210 The Principles of Fruit-growing. 



is an important constituent. Its function seems to 

 be to strengthen the stems and woody portion of 

 the tree, to shorten the period of growth, and to 

 hasten the time of ripening. Fruit trees growing on 

 soils rich in lime show a stocky, steady, vigorous 

 growth, and the fruit ripens well, while those on 

 soils which contain but little lime, particularly the 

 clays, appear to have an extended period of growth, 

 the result of which is, that the wood does not 

 mature and the fruit does not ripen properly." 



Voorhees also reports* an experiment in the fer- 

 tilizing of peaches, showing large gains in crop from 

 the separate use of stable manure and fertilizer. 

 "It is interesting to observe," he writes "and it 

 is a point of great importance the effect of an 

 abundance of food in overcoming unfavorable weather 

 or seasonal conditions. The year 1889 was extremely 

 unfavorable, and the crop throughout the state [New 

 Jersey] was small. In this experiment the unman ured 

 plot yielded at the rate of ten and nine -tenths bas- 

 kets per acre, while the manured and fertilized plots 

 both showed a yield exceeding one hundred and 

 fifty baskets per acre. The manure strengthened and 

 stimulated the trees, and enabled them successfully 

 to resist such conditions as were fatal to the crop 

 on the unmanured land. This point is one that 

 is seldom considered in calculating the advantages 

 to be derived from proper manuring, though it is of 

 extreme value, since the expenses of cultivation, trim- 



*See, also, Repts. N. J. Exp. Sta., 1884-1894. 



