37 



Stone Fruits: 



Nitrate of Soda, 100 200 Ibs. per acre. 



Dissolved Bone Slag Supers, 300 600 Ibs. 



Muriate or Sulphate of Potash, no 220 Ibs. 



or Complete Fertilizer, 600 1,000 Ibs. 



Less Nitrogen with Plums and Cherries, say 60 120 Ibs. 



The margins are, I admit, rather wide. 



The above are annual dressings to mature trees bearing full 

 crops. 



\Ve would say after the sixth year according to the crops 

 taken off, our guide would be for every 100 gross value of fruit 

 harvested, at least 10 value of manure should be returned to the 

 soil, and it will pay well to return 20. 



Dr. Nobbs further says : " Before touching on combinations 

 I think it will be well to point out that certain soils only require 

 the addition of one of the four plant foods you speak of, in order 

 to enable the crop to make use of the others already there. In 

 such cases the use of, say, nitrate of soda, or of superphosphates, 

 or of lime alone, will have as much effect as the addition of a 

 complete manure. On the other hand, the soil may be deficient in 

 more than one constituent, or in all four, in which case combina- 

 tions of all these or general manures, such as stable or kraal 

 manure, guano, or a ' complete ' artificial fertilizer is indicated. 



The requirements of soils in these respects is best ascer- 

 tained by trying experiments, comparing complete manures with 

 others from which one or other ingredient has been purposely 

 omitted or more rapidly, though less reliable, by the chemical 

 examination df the soil. 



In the case of old orchards, where it is desired to maintain 

 the fertility by restoring what has been removed by previous crops, 

 the use of general manures is to be recommended. 



Manuring may have for its aim the improvement of the 

 physical condition of the soil, in which case stable manure, com- 

 post green manuring or an application of lime may be necessary, 

 according to circumstances. 



Kraal manure, dung and the like must not be used together 

 with basic slag, bone meal, superphosphates, lime, or nitrate of 

 soda, nor is potash necessary where this is used. 



Similarly it is not necessary to use any of the above with 

 guano, while lime w r ould cause direct waste of valuable fertilizing 

 material. 



Lime must not be used as above nor mixed with superphos- 

 phates, dissolved bones nor sulphate of ammonia. It may be 

 safely applied along \vith basic slag, but it is in practice generally 

 applied alone. Slag, in addition to the above cases, must on no 

 account be mixed with superphosphates or dissolved bones or sul- 

 phate of ammonia, as direct loss would ensue. 



