30 MANURES FOR FRUIT TREES 



dressing of one and a half cwts. of superphosphate 

 of lime per acre. 



The above mentioned manures, in addition to 

 acting directly as plant-foods, possess a most 

 valuable property, as they have the power of 

 liberating or rendering available the minor con- 

 stituents of the soU. In many soils, especially 

 the better kinds of clay land, the quantity of the 

 minor fertilising constituents in this inert or 

 unavailable condition is very great — in fact, almost 

 inexhaustible — and manures which will render the 

 minor constituents available are without doubt of 

 priceless value to the fruit-grower. Frequently 

 these minor ingredients are the turning point in 

 the successful growth of trees — or, in other words, 

 their presence means success and their absence 

 means failure. Hence the reason of the frequent 

 failure of fruit-farming in Great Britain. Fruit trees 

 require manuring as much as ordinary farm crops, 

 but manures should be used with discretion, and 

 with a due regard to economy. The balance-sheet 

 should always be in the hand of the fruit-grower. 



It may be stated that a "worn-out" soil may 

 support fruit-trees from year to year without 

 manure, but the yield of fruit is meagre and never 

 pays — and the land on which the trees grow 

 might as well remain barren. 



