EXPERIMENTS IN ORCHARD CULTURE. 

 SECOND re;port,* 



W. M. MUNSON. 



It has been estimated that the average value of the fertiHzing 

 elements taken from an acre of soil by apple trees during the 

 period of 20 years, counting in ten crops of fruit, is approxi- 

 mately $377. Of this amount $147, or a little less than 39 per 

 cent, is in the fruit; $160, or about 42 per cent, in the leaves; 

 and $70, or about 19 per cent, in wood for the growth of the 

 tree. The total amount of nitrogen, exclusive of that used in the 

 growth of the trees, is about 1,300 pounds, of phosphoric acid 

 310 pounds, of potash 1,900 pounds per acre, 



" To restore the potash alone as above, and that used by the 

 growth of the tree, it would require 21.7 tons of high grade 

 ashes containing 5 per cent potash. To restore the nitrogen 

 would require 16.2 tons of a commercial fertilizer containing 5 

 per cent nitrogen." f In view of these facts, and also of the 

 large amounts of fertilizing elements removed by crops of hay 

 or grain, or by pasturing the orchard without giving extra feed 

 to the animals, it is not strange that many of the orchards of 

 Maine are deteriorating. 



Of course, the fact should be taken into account that a portion 

 of the material above referred to is returned to the soil in the 

 way of fallen fruit and leaves and in the excrement of the 

 animals, but with a liberal allowance for these returns the value 

 of fertilizing elements actually removed from the soil during the 

 period named will probably not fall short of $200, or $10 per 

 acre per year.ij: 



As often urged in the publications of this Station, thorough 

 tillage is one of the surest ways of rendering available the plant 



« First Report see Bulletin 89, 1903. 

 t Roberts, Bui. 103, Cornell Exp. 8ta. 



t A recent valuable contribution to the literature of thi 9 subject is Bui. 265, N. Y 

 Agr. Exp. Sta. (Geneva). 



13 



