CHAPTER IV. 

 THE FERTILIZING OF FRUIT LANDS. 



ANY land which is fit for the growing of crops 

 will maintain a fruit plantation throughout its exist- 

 ence without the addition of plant -food, and enable 

 the trees to produce at the same time a normal quan- 

 tity and quality of fruit. But the profit in fruit- 

 growing lies in securing the extra normal or superior 

 quantity and quality, and this result demands fertiliz- 

 ing of the land and every other good care. How 

 much plant -food the farmer should add to his land 

 depends upon the amount of increase or profit which 

 he secures. It is a matter of business, an item of 

 profit and loss. If the fruit-grower applies five tons 

 of fertilizer to every acre and secures a profit on the 

 investment, the quantity is none too large ; but in 

 many instances it is a loss of the material to add 

 anything. The successful merchant is the one who is 

 dissatisfied with a normal and common trade, but he 

 forces the demand by attracting and interesting his 

 customers beyond the point of their actual needs. 



There are many causes which contribute to the 

 unsatisfactory results of applying fertilizers, but the 

 commonest one is lack of proper tillage and prepara- 

 tion of the land. Poorly-tilled land, as we have 

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