136 STATE BOARD OF HORTICULTURE. 



fertilizers. I cannot say that the experiment was satisfactory 

 in giving the information that would guide me in the 

 future as to what to do to insure a good crop. Upon a plot of 

 one thousand trees I put a light dressing of sheep manure. 

 Upon the next one thousand I used commercial fertilizer. The 

 adjoining one hundred I passed without giving anything. 

 Upon the next plot I used lime cake. Next to this I used 

 bone meal. Then, upon another plot, I used the sheep manure, 

 commercial fertilizer, bone meal and lime cake, and some wood 

 ashes a little of each. The crop came, and it was in great 

 abundance in all parts of the orchard. I am frank to say 

 that I could not distinguish any material difference in the 

 size, quality, or texture of the fruit grown upon the various 

 plots. This was not a little disappointing, for I had looked 

 forward to this plan of testing soil requirements and the rela- 

 tive value of various fertilizers to decide this most perplexing 

 question. I supposed I would be able to tell thereafter just 

 what the soil demanded in order to produce desired results. 

 But I was still left in the dark. I will add that while I may 

 have been unable to distinguish any material difference in 

 results after employment of fertilizers, I have noticed unmis- 

 takable evidences of the value of proper irrigation and 

 cultivation. 



The year following, last year, being able to secure sheep manure 

 at what I considered a reasonable price, I used it in giving the 

 orchard a light dressing, with the exception of two plots. The 

 harvest was the heaviest ever secured, and the fruits of the 

 highest grade, and I still could distinguish no material 

 difference in the yield in any part of the orchard. 



I am quite aware that there was a combination of favorable 

 influences generally prevailing last year, which gave the great- 

 est abundance of fruit to non-users of fertilizers as well as to 

 their most enthusiastic advocates, or to those who used a com- 

 mon article, as to those who applied the most expensive com- 

 mercial production. So I am still in doubt. 



The portion of the orchard which is the heaviest set this 

 year is the plot that had the entire combination of fertilizers 

 two years ago. Other favorable conditions, I think, are at 

 least in a measure responsible for this. 



Aeration of the Soil. I am convinced that we have much 

 plant-food in some of our soils that is not utilized on account 



