COMMERCIAL ORCHARDING IN WEST VIRGINIA, 9 
cultivate. Clean cultivation on the more level and smooth lands 
requires that they be gone over with horse implements six to eight 
times, and they should have a cover crop during the winter. 
USE OF FERTILIZERS. 
It is common practice in this section to use commercial fertilizer,! 
especially on the red soils and other soils derived from shale and sand- 
stone rock. Most of the orchards located on the chert lands have not 
been treated with fertilizers, as the soil is rich and holds moisture 
well. Fertilizer on the thinner soils is applied at the rate of about 
250 to 500 pounds to the acre. 
Fertilizers may be applied economically at a cost of about $6.25 
per acre for the best grades. An easy method of application is to use 
an 8-foot drill. 
In order to reduce the operating expenses, many growers use com- 
mercial fertilizers sparingly, but this practice is not recommended by 
the best orchardists, because of its importance as a factor in yields, 
and the fertility of the poorer soils should be increased if a profitable 
apple orchard is expected to follow the peaches. Mixtures commonly 
used are the 4-8-5 and 4—8-11 formulas.’ 
PRUNING. 
Pruning is done in the winter and early spring when the weather is 
favorable, generally in March and April. The number of trees that 
a man may be expected to prune in a day varies, of course, with the 
size and character of the tree as well as the expertness of the man. 
Under average conditions, however, 1,000 one-year-old trees per day 
should be pruned by one man, 500 two years old, 200 three years old, 
and 125 four years old. Peach trees are not allowed to develop large 
heads, so that after the trees are four years old one man may be 
expected to prune about 100 trees per day. These same data would 
apply to apple trees up to 6 or 7 years of age. 
SPRAYING. 
The spraying outfit on the more level, smooth lands consists of a 
tank, a 3 or 34 horsepower gasoline engine, and other fixtures mounted 
on a truck and hauled by a 2-horse team. The number of trees an 
outfit and crew may be expected to spray in a day will vary, of course, 
with the size of the trees, the character of the land on which the spray- 
1The fertilizer need of the soil for peaches is a very important factor in orchard management and such 
needs are different in different places. The West Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station is conducting 
experiments on various soil types to determine the fertilizer needs. 
2The figures in these formulas refer, respectively, to the percentages of ammonia, phosphoric acid, and 
potash in the fertilizers. 
3Only such details of spraying are given as are necessary to determine the quantity, cost, and time of 
applying the material. There are bulletins which give valuable and detailed information on spraying, 
among them being Farmers’ Bulletin 440. 
9680°—-13 2 
