SOD, TILLAGE AND FERTILIZERS FOR THE 

 APPLE ORCHARD. 



A Ten -Year Summary. 

 By J. H. GouRLEY. 



SUMMARY. 



1. This paper presents a ten-year average of an experiment in a 



mature Baldwin apple orchard, dealing with various cul- 

 tural and fertilizer treatments. 



2. The more practical aspects of the work are dealt with in this 



report, such as the yield and growth of the trees and size 

 of fruit in the various plots. 



3. The trees growing in sod have not yielded sufficiently well to 



warrant the use of the land for orcharding and they have 

 made such inferior growth most seasons as to make them 

 less able to withstand the destructive influences of weather 

 and parasites. 



4. Tillage every other year resulted in decided benefit to the 



trees and under certain farm conditions in New Hamp- 

 shire might prove satisfactory, but better results obtain 

 when tillage is followed annually. 



5. Clean cultivation, without the use of green crops, has proven 



to be a successful method in the reclamation of a run- 

 down orchard, increasing the yield nearly 100 per cent and 

 increasing the growth and general vigor of the trees. It 

 has shown evidence, however, that it could not be continued 

 over a long period of time since at the end of the ten-year 

 period the trees are not making as good an average growth 

 as at the end of the five-year period which must be in- 

 terpreted as a decline. 



6. Tillage with cover crops has proven to be a slightly better 



system to follow in this orchard than clean tillage, and has 

 given practically as good results as any treatment followed. 

 The cover crops are not being maintained, however, and 

 show decided evidence of the need of additional fertility. 

 This plot is not in quite as high a state of vigor at present 



