San Dimas Citrus Nurseries 



36 



Fertilizing the Growing Orchard 



For the Land's Sake Feed the Trees. 



EXPERIENCED growers know that orange and lemon 

 trees are gross feeders, and hence respond quickly to an 

 application of plant food to the soil. In California, and 

 for that matter in the arid regions quite generally, the soil is 

 naturally rich, and when the tree is planted on virgin ground, 

 it will do well without any application of fertilizer for the first 

 few years; after that, however, some recognition must be given 



The experience of orange growers indicates that the quality and 

 quantity of the fruit may be very largely controlled by fertiliza- 

 tion, and as oranges are purchased entirely upon their appearance 

 and quality, this becomes a very important consideration through- 

 out this region. Fertilization should be carried on with but one 

 object viz., to enhance quality and quantity of fruit. 



Touching kinds of fertilizers and values of stable manure, a 



CITRUS ORCHARD PLANTED TO FIELD PEAS TO BE PLOUGHED UNDER AS GREEN FERTILIZER. 



the orchard in this regard. Its extent and characters obviously 

 a matter of local conditions, to which the intelligent grower 

 will give careful attention, and act in compliance with the best 

 practice of the successful and experienced growers in his locality. 

 In sections where the soil is shallow it is expedient to apply 

 a fertilizer every year from the time the orchard is planted. In 

 the rich soils of California, it has been found that nearly all 

 the subsidary elements of plant food are present, and hence 

 only the four leading elements must be supplied, viz., nitrogen, 

 phosphoric acid and potash, and in rare cases lime. These must 

 be replaced in the soil of orchards subject to constant cropping. 

 The intelligent grower, therefore, will be quite apt to see to it 

 that his trees do not suffer for the want of nitrogen, phosphoric 

 acid and potash, because these are the elements which the crop 

 annually draws from the ground, and which must be replaced. 



report to the Riverside Horticultural Club on this subject contains 

 the following suggestive paragraph: 



"The question of fertilizers for the orange orchard has in some 

 form been almost continuously before the club. What kind of 

 fertilizers are the best, and how and when they should be put on? 

 are questions often asked, but never as yet answered to the satis- 

 faction of all. It is known that the different commercial fertiliz- 

 ers on the markefare good, and when freely applied they generally 

 give satisfactory results. But growers believe that they are too 

 expensive, and that by buying the chemicals and doing their own 

 mixing, or by applying the chemicals in suitable quantity to the 

 soilVithout mixing, they may reduce the expense about one-half. 

 There is a growing conviction among orchardists that stable 

 manure is one of the most valuable fertilizers, when it can be 

 secured at reasonable figures. One small Navel orchard in River- 

 side, fifteen years old, a part of which has been fertilized exclus- 

 ively with stable manure, has borne regularly, and the fruit has 

 been fully up to the average standard of quality." 



