RATIONAL FRUIT CULTURE. 49 



CHAPTER IX. 



STABLE MANURE AND ARTIFICIAL FERTILISERS. 



THOUGH phosphate and potash do not drain away like 

 nitrate, there must come a time when there is a shortage 

 of them also, for they are gradually used up in the pro- 

 cess of growth. That time must, of course, depend on the 

 amount present in the ground whenj:he trees are planted, and 

 on the rate at which they grow. In clay there is usually a 

 good deal of potash, but as it is difficult to tell, without 

 chemical analysis, exactly what is in the soil and what is 

 not, the common practice is to apply a complete plant-food 

 containing all three ingredients. If the phosphate and the 

 potash are in excess, they are not wasted, but remain arail- 

 able for future use. 



WHEN TO APPLY ST.ABLE MANLRE. 



Stable manure, as previously stated, is a complete plant- 

 food; it contains all three ingredients, though not in the right 

 proportions, for which reason it is improved by being supple- 

 mented by artificials. Before it can be used, however, it must 

 be decomposed into simpler compounds, and these must be 

 dissolved by the water in the ground, for the roots can absorb 

 only such food as is in liquid form. Hence stable manure 

 should be applied while the trees are at rest — that is, in autumn 

 or winter. Some of it will then be ready for them when they 

 start growth in spring, and as its decomposition is gradual, 

 it will continue to supply them with food until it is exhausted 

 — very often, if the dressing is heavy, for two seasons, if not 

 for more. 



