64 



also, are especially notable in plot 8, which shows a distinct gain in 

 every year except 1909, and in that year the yield would have been 

 fully 1,000 pounds greater had there been sufficient moisture avail- 

 able, to properly mature the fruits that were actually present. 



In plots 2 and 3, the fertilization has not been complete and also 

 the yields have been so large in the even-numbered years that it 

 was impossible to prevent some alternation with lighter crops in the 

 odd years. This same general condition is evident to a considerable 

 extent in the Johnston orchard. In other experiments, however, 

 and especially in one primarily on cultural methods in the Fassett 

 orchard, with proper fertilization and with crops ranging between 

 300 and 600 bushels per acre, we have had steady increases on Bald- 

 wins and Spies similar to those in plot 8, which extended over a 

 period of five years before any decrease appeared. 



The unusual size of the 1912 crops on plots 2 and 3 in the 

 Brown experiment should also be noted. While their adjacent 

 checks, I and 4, were showing an average yield of 73.2 bushels 

 per acre, plots 2 and 3 were producing the tremendous average of 

 1,217.5 bushels per acre, and 1,006 bushels of this were picked fruit. 

 The terminal twig-growth of the checks, also, would scarcely 

 average half an inch for the season, while that of the fertilized plots, 

 in spite of their enormous crops, averaged from 6 to 8 inches with 

 frequent terminals running up to 2 feet. And all these differences 

 were brought about solely as a result of differences in fertilization. 

 The spraying, pruning, soil management, variety and age of trees, 

 and all other visible features were just the same on the checks as 

 on the fertilized plots. 



Results in the Tyson Orchard. 



In the two preceding experiments, we have seen very large an- 

 nual gains resulting from certain fertilization, particularly that rich 

 in nitrogen and phosphorus, regardless of whether these elements 

 were carried in manure or in commercial forms. In these cases also, 

 the gains from potash were relatively small or entirely absent. Thus 

 far in the Tyson experiment, so far as yields are concerned, we have 

 practically the reverse conditions. 



The trees in the latter experiment are much younger, being now 

 but 14 years of age. The varieties are York Imperial and Stayman 

 Winesap, the latter having been top worked on certain York rows 

 about 6 years after planting. The soil is a relatively heavy, silt 

 loam, and tillage and annual cover crops have been maintained 

 near the trees practically uniformly since the orchard was started. 

 The annual growth and general appearance of all the trees in this 

 experiment are much better than those of the average check trees 

 in the two preceding experiments. Practically no fruit had been 

 borne by these trees, when our experiment was started in 1907, 

 and there has been but one fairly full crop since then, — that of 

 191 1. The treatments are the same as in the Brown Experiment and 

 the results are shown in Table IV. 



