-17- 



Fertilization. 



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According to the last census, $2,000,000 is being 

 expended for orchard fertilization each year. Fruit farms 

 expended 30 / per acre for fertilizers as compared with 

 4 / on hay and grain farms, and 2 / per acre on stock 

 farms . 



It is the opinion of many scientists that in many 

 cases the application of commercial fertilizers are made 

 with negative results. It is difficult to determine the 

 fertilizer needs of the apple, due to non-unifonaity in 

 soil and varieties over the large areas required, contin- 

 uous cropping without chance for rotation and irregular 

 bearing habit . 



In 1894 experiment started on the Woburn Experiment- 

 al Fruit in England showed at the close of the 14th season, 

 that there had been almost total absence of effect from 

 manure on clay soil. On poorer, sandy soil, manure gave 

 a beneficial effect. The absence o? effect on the clay 

 soil was explained by the fact that trees draw their nou- 

 rishment from a large area and from a considerable depth, 

 and for tliat reason are very little affected by surface 

 dressings of manure. 



Another experiment made at the Geneva Experiment Sta- 

 tion by Professor Hedrick, and reported in 1907, showed 

 similar results. This experiment gave the results of 

 twelve years of annual applications of potash and phos- 

 phate, in the form of wood aehes. During the last seven 



