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soil and other sources, and in this way ascertain the extent to which the soil has been 

 exhausted and the special inorganic and organic elements which enter into the com- 

 position of their tissues. In the case of farm crops which are reaped annually this 

 is comparatively an easy task, but it is obvious that in the case of fruit trees — both 

 small and large — this of necessity cannot easily be done. As, however, it is as highly 

 important to the fruit-growers to know what kind of food and what class of soils 

 are best suited to produce the largest amount of fruit as it is to the farmer to be in 

 possession of such information respecting his crop, it is but the duty of those 

 engaged in working out these problems to direct their study, as far as in their power 

 lies, towards the solution of such difficult questions. 



It was with a view of throwing some light upon this abstruse subject, of 

 proposing some rational mode in the application of fertilizers to orchards, that the 

 work included in this paper was undertaken. 



Now, it must not be thought that even if we knew the exact composition of all 

 the parts of the tree (and as long as the truit is hanging it remains part of the tree), 

 and also the total weight of \ihose component parts as well as a knowledge of the 

 composition of the soil in which the tree was growing that the whole question would 

 be settled. Until a few years ago it was thought that such data were sufficient to 

 guide the agriculturist in manuring certain fields for certain crops, but later facts 

 evolved by patient experiments, conducted most carefully over many years, have 

 now proved this theory fallacious. I might illustrate this by reference to the 

 cereals and Jeguminosaj. The formej' contain but half the nitrogen of the latter, yet 

 notwithstanding this fact, and all that it seems to imply, it is found that the applica- 

 tion of nitrogen is specially beneficial to the cereals, but of little or no value to the 

 leguminosaj, especially after a certain stage of their growth. Without going into the 

 reasons, or rather theories, which have been advanced to account for this state of affairs, 

 I will ask you to bear these facts in mind, and at the same time to remember that ex 

 nihilo nihil fit, that we have to draw upon the soil, the air and water for the consti- 

 tuents of plant food, and that the soil, generally speaking, is the only one of the three 

 we can modify or alter in composition by mechanical or chemical agents. The 

 climate, including degree of frost, amount of rainfall, snow, sunshine, &c., all these 

 are important factors in agriculture. But as we have no control over the elements, 

 the line of experiment seems rather in making choice of and breeding from such 

 varieties, whose qualities, dependent upon heredity and environment, make them 

 seem specially adapted to the climate immediately under consideration, and then 

 finding out by all the means at our command, and then applying those elements of 

 plant food best suited to their growth and development. 



In this series of experiments five well-known and hardy varieties of apple trees 

 were selected and the leaves gathered at two stages of their growth, viz.: 25th May 

 and 20th September. The leaves in all cases were taken from two or more trees, 

 so that their analysis should reveal the fair average composition of the leaf of that 

 variety at that particular stage of the tree's growth. Upon the first date some 

 difficulty was experienced in a few instances in getting sufficient leaves for analysis 

 without seriously denuding the tree of foliage, so that these first specimens represent 

 leaves in a stage of development. On 20th September all the leaves were still quite 

 green, and their life apparently unimpaired and vigorous. 



Mr. John Craig, Horticulturist to the Central Experimental Farm, has kindly 

 furnished me with the following descriptions of the apple trees under discussion : — 



Duchess of Oldenburgh. — Tree is vigorous and hardy, forming a roundish, 

 upright head. Bears young, and abundantly. Young shoots, smooth, reddish. 

 Leaves, medium-sized, firm and glossy. September. 



Te'tofsky. — Tree upright, very hardy, vigorous. A young and annual bearer. 

 Young shoots, stout, reddish-ljrown. Leaves, very large. August. 



Wealthy. — Hardy, vigorous and healthy. Spreading, open head. Bears young ; 

 is an abundant and annual bearer. Shoots, dark, medium. Leaves, medium. October. 



Fameuse. — Tree, moderately vigorous and hardy, round-topped, spreading. 

 Youno- shoots, reddish-brown. Fairly young annual bearer. 



