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to set fruit buds, is largely a matter of lack of plant food, ^^od for 

 Orchards should have Nitrated ammoniates, applied early 

 in the season, as late supplies of ammonia are liable to cause 

 a heavy setting of leaf buds at the expense of next year s fruit. 

 The ordinary ammoniates are not satisfactory for orchard worky 

 as they continue to supply available ammonia all through 

 the season; not enough in the early part of the year to 

 properly set the fruit, hence severe dropping; too much 

 late in the year when none is needed and which causes the 

 formation of leaf rather than fruit buds. Apply per acre 

 300 to 600 pounds of a fertilizer high in phosphates and 

 potash, and top-dress with 200 pounds of Nitrate of Soda 

 at blossoming or just after, followed by an additional Top- 

 Dressing of 100 to 200 pounds per acre some four weeks 

 later. The soil between the trees should be regularly tilled 

 much as in corn growing. That it is not generally done is 

 no argument against the value of such cultivation methods. 



Nursery Stock. 



The soil should be a moderately light loam, somewhat 

 deep and thoroughly worked. It is an advantage if the soil 

 has previously been in corn, or some other clean cultivation 

 crop. Nursery stock should not be planted on turned- 

 under clover stubble. A soil rich in ammoniates produces 

 an overgrowth of wood, which fails to mature. This is 

 caused by continued supplies of natural Nitrate up to the 

 time of frost, and as a consequence new sap wood is con- 

 tinually being formed, only to be killed back in winter. 

 The ammonia in all low grade ammoniates is slowly Nitrated 

 by the action of certain soil organisms, which contmue at 

 work so long as there are any ammoniates to work upon, 

 or the soil not frozen. All through the season of growth, 

 more or less Nitrated ammonia is being supplied, which acts 

 to prevent the complete ripening of the summer's growth. 



This is a marked evil in growing nursery stock. The 

 wood is not matured and is badly killed back by frost, 

 causing serious disfigurement; also the young trees become 

 too slender and suffer more in transplanting. Apply along 

 the rows a fertilizer consisting of 200 pounds of acid phos- 

 phate and 200 pounds of sulphate of potash, at the rate of 

 400 pounds per acre, and work well into the soil. When 



