184 POMOLOGY 



methods. Therefore, instead of being first, potash usually is 

 of the least importance of the three. Similarly nothing in the 

 analysis indicates that nitrogen is usually of first importance, 

 yet this is commonly preeminent. Furthermore, it must be 

 recognized that more food may be taken into the plant 

 than is necessary for complete functioning, if such material 

 is present in the soil in abundance and in an available form. 

 Jordan ^ conducted a series of experiments with such 

 crops as barley, peas, tomatoes, tobacco, buckwheat, rape, 

 and turnips, and concludes that "the results secured indi- 

 cate that what a grain crop contains of certain elements is 

 not necessarily to be regarded as a measure of what must be 

 supplied in order to meet the needs for maximum growth." 



152. Analysis of the soil as a guide to fertilizing.— The 

 question naturally arises as to whether a chemical analysis 

 of the soil would be a guide to the fertilizing of the orchard, 

 and if so, what element in particular should be applied and 

 at what probable rate. While it would seem but reasonable 

 to make the assumption that such is the case, yet experience 

 shows that the plants' requirements can be only roughly ap- 

 proximated in this way and that errors will often result if 

 dependence is placed in such a procedure. 



While it is true that trees on poor impoverished land will 

 usually be notable for their paucity of both growth and yield, 

 yet if the physical condition of the soil is congenial, a good 

 growth may be secured out of all proportion to what would 

 be expected from ordinary farm crops on the same soil. This 

 is doubtless accounted for at least in part by the greater 

 feeding area of the root systems of fruit-trees. 



153. Necessity of fertilizing orchards. — Whether it is 

 necessary to fertihze an orchard is a question not easily 

 answered, since so many factors are involved. The prob- 



' N. Y. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 360, 1913, also F. R. Pemper, R. I. Agr. 

 Exp. Sta. Bull. 169. 1917. 



