Food for Pi.axts. 135' 



pounds ill 100 oalloiis of water, and lime cyananiid, 92 

 pounds in 100 gallons of water, stimulated an earlier 

 blooming of the trees, and subsequent experiments will 

 prolialily put these substances in a class with Nitrate 

 of Soda. Normal Yellow Belltlower apple blossoms have 

 considerable pink color, and it was interesting to note 

 that when the trees sprayed with the lime cyanamid 

 came into bloom the flowers were nearly white. The 

 effects from sulphate of ammonia were not nearly so 

 marked as those from Nitrate of Soda. These various 

 nitrogen-bearing fertilizer substances were used in such 

 strengths as to carry relatively the same cpiantities of 

 nitrogen per gallon. Sulphate of potash had some effect 

 in stimulating an early ])looming, but double superphos- 

 phate did not. Of a number of other substances tried, 

 common salt used at the rate of 68 pounds to 100 gallons 

 of water produced a distinct effect. 



It will be borne in mind that the above remarks apply 

 simply to the effects of the various sprays in causing 

 an earlier blooming of the trees, but since this early 

 blooming was a striking characteristic of the Nitrate- 

 sprayed trees of 1912, which showed a fourfold increase 

 in production, it seems permissible to conclude that this 

 effect on the fruit buds is some criterion of what might 

 have been expected in the Avay of crop increase had not 

 the fruit been lost by frost. 



The row of seven trees used in the Nitrate experi- 

 ment of 1912 was left unsprayed this last season for 

 the purpose of determining whether the Nitrate effect 

 would continue to the second year. It was noticed that 

 the fruit buds on these trees were particularly large and 

 plum}), and somewhat imexpectedly at blossoming time 

 these trees came into bloom several days ahead of the 

 check rows. The bloom came out very uniformly all 

 over the trees, whereas ordinarily it is considerably 

 delayed on the windward side. Also, the individual blos- 

 soms were conspicuously larger than those of any other 

 plat, and, so far as could be judged at the time the frost 

 occurred, a good crop was setting all over the trees. 



