January 8, 1898. 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



21 



Orchard Man 



it grower having secured a proper selection of fruit trees suited 

 it growci © A\^r\r* xu\\\ finH it to his advantage to 



>L cHmadc conditions of his district/ will find it to his advantage to 

 t0 ^d^1^n6s per acre in manures, for the purpose of adding to 

 Steffitri dF Se so£ or to restore the elements of plant-food extracted 

 1 if bv the growth of the fruit crops. To use manure when not 

 * Sri isVaste and, in the same way, to use a manure that contains too 

 !r^^ but too little of another, is equally waste. Hence 



u '^nrttnce of be n* able to compound manures of the essential 

 the mvot^^ ^ ^nnnrtinns varvin* to suit each fruit tree 



Jul S on the question of fertilisers, and the study of the requirements 

 Seated plants, that we are able now with a reasonable amount of 

 rirtaintv for every pound spent in suitable manures to expect a fair 

 return for the outlay. All soils consist for the most part of substances 

 which have no direct or immediate use in feeding plants, therefore few 



is hardly 3ocwts. of carbon, and in a wheat crop of 2% tons per acre 

 not more than 22 cwts. of carbon, it can be readily seen that there is 

 constantly floating over every part of the earth a quantity of carbon in 

 the form of carbonic acid gas five times in excess of any crop's ultimate 

 total requirements. 



Immediately a fruit tree starts into active growth its roots absorb 

 water and its leaves absorb carbon ; five parts of the former with four 

 parts of the latter form starch. This is further acted on by water and 

 converted into glucose or sugar, which substances being dissolved in the 

 sap or juices of the tree permeates its entire structure, giving rise to the 

 various carbohydrates, namely, wood, grape-sugar, cellulose, &c. This 

 process of assimilation and digestion is due in some wonderful way to the 

 influence of the green colouring matter, called chlorophyll, contained in 

 the leaves of trees. In some investigations of Sir John Lawes and Sir 

 Henry Gilbert at Rothamsted it was found that the percentage of sugar 

 was larger in root crops grown by farmyard manure alone than in those 

 with nitrogenous manure in addition. It was higher still when mineral 

 manures were used alone, but here again was reduced by the addition of 

 nitrogenous manures. The fact being that the lower the nitrogenous 

 manurial supply the riper the crop of roots became ; and with this ripe- 

 ness there was found a higher percentage of sugar in roots, a higher 

 percentage of starch in potatos, and a higher percentage of cellulose in 

 the straw of cereal crops ; also conversely the larger the nitrogenous 

 manuring the more luxuriant the growth, the less ripe the crop, and the 

 lower the proportion of sugar, starch, or cellulose. 



The same rule holds good in the case of wine-producing grapes, which 

 yield a "must" more suitable for wine making when the fruit has been 



an over-abundance of nitrogen. 



than 



Plant Needs. 



which have no unv^w — — ~ p * 



soils can do without manure of some sort in order to yield maximum 

 crops Attention has frequently been called to the very large amounts 

 of reserve nitrogen that occur in cultivated soils. Analysis has shown 

 from 3,500 lb. to 6,000 lb. per acre, taking the loam as one foot deep, 

 indeed some soils are doubtless so rich from the abundance of their 

 nitrogenous reserve store, that they become too forcing for the purpose 

 of successful fruit growing, inducing an excessive development of wood 

 and leaves, to the detriment of the fruit ; or in the case of grape cultiva- 

 tion, the soil may contain too large a proportion of nitrogen in relation 

 to the supply of potash and phosphoric acid, that the fruit would be badly 

 coloured, and would lack its proper sweetness and nutritious character. 



