214 The Principles of Fruit-growing. 
chard was plowed again in the fall of 1895, and a 
third time in the spring of 1896. None of the 
dressings showed any effect in 1895, but in 1896 
the trees which had received the nitrate of soda 
were very remarkably superior to those which had 
received the other treatments and to those which 
had received none. They had very much heavier 
and darker green foliage, so that they could be 
readily distinguished many rods away, and they had 
a heavier load of fruit, which was larger and finer 
than that upon the other trees. This heavier crop 
was probably not due to more profuse blossoming, 
but to a less dropping of young apples. The 
potash-treated rows showed some improvement over 
adjoining trees, but the result was not marked. It 
is probable that the beneficial results of the potash 
are yet to come. 
Nitrogen-fertilizing often exerts a decided influ- 
ence in delaying the maturity of fruit, and it is 
worth while to consider the application of such fertil- 
izers to winter apples which tend to ripen too early. 
These fertilizers also tend to the production of low 
colors in fruit. Lodeman found,* as the result of 
experiment, that “the apples produced upon the 
plot which -was, in all probability, the richest in 
nitrogen, were late, and they were also poorly 
colored.” 
Potash is generally the most important element 
to be apphed directly to orchards, particularly after 
* Rural New-Yorker, Jan. 2, 1897, 2. 
