62 THE CULTIVATION OF THE 



of fruit the previous year, we must give it extra suste- 

 nance, but in average years it needs only a well regu- 

 lated supply, and the important point to determine is 

 just how much to give it. It will be observed that the 

 average supply of food recommended is large, and such 

 application every year without regard to the before- 

 mentioned conditions is, in my opinion, wrong. We 

 want to strike moderate and regular blows, and only use 

 the sledge now and again to accomplish a certain 

 purpose. 



POTASH. 

 Undoubtedly, one of the most important elements 

 in peach-food is Potash, and we use it in the forms of 

 commercial sulphate or muriate, and in wood-ashes. 

 Wood-ashes contain probably all elements of plant-food 

 except nitrogen, and the elements in one hundred 

 pounds of ashes would cost over one dollar if bought at 

 market prices. A bushel of peach-tree ashes is said to 

 represent two and one-half tons of dry peach wood, and 

 the value of the ashes of other trees varies as to the 

 woods. Fifty to seventy-five bushels of ashes would be 

 a strong dressing per acre, but it may be applied, a 

 shovelful or two around the trees, and do immense good. 

 Kainit or German Potash-salt is a valuable fertilizer, as 

 may be seen by the following analysis: 



Sulphate of Potash 24.80 per cent. 



Sulphate of Magnesia I4-30 " " 



