138 THE CONNECTICUT POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



there is just seven feet of humus, all coming from fallen 

 leaves and plant growth, and it is growing big crops. When 

 plants are analyzed we find they always contain potash, phos- 

 phoric acid, nitrogen, and a few other mineral substances. 

 Plants containing all these elements must have those elements 

 to grow. Will you tell me where those plants are going to 

 get it in the humus valley? I can't guess. Straight vege- 

 table matter without any fertilizer whatever except what 

 nature put there. They get their nourishment out of the 

 soil, air and water, all three. These plants grow and they 

 grow in humus ; they have air and water and vegetable mat- 

 ter. Don't forget this when you begin your work this 

 spring. 



Another thing you can't get along without. That is 

 water. Dig a well, drive a well, blast a well, have water. 

 When you get ready to set your plants out, don't wait for 

 Providence. In the west they have found out they couldn't 

 grow crops without water, and the consequence is they are 

 enlarging their water supply every year. 



We use water in another way. Somebody asked this 

 morning what we had got to spray for. Nobody will ever 

 tell him ; there are so many things, nobody knows. But he 

 must get busy. We have blight and bugs enough for sev- 

 eral countries. Whenever we bring a new plant or shrub 

 from anywhere we bring an enemy with it. We must spray 

 to kill them. 



A thing that helps us on the bug question is birds. You 

 want birds and you can't have them unless you have plenty 

 of water. With us last year we had 67 varieties of birds and 

 they probably killed billions and billions of bugs. We 

 sprayed, of course, but the birds got a tremendous number. 

 The water was what brought them. Have running water 

 somev>^here on your place. 



You must have air for your plants, not only above but 

 also beneath. You get that by cultivation. On ten acres we 

 always get three or four crops, never less than two on any 

 acre. 



