574 FRUIT CULTURE IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES. 



Composition of the ashes of the fruit of the orange tree. 



Weight of the ashes of 100 kilograms of fruit: Analysis No. 1, 3.57 kilograms; analysis No. 2, 3.48 

 kilograms. 



Composition of the ashes of the trunk, branches, and leaves of the orange tree. 



Weight of ashes per 100 kilograms: Analysis No. 3, 6.32 kilograms? analysis No. 4, 6.20 kilograms. 

 Nitrogen: Analysis No. 3, 1.57 per cent. ; analysis No. 4, 1.60 per cent. 



Leaving out of account the material required for the yearly produc- 

 tion of leaves and buds, as to which precise data are wanting, and tak- 

 ing analysis No. 1 as a basis, the cropping of 16,000 kilograms of fruit 

 from one hectare will withdraw from the soil 571 kilograms of mineral 

 constituents, in the following proportions : 



Kilograms 



Potash 115.00 



Soda 58.36 



Lime 171.99 



Magnesia 51.50 



Phosphoric acid 114. 43 



Sulphuric acid ^ 6.17 



Siliceous acid 25. 69 



Oxide of iron (and residue) 27.80 



Total 571.00 



Nitrogen,* 0.85 per cent, of 16,000 kilograms. 



The absolute and proportional percentage of the mineral constituents 

 of stable manure is of course extremely variable. The following figures 



* Gasparin, an eminent French writer on orange culture, allows 1.19 kilograms of 

 nitrogen per 1,000 oranges. Taking the average weight per thousand at 140 kilo- 

 grams, a crop of 16,000 kilograms of fruit will require 136 kilograms of nitrogen, 

 equal to about 0.85 per cent of the weight of crop. 



