Orchard Fruits and Berries 321 



"This point is one that is seldom considered in cal- 

 culating the advantages to be derived from proper manur- 

 ing, though it is of extreme value, since the expenses of 

 cultivation, trimming and interest on investment are 

 quite as great in one case as in the other." 



Methods of fertilizing. 



The peach industry has so extended in the past few years 

 that soils of natural high fertility possessing ideal condi- 

 tions for peach-production have long ago been utilized. 

 The peach crop is no longer a luxury in the farmers' homes, 

 but a staple food commodity in all of the markets of the 

 country. Many orchards are located on the poorer soils, 

 and many more are being planted annually, and this is 

 especially true of peaches which may be grown success- 

 fully on the lighter types of soils. In order that the health 

 and vigor of the trees be maintained it is necessary to 

 supply plant-food in abundance. At the same tune the 

 demand for natural manures, yard and stable manure, has 

 increased, and with the advent of motor-drawn vehicles, 

 the supply has decreased, leaving the use of commercial 

 fertilizers the logical means of supplying the necessary 

 food for the tree. 



If commercial fertilizers are to be used efficiently, some- 

 thing must be known of the habits of the tree and of the 

 kinds and amounts of plant-food required. Good, warm, 

 naturally well-drained soils, even though they contain 

 relatively small amounts of plant-food, are better adapted 

 for peaches than for apples, because the former are shorter 

 lived, grow relatively more rapidly and have a relatively 

 greater power of acquiring food than the longer-lived 

 trees. This statement brings out the character of the tree. 

 Work done at the New Jersey Experiment Station, New 



