432 MANAGING ORCHARD SOILS AND FERTILIZING TREES 



growing. If the orchard is located on a heavy loam soil, and is 

 cultivated yearly with cover crops plowed under, it will usually 

 require a different treatment than if it is growing under sod 

 conditions. Cultivated orchards on light, shallow, thin soils 

 often require different and larger amounts of fertilizer than 

 those on heavy, deep soil. 



1. Deciding Whether Fertilizers Are Needed. The decision 

 whether the orchard needs fertilizer should follow a careful 

 study of conditions. The color and amount of foliage should 

 be noted; whether the leaves are large, plentiful and dark 

 green, or whether they are small, sparse, and yellowish. The 

 yearly amount of new terminal growth is likewise an index of 

 whether fertilizers are needed. Though the most desirable 

 length of new terminal gro\^i:h varies with the age of the tree, 

 variety, and seasonal conditions, 14 to 16 inches is usually 

 desirable for bearing trees. The length of terminal growth 

 on young non-bearing trees should range from 18 to 36 inches, 

 depending on the age of the trees. Trees from 2 to 5 years of 

 age should be making the longer growths. 



The length and diameter of the new growth produced each 

 year on fruit spurs should also be determined. Non-bearing 

 spurs, making new yearly growths of to % inch, especially if 

 the growths are thick in diameter and are well supplied with 

 numerous, healthy leaves, can generally be counted upon to 

 blossom and set fruit, unless the tree as a whole is in a de- 

 cidedly biennial bearing condition. Spurs making quite short 

 (i/ie inch) or slender growths usually form very few. fruit 

 buds. Likewise spurs which have been forced out into long, 

 slender growths often become unproductive. 



The stockiness of the trunk and the general height and 

 width of the trees should be taken into consideration. 



2. Deciding Which Fertilizers Are Needed. As stated in 

 Chapter IV, ^^Growth of the Tree and the Forming of Fruit 

 Buds,'' apple trees need and use for the proper development of 

 tree and fruit all the essential elements, but experiments have 

 shown that many soils in this country are supplied at present 



