166 



TPIIRTY-FOURTH FRUIT-GROWERS ' CONVENTION. 



soil m every dircrt ion. halliin- every little particle of sand and silt and clay and 

 gradually Keiiis' de|,osiied ;ii,ioii- them as the necessary lime is found. 'The.e 

 de])Osiie'i oi- ])!•(. cipiijitcfl jiiM-lielcs are extremely minute, -iid sf) cvpo^c ) im,.,, • 

 amount of surface to the action of the soil water. 



Then, after speaking' of untreated rock and untreated bone, i'vo- 

 fessor Ilite, the writer of this bulletin, says : 



The greatest disadvantage of such materials is that when applied to the soil they 

 remani where tliey fall. T]wx may be scratched about more or less bv the hari-ow 

 or the hoe, but cmmi if Mic li Id could be shoveled over, or run throuah the most 

 improved disinte.m ;i t or ,iin! mix, r. Hie best that could be hoped for would be a com- 

 paratncly iiieit ],;iiii( |c ii^ iv d rhere. The case is altogether different when the 

 soluble pliosi)li;iV" IS used. I'oi ilie deposited particles are not only readilv available 

 when needed, but they ai'e so thoroughly incorporated with the soil particles that 

 they are everyVvhere within easy reach of the roots. 



It seems to me there is another feature that might be classed as 

 an advantauo, iinmeh^ that for fruit trees the reverted form of phos- 

 phate is the very best form of phosphate we could have. This may 

 very possibly be dispntod but the di-basic, or reverted, phosphate 

 appeals to me as being superior to the mono-basic or soluble form, and 

 also to the other two less soluble forms. 



So much for soluble phosphates. On the other hand the less soluble 

 phosphates have the advantage of being cheaper in price, and in con- 

 nection with cover-crops, or in cases where there is a plentiful supply 

 of humus in the soil, often give good results. Professor Ililgard for- 

 merly recommended Thomas slag phosphate, and I presume would still 

 do so. This is a four-lime phosphate which is ground to a very fine 

 powder, and in this eoudil ion is p^irlly available. It is thought very 

 highly of in England, and after \v(^ succeed in getting our orchards 

 well stocked ^\\^h humus we may find it one of the most economical 

 forms in which to buy our phosphoric acid. 



One other thing ought to be said. The use of phosphate material 

 is very necessary in our orchard practice, but to use it in large quan- 

 tities where nitrogen is deficient will undoubtedly do harm. If used 

 on plants without a sufficient supply of nitrogen present it sometimes 

 has a burning effect, and I have known orange trees to receive similar 

 harm which apparently was caused in this way. 



THE USE OF THE SIMPLES. 



We have seen that both nitrogen and phosphoric acid may produce 

 bad effects when used separately and in excessive quantities. This is 

 equally true of potash. To fertilize rationally it is necessary to bear 

 in mind that no one of these fertilizing elements can fulfill by itself 

 the requirements of the tree; they act in combination in the plant or 

 tree, each being necessary to the others, and each supplementing the 

 action of the others. It is e\ddent, therefore, that caution must be 

 used in applying these elements separately. 



Perhaps the strongest argument that can be made in favor of the use 

 of complete fertilizers is that they are, as a rule, well balanced ferti- 

 lizers, intelligently prepared to meet the requirements of the given 

 crop, and therefore are not liable to do harm, but, on the contrary, 

 will ordinarily prove highly beneficial. The strongest argument against 

 them lies in the matter of cost. 



