146 FOOD FOR PLANTS 



plant-food elements, nitrogen has been demonstrated 

 to be the most important for apples. 



The soil requirements vary so widely that no gen- 

 eral formula for fertilizer applications can be given 

 accurately. To get best results, the grower must 

 study the growth of his trees; and he can gauge his 

 fertilization by their behavior. 



Stable manure, applied at the rate of eight to ten 

 tons per acre annually, is a good fertilizer. How- 

 ever, the supply of manure is very limited, and com- 

 mercial fertilizers have given equally good results 

 and their use is becoming more common. 



Nitrate fertilization should be considered a neces- 

 sity for orchards. In starved sod orchards, increased 

 yields of one hundred to three hundred per cent or 

 more are not uncommon following the use of Nitrate 

 of Soda. In orchards in fair condition of vigor, in- 

 creased yields of fifty to one hundred per cent have 

 been obtained. 



In cultivated orchards, the cover crop is greatly 

 increased by the use of Nitrate, which benefits the 

 trees indirectly, and there are many cases on record 

 where the crop yields are heavily increased by its use. 



INSTRUCTIONS FOR USING NITRATE OF 

 SODA ON APPLES. 



Apply the Nitrate of Soda by broadcasting it evenly 

 over the area covered by the outer two-thirds of the 

 branches. With young trees, care must be taken 

 not to apply the Nitrate close to the trunk. In full- 

 grown orchards, apply well out beyond the spread of 

 the branches in order to conform with the usual dis- 



