394 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 



results have been obtained by many per- 

 sons known to the writer, who have fer- 

 tilized with the sole view of heavy crops, 

 rather than of demonstrating a rule 

 which could be worked out by anyone 

 along scientific lines. It shows what is 

 possible to all who intelligently apply 

 themselves to pleasant, healthful orchard 

 work in the beautiful Annapolis valley 

 of Nova Scotia. 



IVhat a Small Orchard Can Do 



The following is a record of a small 

 orchard on the property of Judge Chip- 

 man, Kentville, N. S. 



This orchard was planted in 1883. It 

 originally contained 22 trees of the Blen- 

 heim Orange variety, and covered an area 

 of two-thirds of an acre. Root crops 

 were grown in the orchard for the first 

 10 or 11 years. Thereafter it was given 

 clean cultivation with the plow and har- 

 row. Stable manure was largely used 

 during the early years of the orchard's 

 life, then commercial fertilizers in the 

 form of bone meal and muriate of potash. 

 During the last eight or nine years the 

 fertilizers applied have been acid phos- 

 phate, muriate of potash and nitrate of 

 soda, the latter in small quantities. 



Product of 22 Blenheim Orange apple 

 trees from 1892 to 1898, inclusive. Tree 

 run: 



— Barrels — 



24; 



One tree not producing after 1898. 



Product of 21 trees from the year 1898: 

 In 1900 at 17 years of age 



1902 •• 19 



1904 " 21 



1905 " 22 



1906 •' 2:i 



1907 ■' 24 



1908 " 25 



1909 " 26 



1910 " 27 



— Barrels — 

 . 130 

 . 160 

 . 140 

 . 60 

 . 130 

 . 15 

 90 

 . 183 



4% 

 912% 



1.154U 



During the past 11 years the yield from 

 this orchard has averaged about 83 bar 

 rels per year, or at the rate of nearly 125 

 barrels per acre. At $2 per barrel, tree 

 run, this means a yearly return of $250 

 per acre. 



What One Apple Tree Has Done 



Joseph A. Kinsman 

 Lakeville, Kings County, Xova Scotia 

 On the farm of Joseph A. Kinsman, in 

 Lakeville, Kings county, stands the cham- 

 pion apple tree of Eastern America. A 

 letter written by Mr. Kinsman on April 

 15, 1899, contains interesting information 

 about this tree. Mr. Kinsman, under that 

 date, wrote: 



"It is a pleasure for me to give par- 

 ticulars about the remarkable Graven- 

 stein apple tree of which I have been the 

 owner since 1878. This tree is situated 

 on my farm, at the base of the North 

 mountain, in Lakeville. It grows on the 

 side of the bank of a ravine that makes 

 down from the mountain, in which a 

 small stream of water runs, the roots of 

 the tree running into this stream. The 

 trunk of the tree is nearly three feet in 

 diameter. The limbs begin to branch out 

 about six feet from the ground; the 

 branches have a spread of over SO feet. 

 The tree is now 100 years old. It was 

 grafted to Gravenstein some 30 years ago. 

 I have about 25 acres of orchard, but I 

 have no tree more thrifty than this one. 

 It only bears on alternate years, as a 

 rule. On some off years it might have 

 four or five barrels of apples. It is not 

 cultivated in any way. Nature having pro- 

 vided everything that is wanted for this 

 tree. I have kept a record of the apples 

 it has borne since I owned it, which is 

 as follows: 



In 1878 it produced 15 bbls. merchantable fruit 



1880 •• 18 •• 



1882 " 21 •• 



1884 " 20 •■ 



1886 ■■ 21 " 



1888 " 23 ■• 



1890 ■' 20 " 



1892 " 21 •■ 



1894 " 26 " 



1896 •' 27 '• 



1898 " 22 •• 



Total 234 



at $2 per bbl.. .$468 



I have made no account of the apples 

 that dropped during those seasons, nor 

 have I of the loss in picking, which is 

 very great, owing to the top being nearly 

 50 feet high on one side, on account of its 

 position on the side of the bank. In 

 1896 I should have had over 30 barrels, 

 if it had not been for an accident in the 



