44 



BITTER PIT INVESTIGATION. 



1. _ AT H. H. HATFIELD'S ORCHARD, Box HILL, NEAR MELBOURNE. 



The manures were applied in early winter, towards the end of June. They were similar to 

 the preceding year, only in plot 4 green manuring was omitted, and in plot 6 field peas were sown on 

 29th June, as well as fine unburnt limestone applied. 



There was no crop this season, owing principally to a severe frost on 16th October, but a com- 

 bination of hot winds and Thrips contributed to the result. The trees have not grown as much as 

 usual, owing to the drought, but they are quite healthy, and have every appearance of a heavy crop 

 next season. 



There was a gradually decreasing rainfall during the four years over which the experiments 

 extended, and the consequence was that the subsoil had become dried up. In the four years from 

 1911 to 1914 there were respectively 35, 25, 20, and 19 inches of rain annually, and if the important 

 first six months of each year are compared, it is seen that the same order holds good. 



TABLE XVII. SUMMARY OF THREE YEARS' EXPERIMENTS, EIGHT TREES IN EACH OF 



THE NINE PLOTS. 



Yield. 



Per cent. Pitted. 



Total 



1912 1913 1914 

 Ibs. Ibs. Ibs. 



Plot 

 No. Manure. 



Sulphate of ammonia ) 



Ordinary superphosphate -1025 220 



Sulphate of potash J 



947 



Total 



Yield. 1912 1913 1914 Pitted. 

 Ibs. Ibs. 



2194 



-54 62 



6 



204 



Sulphate of ammonia 

 Special bonedust 

 Ordinary superphosphate 

 Sulphate of potash 



611 373 G82 1666 



24 31 



C Sulphate of ammonia 

 3 j Ordinary superphosphate [ 825 

 I Kainit 



377 633 1835 1-50 25 



12 



183 



183 



Pitted 

 for 3 

 years. 



9 



11 



10 



17 



8 



7 118 



10 228 



8 166 



6 60 



6 102 



8 121 



1365 



*Green Manuring, 1913-14. fGreen Manuring, 1912-13. {No Sulphate of Iron in 1912. 



SUMMARY FOR THREE YEARS. 



In all the other manurial experimental plots the trees are of the Cleopatra variety. These 

 are Esopus Spitzenburg, and at the beginning of the experiment hi 1911 they were fourteen years old. 



14 



(for 

 2 years) 



