EXPERIMENTS IN ORCHARD CULTURE- 



187 



Taking the orchard as a whole, there was an average annual 

 growth of from three and one-half to eight inches. The unfer- 

 tilized trees, in general, made less growth than did the fertilized 

 trees, and the uncultivated than the cultivated. It is noticeable, 

 however, that the Gravensteins which were mulched and fertil- 

 ized averaged slightly better than those which were cultivated 

 and fertilized. This is, no doubt, due to the partial killing of 

 several of the trees on the cultivated ground. In nearly every 

 case, however, it was the seedling stock which suffered and not 

 the top, though of course the top soon followed. It is also true 

 that the difference in elevation, if any, was in favor of the 

 mulched trees ; these being slightly lower, and possibly more 

 moist. Such difference is very slight, however. 



In Bulletin 89 the following table was published with the note 

 that : " With a single exception, in which two trees had particu- 

 larly good advantages, the growth on the mulched areas was less 

 than on corresponding cultivated plats. On cultivated soil there 

 was little increase in growth from the use of either manure or 

 commercial fertilizer ; while on the mulched land the growth was 

 noticeably — two to five inches — greater as a result of adding 

 plant food. These facts would indicate that there is enough 

 plant food in the soil to produce a fairly satisfactory growth, if 

 mechanical treatment is such as to render it available, and other 

 plants are not allowed to rob the trees." 



Variety. 



Treatment. 



fe CU •-! 



Growth in 

 inches; 

 stable 

 manure. 



Growth in 

 inches; 

 commercial 

 fertilizer. 



Gravenstein ... | 



Cultivated 



Mulched 



Cultivated 



1k—H (12 trees) 

 5^—7^ (9 trees) 



7 —8 (8 trees) 

 7 —81 (6 trees) 

 f)i— 8j (6 trees) 

 6i-SH6 trees) 



84—9 (7 trees) 

 10-13 (2 trees)* 

 7 — SJ (6 trees) 

 5 — 6i (5 trees) 



Tolman | 



Mulched 



2I-4H3 trees) 



♦Thesetrees were in a slight depression and next to the cultivated area. 



The record of succeeding years has justified the statement 

 there made. For several years the unfertilized trees held their 

 places both as to growth and as to yield, but during recent years 

 the need of additional plant food has been manifest, even on the 



