10 



profitable crops of fine fruit. To determine what fertilizers would 

 give the best results upon apple, pear and peach trees, three 

 orchards of apples, two of pears and two of peaches were used for 

 experiment. The apple trees, 4 to 8 inches in diameter, were treated 

 as follows : 



1st row, 14 trees, 2 lbs. Muriate of Potash. 



(( 



2d 

 3d 



4th 

 5th " 

 6th " 

 7th " 

 8th " 

 9th " 

 10th" 

 11th " 

 12th " 



(( 



(( 



2 

 4 

 1 

 4 

 2 

 2 

 4 

 2 

 2 



4 

 Check 



Sulfate " " 



Kainite. 



Kitrate of Soda. 



S. C. fine rock. 



Muriate Potash, 1 lb. Nitrate Soda. 



S. Potash, 1 lb. N. Soda. 



Kaiuite, 1 lb. N. Soda. 



M. Potash, 1 lb. N. S., 4 lbs. S. C. Rock. 



S. Potash, 1 lb. N. Soda, 4 lbs. S. C. Rock. 



Kaiuite, 1 lb. N. Soda, 4 lbs S. C. Rock. 



RESULTS. 



The result of this test and those in other orchards was that 

 marked improvement was shown in the growth of the trees, only 

 where nitrate of soda was applied and about as much growth was 

 made where nitrate of soda was applied alone as where all the ele- 

 ments were used. This result may not be obtained every year from 

 the same application, as a more complete plant food is needed for 

 permanent growth, but it is conclusive that the nitrate of soda is 

 well suited to produce the result desired in the quickest possible 

 time. Numerous other experiments have been made with bone and 

 potash, fish and potash and with bone and fish combined with 

 Canada and crematory ashes, but in no case was as much growth 

 made as when the nitrate of soda was used. The explanation for 

 this may be that the nitrate being quickly soluble washes down 

 below the roots of the grasses and is absorbed by the roots of the 

 trees, while the nitrogen from fish and bone or manure being slowly 

 dissolved is largely taken up by the roots of the grasses and the 

 tree roots get little benefit from it. It is probable that if these 

 materials (bone, fish and manure) were applied during the fall and 

 winter the nitrogen would be more available for the trees than when 

 applied at the usual time, in April or May. Basing our judgment on 



