■6o THE CONNECTICUT POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



cally by the use of a cover crop. In addition to the bene- 

 fits which arise from increasing the supply of humus in 

 the soil, the cover crop is valuable because it retains certain 

 forms ofplant food which, were the soil bare during the fall 

 rains, might escape. By the use of leguminous crops the 

 amount of nitrogenous plant food in the soil may be 

 increased. Moreover, in certain soils, by the use of crucif- 

 erous cover crops, the amount of available phosphoric acid 

 may doubtless be increased. 



Dr. Jordan has shown that certain cruciferous plants, 

 cabbage, rape, turnips, etc., are able to appropriate certain 

 supplies of phosphoric acid in the soil which plants of other 

 orders, corn, toamtoes, peas, etc., do not appear to be able 

 to use. This indicates that in soils which have a supply of 

 what is ordinarily classed as unavailable phosphoric acid 

 the use of rape, rutabagas, and other cruciferous plants, for 

 cover crops will increase the amount of available phos- 

 phoric acid, because these plants having once built it up 

 into organic compounds, when they decay it is liberated in 

 forms which other plants can use. 



By the wise use of cover crops, therefore, the orchardist 

 may reasonably expect not only to increase the moisture 

 holding capacity of the soil, and retain plant food which 

 otherwise might escape, but also he may expect to increase 

 to some extent the supply of certain kinds of available 

 plant food. 



Use of Fertilizers. — After having, by thorough tillage 

 and the wise use of cover crops, provided for the economi- 

 cal use of the natural fertility of the soil, then one is in the 

 best position to take up the great question of adding to the 

 plant food in the soil by the use of stable manure or com- 

 mercial fertilizers. This is a problem the final solution of 

 which each one must work out by asking the trees in each 

 orchard what they can use economically on that particular 

 soil. 



Taking Care of the Leaves. — The New Apple Culture is 

 characterized not only by the methods of fertilizing and 

 managing the soil for the purpose of keeping the roots in 

 good working condition, which have just been considered, 

 but it recognizes more than ever before the importance of 



