; and chemical fertilizers that 

 contain the largest percentages of these 

 substances in available form will be the 

 most valuable. 



A fertilizer containing l'^ to 2 per 

 cent of nitrogen, 7 to 9 per cent of avail- 

 able phosphoric acid, and 10 to 12 per cent 

 of potash will give excellent results when 

 applied to orchard land in quantity rang- 

 ing from 400 to 600 pounds per acre. 



Fertilizer Formulas 



It is a difficult matter to formulate any 

 rule for the fertilization of apple or- 

 chards. Briefly stated, the manurial rec- 

 ommendations are dependent upon the 

 age of the trees: the vigor, as indicated 

 by the annual growth; the nature of the 



