21 



Mr. Tyson. In Mr. Eldon's place I desire to welcome all who 

 have come to our convention, whether members or not, and to in- 

 vite your active participation in the proceedings. I want you to feel 

 free to ask questions and to enter into the discussions at any time 

 during the meetings. 



Three years ago, Dr. Hunt, then a new director of our Exper- 

 iment Station at State College, requested this Association to ap- 

 point a delegation to meet with other delegates at the annual meeting 

 of the State Horticultural Association at Harrisburg, to designate 

 what line of work the fruit growing and horticultural interests in 

 general would like to 'have carried out by the Experiment Station. 

 At that conference it was suggested that the Station undertake ex- 

 periments on Orchard Fertilization with respect to its effect on the 

 yield and quality of the fruit. Prof. J. P. Stewart, of the Experi- 

 ment Station, was at once put in charge of this work and has fol- 

 lowed it continuously ever since. Prof. Stewart is with us and will 

 address you on his results to date. 



ORCHARD FERTILIZATION.' 



Proi^. J. P. Sti^wart, Department of Bxperimental Horticulture, 

 School of Agriculture, Pennsylvania State College, 

 State College, Pa. 



The problem of successful orchardino^ is to secure and main- 

 tain a balanced treatment. Many factors are involved, — moisture, 

 plant food, light, protection (from enemies, frost and disease), cor- 

 rect varieties and location, and correct business management. None 

 can be neglected without danger of loss, and it is the weakest factor 

 that limits the crop. The limiters, therefore, must be found and cor- 

 rected. Money and energy spent on factors already relatively 

 strong are likely to be wasted, while on the other hand, the weak 

 factors will respond to care. Hence, the finding and lifting of lim- 

 iting factors, coupled with the maintenance thereafter of a balanced 

 orchard treatment, is the correct policy and the keynote to success. 



You are already acquainted with the scope and general char- 

 acter of our experiments along this line. But I would recall the 

 facts that we have under experiment in various parts of the state 

 91 acres of orchard, 4g of which (including 2,219 trees) are in par- 

 tial or full bearing. The yields from these experimental orchards 

 in 1908 were somewhat over 164,000 pounds of fruit, and in 1909, 

 the third year, they were 256,000 pounds. The data for the tables 

 and conclusions which follow, therefore, cover a period of three 

 years and are derived from something over 420,000 pounds of 

 fruit. The exact locations, soil types and varieties involved are 

 shown in Table I. 



^Abstract of address given at meeting of Adams County Fruit Growers' 

 Association, DecemlDer 15, igog. 



