300 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



of acres of splendid orchard land on the hillsides of New England, — 

 then practise the so-called "sod-culture" method; that is, mow the 

 grass and weeds which grow on the land, and leave them for a mulch 

 about the trees. 



Fourth, begin to fertilize the orchard as soon as it is set, and keep 

 it up every year. In the writer's orchard each tree is given 1 ounce of 

 nitrate of soda and 1 pound of a mixture made at the rate of 5 pounds 

 of basic slag or of acid phosphate, to furnish the phosphoric acid, and 

 3 pounds of high-grade sulphate of potash. This is scattered about the 

 tree — not close enough to injure the trunk — as early as the land is 

 in good condition in the spring. For bearing orchards we use 500 

 pounds of slag or acid phosphate and 300 pounds of high-grade sul- 

 phate of potash per acre. Mr. J. H. Hale uses 1,000 pounds of bone 

 meal and 400 pounds of muriate of potash. Either of these formulas 

 is high feeding, but high feeding pays with trees as truly as with 

 steers; and particularly if one is starting an orchard on old pasture 

 land, or lands which have been otherwise depleted of their plant food, 

 — and these sorts of lands often offer ideal orchard sites, — it is im- 

 perative to get back the plant food into them, and in liberal quantities, 

 too. 



Fifth, spray the orchard. It isn't always necessary to spray it 

 during the first few years; but, on the other hand, it is sometimes 

 absolutely necessary if the trees are to be saved. Rose chafers will 

 sometimes drop down on them, or crawl up, in a night, and prompt 

 measures and strong poisons are necessary to prevent great damage. 

 A good spray pump ought to be bought when the orchard is set, and 

 kept in readiness. Keep an eye out for the San Jos6 scale, and for 

 anything else which may attack the trees, and keep ahead of them. 

 When the trees come into bearing, spraying becomes still more im- 

 perative. The codling moth is always rampant in our orchards, and 

 wormy apples are tolerated in a way which is ruinous to our reputa- 

 tion. Fig. 4 shows some Baldwins which were on sale at a fruit store 

 in the town of Amherst, and practically every one had a worm in it. 

 One of the most prominent orchardists of Massachusetts stated to the 

 writer last year that in his opinion the Canadian law, which allows 10 

 per cent of wormy or otherwise defective specimens in No. 1 apples, 

 was far too strict, and that his own No. I's that year would average 

 nearly 50 per cent wormy. Until we get a different view from this of 

 what is allowable in No. 1 fruit, the west will continue to take charge 

 of our best markets. 



Sixth, practise thinning when trees set heavily. This gets rid of 

 the defective specimens of fruit before the tree has had the drain of 

 bringing them to full maturity, and the result is better fruit for that 

 year, and more likelihood of a crop the following year. Some varieties 

 need thinning far more than others, but any variety of any fruit which 



