THE BOOK OF GARDENING. 



soluble phosphate, and causes it to sink and distribute throughout 

 the soil. The roots of the growing crops are thus provided with 

 a continuous supply of phosphoric food, and there is a dissemination 

 of the manure obtained through a large soil area, which is especially 

 helpful to young seedling plants. Superphosphates are most bene- 

 ficial on soils rich in lime. Very concentrated superphosphates 

 should never be used in large quantities if there is but little lime 

 in the soil, as there is a danger of injury to plant roots. Though 

 especially esteemed for Turnips, Potatoes, and all root crops, 

 concentrated phosphatic manures are valuable for insuring a very 

 rapid and vigorous early growth of most seedlings, and assisting 

 maturition and fruit development. 



We learn from some investigations of Professor Wagner with 

 vines, fruit-trees, and berry-bearing shrubs, that a great deal 

 depends upon these plants producing leaves rapidly and abundantly 

 in early spring ; also upon the blossoms appearing at the right 

 time, and upon the fructification ensuing vigorously ; inasmuch 

 as the more completely all these phenomena take place, the more 

 certain are the prospects of a fruit production satisfactory alike 

 as to quantity and quality. In the case of kitchen vegetables, 

 and all seedlings, it is also of great advantage to make these 

 develop rapidly and vigorously, in order that they may recover 

 as soon as possible from the ravages made upon them by 

 insects, frosts, and bad weather ; further, that they may 

 elaborate as quickly as possible a widely-distributed and deeply- 

 penetrating network of healthy roots, and in this way acquire so 

 much vital energy and so much power of resistance that they 

 can successfully encounter all injurious influences from whatever 

 source. 



In order to attain all this, the following conditions must be 

 fulfilled — that the plant during its early stages of development 

 has placed at its disposal as much easily available and readily 

 soluble phosphate as it can possibly assimilate. On the lighter 

 descriptions of soil, it has been found that phosphoric acid is 

 less important in fruit culture as a manure than potash. How- 

 ever, the best results are to be expected when the fruit-grower 

 closely observes the behaviour of his trees, and then applies such 

 manurial ingredients as they appear to need. 



Professor Voorhees gives the following practical suggestions 

 for the fertilising of orchards. He states that a system of 

 manuring for cultivated orchards based upon the limited 

 data at our disposal may be outlined as follows : " To 

 provide vegetable matter and to improve the physical 

 quality of poor soils, apply farmyard manure once in four years 

 at the rate of from five tons to ten tons per acre. To aid in 

 the decomposition of the vegetable matter, and to ensure a 

 sufiiciency of lime as plant - food, apply lime at the rate 

 of twenty - five bushels per acre once in five years. To 



