108 THE APPLE 



and | pound of basic slag or acid phosphate per tree, to be applied 

 each year during the first few years of a tree's life. For a bearing 

 orchard he would use 500 pounds of basic slag or acid phosphate 

 and 300 pounds of high-grade sulphate of potash per acre. Hale, 1 

 the peach king, uses for bearing orchards 1000 pounds of bone and 

 400 pounds of muriate of potash. 



The mixture of bone and potash is a common one among fruit 

 growers, although the proportions given by different growers may 

 vary. Van Slyke 2 recommends the following formula : 



Cottonseed meal 100 lb. 



Raw ground bone 100 lb. 



Acid phosphate 100 lb. 



Muriate of potash 1 00 lb. 



In the western part of New York, especially in the neighborhood 

 of Buffalo and in the Oswego region, orchardists are making heavy 

 applications of barnyard manure, — from 10 to 25 tons per acre, and 

 in some cases more, — and claim that excellent results are secured. 



Stewart, 3 after years of study and experimenting, recommends 

 a very good formula. 



A GENERAL FERTILIZER FOR APPLE ORCHARDS 

 (Amounts per Acre for Bearing Trees) 



This table means that a fertilizer carrying about 30 pounds of 

 actual nitrogen, 50 pounds of actual phosphoric acid (P 2 5 ), and 



1 J. II. Hale, prominent orchardist, Glastonbury, Connecticut. 



2 L. L. Van Slyke, chemist, New York Agricultural Experiment Station, 

 Geneva. 



3 J. P. Stewart, horticulturist, Pennsylvania State Experiment Station, State 

 College. 



