10 

 FERTILIZATION. 

 Of late years the question of fertilization has been 

 studied to some extent by scientific men with the result that 

 in their opinion, a great deal, infact most of the fertilizers 

 applied to orchard soils in chemical form are v/asted. This view 

 is some what borne out by the United States Department of 

 Agriculture ^Bureau of Soils, in one of its bulletins concerning 

 the soil solution, vis., that all soils contain sufficient 

 plant food in solution to nourish an average crop every year 

 providing good cultural methods are employed. Because of its 

 extensive spread of roots and the consequent great intake of 

 water from the soil, this theory would be especially applicable 

 to the apple tree. Even if the solution were weak, the enormous 

 amount of water taken in and required because of the extensive 

 transpiring area of the leaves, would provide enough solid food 

 to meet the requirements of the tree. It ?/ould seem unnecessary 

 then to add any chemical fertilizer to a soil v/hlch is already 

 plenty rich enough, a bulletin from the Geneva Station by 

 Professor HedricH entitled, "Does the Apple Orchard need 

 Fertilizers", concludes thus (Bull. 339 Pop. edition) ''The 

 final conclusion must be that the trees in this orchard would be 

 practically as v;ell off in every respect had not an ounce of 

 fertilizers been used about them. If fertilizers are not necessary 

 for young trees in this orchard they have no value in imimerabje 

 other orchards in Nev; York . One of the lessons the experiment 

 should teach is that fertilizers are not necessary in the 

 average soils if tillage and good care the rule,- the truth of 

 the old adage 'tillage is manure'." 



