42 



The Influence of Fertilization. 



The first factor to which we shall give attention is that of fer- 

 tilization. Can the yield, color, size and wood-growth ^ of apples 

 be influenced by fertilization, and, if so, how and under what 

 conditions? This has always been an important question, and five 

 years ago, when we were starting our experiments, we could find 

 no data upon which to base a definite, well-founded answer. We 

 do not say that we can fully answer it yet, but such progress as we 

 have made may be partially seen in Tables II and III. 



Table II. Inki^ui^nce: of Fhrtii^tzers on YiEi,d. (Johnston Or- 

 chard, B.rperiment 338). 



(Total yields of fruit on each plot and annual yield per acre.) 



Plot 





2 



3 



4 





6 



7 8 



9 



10 





Check 



N.P. 



N.K. 



Check 



P.K. 



N.P.K. 



Check Manure Lime Check 



yr. 



lb. 



lb. 



lb. 



lb. 



lb. 



lb. 



lb. lb. 



lb. 



lb. 



1908, . . 



90 



528 



237 



446 



57 



759 



211 278 



558 



106 



1509, .. 



675 



6,018 



5,257 



1,932 



3,089 



6,621 



2,008 3,531 



1,216 



1,266 



1910, .. 



2,575 



3,265 



1,822 



3,168 



3,552 



2,108 



1,629 6,149 



3,185 



3,505 



1911, .. 



283 



7.563 



7,816 



017 



1,227 



8,209 



1,362 4,874 



388 



106 



3-yeai- 





















totals, 



3,533 



16,846 



14,895 



5,717 



7,868 



16,938 



4,999 14,554 



4,789 



4,877 



Bushels 





















per A., 



141-3 



673.8 



595-8 



228.6 



314-7 



677-5 



200 582.1 



191. 



5 195 



Table III. EFFECT of Ffrtii^tzfrs on YiKld. {Johnston 



Orchard) . 



(Average returns from certain treatments during past three years.) 



Treatment 



Checks 

 (Av. 1, 4, 7, 10) 



Manure 

 (Plots) 



N-Fertilizer P.K.-Fertilizer 

 (Av. 2, 3, 6) (Plot 5) 



Totals 3 yr., . . . 



. 4,781 lb. 



14,554 lb. 



16,226 lb. 



7,868 lb. 



Ratios, 



100 



304.4 



339.4 



164.5 







100 



111.5 





Average - 



An. Yield per 

 Av .Gain per A., 



A., 191.2 bu. 



582 bu. 

 390 bu. 



649 bu. 

 457 bu. 



314.7 bu. 

 123 bu. 



These tables are from one of our ''combination" experiments, in- 

 volving both fertilization and cultural methods, and started in 1908, 

 The fertilizers have therefore had a chance to afi^ect the crop only 

 during the past three years, and it is for that period that the totals 

 and annual yields per acre are computed. 



5 Quality is omitted from consideration at the present time, not because 

 we do not consider it important, but because as yet we have no measure of 

 quality sufficiently accurate and impersonal to enable us to make satisfactory 

 comparisons of the fruit under different treatments. 



