THE SOIL 77 



Professor Greene's statement in regard to the 

 Laurel cultivation experiments applies with 

 great strength to this subject of fertilization — 

 "no one experiment can give conclusive 

 evidence." 



By reviewing all of the experimental work 

 that has been done, however, we can begin to 

 draw some general conclusions and one of these 

 is that, as a rule, fertilizers applied on orchards 

 in grass gave results while they did not give 

 results when applied to cultivated orchards. 

 Even here you notice that I tied a string to my 

 statement when I said "as a rule." 



We know, of course, that a crop of apples 

 takes certain elements out of the soil. We 

 know, roughly, what these elements are and 

 something about the quantities in which they 

 are removed, but unfortunately the experi- 

 mental evidence has so far failed to hitch up 

 with what rough facts we possess.. Apply- 

 ing fertilizers in carefully calculated amounts 

 has in many cases failed to produce the results 

 that might have been expected from them. 

 Where they have produced results (in sod or- 

 chards), is it not possible that the results were 

 in some way connected with the influence which 

 the fertilizers had on the growth of grass and 

 weeds beneath the trees? It may be possible 

 that fruit trees require their food in something 

 other than the raw state in which it has been 



