48 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 209. 



The Graves Orchard. * 



As the experiment above reported progressed, marked differences ap- 

 peared between plots 4 and 5, the muriate and sulfate plots. Though 

 these differences became less in later years, in 1907 they appeared im- 

 portant enough to justify further investigation. Accordingly a ten-year 

 lease of a young Baldwin orchard, located in the southeastern part of the 

 town of Amherst about six miles distant from the Experiment Station, 

 was secured. 



An experiment was planned to show whether differences similar to those 

 which had appeared between plots 4 and 5 would appear here also, and 

 whether, if such differences did appear, they were due to the form of the 

 potash, which was muriate in one case and sulfate in the other, or to the 

 presence of magnesium in the low-grade sulfate of potash. 



The site of the orchard was a gentle northeasterly slope, with the steep 

 slope of the easterly end of the Holyoke mountains about 40 rods to the 

 south. The soil was a medium sandy loam rather low in fertility. 



The trees, with the exception of four scattered trees, were of the Bald\\'in 

 variety, and were said to be six years old at the beginning of the experi- 

 ment. While most of the trees were fairly uniform at the start, there were 

 a number of poor stunted trees which died or were replaced ■with new trees 

 early in the experiment. None of these young trees bore fruit during the 

 experimental period, and they are omitted in the consideration of the re- 

 sults. A plan of the orchard is shown in Fig. 9. 



The orchard was in sod when taken over, but it was plowed in the 

 spring of 1908, and in the following j'ears handled in a system of cultiva- 

 tion and non-leguminous cover crops. As shown in the plan a strip on 

 the north end was left in sod during the whole period. 



Fertilizer Treatment. 



In the spring of 1908 the orchard was laid out in eight i)lots of two rows 

 each, and application of fertilizers made as shown in Fig. 9. Apphcation 

 of these materials at the given rates was made annualh^ during the first 

 half of May, beginning in 1908 and continuing for six j'ears. In 1914 the 

 applications to row 2 of each plot were discontinued, and the amounts 

 given to row 1 of each plot reduced to one-half the former amounts. This 

 plan was followed for four seasons until the expiration of the lease ended 

 the experiment. 



Tlie circumference of the trunks 1 foot from the soil was taken in the 

 spring of 1908; in April, 1914; in April, 1916; in November, 1917; and 

 in August, 1921. . 



The first crop of fruit was produced in 1911. This was followed by a 

 very light crop in 1912 and moderate crops in 1914, 1915, 1916 and 1917. 

 Yield records were taken by plots, omitting the four odd trees mentioned 



1 This experiment was planned by Dr. \Vm. P. Brooks, then director of the Experiment Station. 

 The data were taken under the direction of Prof. F. C. Sears and E. F. Gaskill. The writer is 

 responsible for the tabulation and interpretation of the data. 



