P\)OD FOI-u I'j.AiNTS. 141 



Aside from the effect on crop production, there 

 has also been a very noticeable improvement in the 

 color, abundance, and vigor of the foliag'e, and it seems 

 possible that Nitrate spraying- of dormant trees may 

 be a valuable supplement to the ordinary fertilizer 

 practices in obtaining quick results in orchards suffer- 

 ing from lack of nitrogen. 



The writers will make no attempt at present to 

 explain the peculiar eifect of Nitrate of Soda in increas- 

 ing the production of more or less self -sterile varieties of 

 fruits, or in improving foliage growth. The similarity 

 between the writers' results in forcing dormant buds 

 by winter Nitrate spraying and the results obtained by 

 other investigators by treating cuttings with various 

 weak solutions has been mentioned. In experiments 

 of the writers, however, a more or less lasting effect on 

 the vigor of the foliage and also some valuable results 

 in increasing crop production have been obtained. It 

 furthermore appears that the effects obtained by spray- 

 ing with a solution of Nitrate of Soda may continue 

 over to the second year, as shown by the original plat of 

 1912, which was left unsprayed in the winter of 1913. 



The etfects of the Nitrate spraying seem to be pro- 

 portional to the strength of the solution employed and 

 the thoroughness with which it is applied. The addi- 

 tion of caustic soda materially increases this action. 



Plant Food Withdrawn by Crops. 



The New York, the New Jersey, and the Connecticut 

 Experiment Stations agree that the relative percentages 

 of plant food withdrawn from the soil by barley, buck- 

 wheat, corn, oats, rye, and wheat are as follows : 



Barley . . . . 

 Buckwheat 



Corn 



Oats 



Rye 



Wheat . . . . 



