94 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



which is not pertinent to this discussion. I will simply say that, as 

 regards apples as food for animals, my practical experience in feed- 

 ing them confirms the results of anah'sis. They are of some value, 

 and when fed in connection with meal, serve to give zest to the 

 appetite and keep animals in health. The riper the apples the 

 better the results, and they should not be fed in a half-frozen state 

 to milch cows, as this course will invariably cut short the milk 

 supply. If they are cooked by boiling, their value is much en- 

 hanced, as more perfect digestion results. 



In the cultivation of fruits, we should not be misled by the fact 

 that they do not, in themselves, exhaust soils, except in a slight 

 degree. The constituent principles of fruits are, to a large extent, 

 organic, and, therefore, derivable from water and the atmosphere. 

 Sugar, the important principle of all fruits, takes nothing from the 

 soil which has monej' value. The albuminoids, as has been shown, 

 are very sparsely distributed throng most of our fruits, and as they 

 hold the nitrogenous element, it is seen that nitrogenous manures are 

 not needed in large quantities in orchards or fruit gardens. Anah^- 

 sis of the grape shows that in most varieties nitrogen, as supplied 

 in manures, is not necessary'. The results of anal3'sis in the case of 

 all fruits, have been satisfactorily confirmed in m}- practical experi- 

 ence. 



I have never found nitrogenous manures to exert marked specific 

 influence upon any of my fruit crops, and years ago I discontinued 

 their use. Fruit trees, shrubs, and vines need nitrogen, but the 

 spontaneous supply in soils is fully equal to the comparatively small 

 amounts required. There is one mineral element which may be said 

 to be the pabulum par excellence of growing fruits, and that is pot- 

 ash. It is certainl}' true that we cannot raise perfect and desirable 

 fruits if we withhold this element from the soils of our orchards. 

 When it is considered that we influence growing fruits only through 

 the act of rendering the tree or vine vigorous and healthy, and when 

 we further consider how much potash is required to maintain a nor- 

 mal condition in large fruit trees, which are constantly under the 

 pruning saw and knife, we obtain some correct views of the im- 

 portance of this agent in soils. Both the fruit of the vine, and the 

 vine itself, are great consumers of potash. The same may be said 

 of most of our small or soft fruits. 



It is not usually advisable to attempt to reclaim and render pro- 

 ductive a worn out grape border, but if any satisfactory success is 



