8 N. H. AQR. EXPERIMENT STATION [Bulletin 208 



Fruit Bud Formation. 



The work in the Woodman Orchard has been carried along by G. F. Potter 

 and S. W. Wentworth on the same lines as in previous seasons. Total yield 

 of fruit, average twig growth, and trunk diameters of the trees have been 

 recorded. The more important plots are: (1) sod, (2) clean cultivation and 

 cover crop, (3) cultivation and cover crop plus complete fertilizer. As has 

 been previously indicated, the trees in the plots which receive complete 

 fertihzer in addition to cultivation are now considerably larger than those 

 trees which are cultivated but not fertilized. Yields of these plots are also 

 somewhat larger, probably due simply to the increased bearing area, although 

 there is some indication that the fertilized trees are bearing more regularly 

 than the others. When the 1923 crop is harvested, the data for the third 

 5-year period on this fertilization experiment will be complete and it is ex- 

 pected that it will be published at that time. 



The results of this experiment which have previously been published 

 have been of great value to the state and have achieved national recogni- 

 tion. They have indicated that if an orchard is thoroughly cultivated, a 

 complete artificial fertilizer does not give a sufficient increase in yield during 

 the first ten years to pay commercially. They have also indicated that in 

 •the climatic conditions of New Hampshire the chief deficiency of a sod plot 

 is in nitrate nitrogen. This form of plant food can therefore be applied to 

 sod orchards as a chemical fertilizer with the result that growth and yields 

 under sod culture are practically or fully as good as under a system of cul- 

 tivation. The sod mulch with additional nitrate fertilizer is now becom- 

 ing a standard practice in the sod orchards of New Hampshire, and the suc- 

 cess of this system renders it possible to extend the orchard industry in 

 New Hampshire to a much greater extent than would be possible if only 

 those fields which are suitable for cultivation could be utilized as orchards. 



The work on bio-chemical phases of fruit bud formation has occupied the 

 major part of the time of the members of the staff and this work has been 

 carried -on in cooperation with H. R. Kraybill (Agricultural Chemistry) 

 along the following lines: 



Rel.\tion of Light to Fruit Bud Formation. 



In the spring of 1921 trees on three plots of the Woodman Orchard were 

 selected as follows: (1) sod plot, seven trees non-bearing the current year; 

 (2) sod plot, seven trees bearing the current year; (3) high nitrate fertilized 

 plot bearing fair crop. Four types of spurs were sampled from these trees 

 at frequent intervals throughout the season as follows: (1) non-bearing 

 spurs from non-bearing trees of sod plot; (2) bearing spurs, from bearing 

 trees of sod plot ; (3) non-bearing spurs from bearing trees of high nitrate 

 plot, and (4) bearing spurs from bearing trees of high nitrate plots. 



Samples were taken every week during the actively growing season, every 

 two weeks later and finally every month until November. Composite sam- 

 ples in dupUcate were taken from all of the trees of each plot, brought to the 

 laboratory in tightly stoppered flasks, weighed and immediately preserved 

 by heating in alcohol to which a weighed amount of CaCOs, had been added. 



