What Treatment is Needed. 219 



Summary statement. The fruit-grower will no 

 doubt desire to ask how he is to tell just what 

 kind and what quantity of fertilizers to apply to 

 his land. This is one of those questions which no 

 person can answer for him. Having studied the 

 matter carefully, and having observed his plantation 

 from day to day and year to year, he should be 

 able to discover about the treatment which it needs. 

 As a general statement, it may be said that the 

 fruit plantation which is giving satisfactory results 

 is receiving the very treatment which it needs ; but 

 when it is giving unsatisfactory yields, some change 

 in the management should be made. An orchard 

 which is in sod and not doing well should certainly 

 be plowed and tilled. One which is tilled and is not 

 doing well may be benefited by seeding down, or 

 it may not. If the growth is strong and rapid, and 

 the trees or vines seem to be going to wood at the 

 expense of fruit, then some check may be necessary. 

 This check may be given by seeding down for a 

 time, by giving somewhat less thorough or prolonged 

 cultivation, or by the use of rather more mineral 

 fertilizers and less nitrogenous ones. In all cases 

 in which the growth is not sufficient and the leaves 

 are yellow and drop early, it is probable that either 

 more nitrogen or more moisture, or both, is needed. 

 As a general principle, it may be said that nitrogen 

 can be had in sufficient amount by thorough and 

 judicious tillage, by the use of leguminous cover 

 crops, and by stable manure. In some cases, how- 

 ever, quicker and cheaper results may be had by 



