194 The Commercial Apple Industry 



9. " In these experiments, fertilization has usually had 

 very little influence on the average size of the fruit. This 

 is apparently because it acted primarily in increasing the 

 total amount of fruit and foliage on the tree, both of which 

 influences tended to decrease the average size of the fruit. 

 Manure, however, usually secured a fair increase in size, 

 probably chiefly because of its moisture-conserving effect. 

 The importance of moisture is evident from the fact that 

 water forms about 85 per cent of the average fruit. The 

 chief means of increasing the size of the fruit, therefore, 

 are proper thinning and moisture conservation." 



10. " Evidence elsewhere indicates that the time of ap- 

 plication is important, especially for nitrogen. It ap- 

 pears that nitrogen carried in nitrate of soda may often 

 distinctly increase the crop of the current season if the 

 application is made at the right time. This time seems to 

 be about when the buds are beginning to open in the spring, 

 or slightly later. When the applications are made much 

 later than this, or when the slower-acting carriers of nitro- 

 gen are used, such as dried blood or manure, no important 

 effects should be expected before the following year. The 

 later applications, however, are often used in steadying the 

 yields from year to year and hence should not be 

 neglected." It should be borne in mind that the above 

 conclusions are more applicable to the East. 



There is a variance in opinion among experimenters as 

 to how soon an appreciable influence is derived from 

 application of nitrate of soda. Some feel that if applied 

 well in advance of the bloom, it will materially increase the 

 set of blossoms the same season. It is more commonly 

 thought that since the morphology of the bud is determined 

 in the preceding season, the application of nitrate can have 



