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Fruit Growing in Northern Counties. 



[Mar.. 



At present there is little reliable information with regard to 

 the manuring of apples. 



An extensive experiment was laid down nine years ago at the 

 College garden of the East of Scotland College of Agriculture, 

 Edinburgh, and it was inspected by the writer a short time ago. 

 Some of the plots are most interesting and seem to prove the 

 vital part played by phosphoric acid and potash in fruit produc- 

 tion. On the phosphate and potash and on the combined phos- 

 phate and potash plots the fruit was larger and better coloured 

 and the crop on the whole heavier as compared with the nitrogen 

 plot. 



Where the trees are young and have ceased to grow, some 

 form of nitrogenous, preferably organic, manure must be used. 

 This may be either good farmyard, stable or pig manure. Where 

 none of these is available " shoddy " is probably the best sub- 

 stitute, but even artificials like sulphate of ammonia may be 

 used with advantage. A dressing of 10 tons of good farmyard 

 manure or one ton of shoddy or 1J cwt. of sulphate of ammonia 

 per acre will help plantations which have ceased to grow. 



Where the trees are vigorous and growing but not fruiting 

 heavily 6 cwt. of basic slag of good quality and 2 cwt. of potash 

 salts (20 per cent. K 2 0) per acre may be given in autumn. 

 Where the land has sufficient lime the slag may be replaced with 

 advantage by 2 cwt. of steamed bone flour per acre. 



As to the best time to apply manure to fruit trees, other than 

 liquid applied w T hile fruit is swelling, there still remains con- 

 siderable diversity of opinion. The Scottish raspberry 

 experiments and the experience of some expert growers 

 in the south, combined with the general findings of 

 fruit growers under glass, would seem to point to thei 

 advantages of autumn manuring as against winter and spring 

 applications. The writer has long been an advocate of manuring 

 in autumn before the leaves have fallen and root action has 

 ceased. This autumn manuring appears to be the only feeding 

 which can influence the formation of fruit buds where such have 

 not already formed, and where they have formed the store of 

 elaborated sap will be increased and a strong healthy bloom 

 secured for the coming season. 



Spraying. — The importance of this operation cannot be over 

 emphasised. Upon it is dependent the possibility of producing 

 clean fruit and thus competing with foreign imports. During the 

 late war some pests which were to some extent controlled in pre- 



