u 



of nitrogen, and a very useful adjunct to these sources of supply is 

 the use of cover crops of leguminous plants, such as cowpeas, velvet 

 beans, kafEr beans, etc. 



Some idea may be gathered as to the quantities to be applied per 

 tree from the following : — 



Trees two to four years old, not bearing : — 



1 lb. Kraal ash. 

 li lb. Bone meal. 

 l| lb. Dried blood. 



Trees five to eight years old: — 



2 lb. Kraal ash. 



3 lb. Bone meal. 



1 lb. Dried blood. 

 And older trees in proportion. 



These quantities are supplied as a kind of general guide, and 

 allow for an annual supply of nitrogen by means of leguminous crops 

 ploughed under. 



It is hoped that further and more general information will be 

 available on this matter at a later date. 



Method of Application. 



The method of applying 'fertilizers to the soil depends upon the 

 age of the trees. If they are young the material may be scattered by 

 hand round the trees from a radius of 18 inches from the stem to 

 18 inches beyond the outside spread of the branches, and either dug, 

 cultivated, or harrowed under. In the case of old trees whose roots 

 form a regular network and interlace beyond the middles of the rows, 

 it is best to broadcast whatever fertilizer may be used. This may 

 be and usually is done by hand in South Africa or a " spreader " may 

 be employed. If unskilled labour were highly paid possibly one of 

 these implements would be used; as it is, native labour can be depended 

 upon for work of this kind provided a watchful eye is kept on the 

 proceedings. After broadcasting, the manure must be incorporated 

 with the soil as soon as possible ; it should be ploughed or cultivated 

 under, and if a rain comes along soon afterwards all the better — if 

 not, irrigation should be resorted to. 



Before Spring Rains. 



The best period of the year to apply manures is before the spring 

 rains as a rule. If applied during the rains in summer time, as is 

 the practice occasionally, there is a tendency on the part of the trees 

 to go on growing too late in the season ; a consequence of this may be 

 the cutting back of tender sappy growths by frost in winter. Roughly 

 speaking, a bearing orchard requires from 600 to 800 lb. of complete 

 fertilizer per acre per annum. The requirements of younger trees 

 are of course much less. In some countries, such as California, where 

 fertilization of orchards is practised to an enormous extent, as much 

 as £15 to £20 per acre per annum is spent on manures. 



Selection oe Trees from Nursery. 



The preceding has been written entirely on the assumption that 

 growers would purchase the trees intended to be set out from nursery- 

 men. There is much to be said in favour of such a practice. The 



