24 



Fertilizing the Trees. 



The type and quantity of fertilizers used in the orchard will 

 vary a good deal according to soil conditions and according to 

 the cultivation that is maintained. With a reasonably fertile 

 soil and with good cultivation, it may not be necessary to use 

 any fertilizers whatever; while, when the soil is poor and the 

 cultivation not of the best, a considerable quantity of fertilizer 

 may be necessary. For this fertilizing nothing is better than 

 good barn manure, and where this is available it may be the 

 only fertilizer needed. Two or three forkfuls around a tree 

 will bring along a more satisfactory type of growth than can 

 be got in almost any other way. While this may be all that 

 is necessary it frequently is desirable to put on a little nitrate 

 of soda at the start to bring the trees along quickly. 



Where barn manure is not available some nitrate of soda, 

 say 2 or 3 ounces per tree, and some tankage, say a half 

 pound per tree, will usually result in a very satisfactory growth 

 of the trees. 



The question of the application of any other tj-pes of fer- 

 tilizers to trees the first year is still a matter of debate, but 

 probably in most cases it is not worth while to apply potash; 

 and while the case of phosphoric acid is less certain and a 

 half pound of acid phosphate per tree might be worth using, 

 still, if the soil is handled properly in other respects, the trees 

 will probably make a very satisfactory growth without any 

 other types of fertilizers than some form of nitrogen. 



Cropping the Orchard. 



It is a much debated question whether it will pay to grow 

 other crops among the young trees during the first few years 

 of the orchard, and the answer to this question depends very 

 largely on the type of land and the type of market available. 

 In most cases it is probably wise to attempt to grow some 

 sort of crops in the orchard. If the right crop is selected it 

 will usually help towards carrying the expense of bringing the 

 orchard along, and the cultivation is apt to be more thorough 

 and systematic where there is a crop involved than where 

 there is nothing but the orchard on the land. 