In our study of manures for fruit trees, we must start with the maxim 

 that no one manure is suitable for all kinds of trees ; and it is only by 

 considering in detail the constituents of plants, the functions of their 

 individual organs, and the conditions for their growth and development, 

 that J we can hope to understand fully the application and effect of 

 manures. Plants, including fruit trees, in order to thrive, require certain 

 chemical elements, some of which are supplied by the air and some are 

 derived from the soil. Those supplied from the air are combinations and 

 compounds of carbons, hydrogen, and oxygen. These three elements 

 constitute with the compounds of nitrogen and sulphur, which, in the 

 case of fruit trees, are obtained from the soil, the organic part of the 

 plant. On combustion, either by fire, fermentation, or decay, the organic 

 portion of plants returns entirely, or in part, to the air in the form of 

 gases; while the mineral or inorganic . portion of the plant, which is 



represented by the ashes left behind after complete combustion, consist m . . , w , 



of potash, soda, lime, iron, magnesia, silica, phosphorus, sulphur, cherries reveal a large percentage of lime and potash, so that bone dust, 

 chlorine, and manganese. These non-volatile substances are all derived ground bones, superphosphate, basic slag, and potash may be expected 

 from the soil, as they are of rock origin. The first five of these inorganic to benefit these tree and assist in fruit production, 

 constituents are called bases, and are generally found in Nature with Harpenden 



Here we may inquire as to the differences in the food requirements 

 of different plants. With farm crops we are well informed by the results 

 of hundreds of analyses. Thus we are taught that potatos, beans, and 

 peas need a large amount of potash ; wheat, barley, oats, and maize 

 require a good supply of nitrogen and phosphates ; while clover, turnips, 

 lucerne, cherries, olives, and vines must have an 'abundance of lime. 

 Professor Anderson informs us that good potato land will produce excel- 

 lent peaches, nectarines, apricots, olives, plums, and cherries. Chemical 

 analysis has also shown that the ashes of these plants contain a large 

 amount of potash, which may, therefore, be called the dominant con- 

 stituent In like manner, oranges, lemons, almonds, and apples do well 

 on maize and wheat producing soil, and phosphates may be considered 

 their dominant need. The ashes of vines, olives, strawberries, figs, and 



j- j 



some acid to form sulphates, nitrates, chlorides, phosphates, silicates, 

 carbonates or humates of potash, soda, lime, iron, and magnesia. 



Conditions on which the Fertility of Soils Depend. 



Large Prizes. 



YOUR correspondent " Lux" suggests that I might like to say something 

 I. A certain quantity of organic matter is beneficial, for it causes with respect to the growing increase, seen in so many directions, in prizes 

 disintegration of the soil, and renders it more friable and better adapted for competition at flower shows. Possibly he is, like myself, a non- 

 to the development of the finer fibrous tree roots. The nearer the roots 

 are to the surface of the soil the better coloured will the ripened fruit be. 

 It must, however, be remembered that an excess of organic matter causes 



sourness of the soil, which induces badly developed wood 

 formation of few fruit-buds. 



competitor, and, if so, can aftord to regard these matters with an un- 

 biassed mind. I cannot say that I would desire to see exhibitions devoid 

 of prizes altogether ; for whilst occasionally, as at the Temple, for 



and the instance, it is possible to obtain a grand show without prizes or, indeed, 



without competititors, of any sort, yet what is so far done in this way for 



2. There must be present in the soil all the mineral constituents the Royal Horticultural Society would hardly be done for any other 



required for the special fruit crop under cultivation, and in such form 



ui an be readil y absorbed by the growing tree. According 

 to the law of minimum," a soil destitute of any one of these essential 



society in the kingdom. Again, everyone knows that competitions do 

 furnish an element of such exceeding interest in shows that generally they 

 owe much of their popularity to them. Myriads of good growers and 



ingredients may become more or less unfruitful, since it is the minimum gardeners also will show of their produce only when such stimulus is 

 01 any one constituent, and not the maximum of others, which is usually furnished. But the great increase in the value of prizes at shows, of late 

 me measure of productiveness. so much in evidence, does in my estimation present a serious danger to 



♦v,o ntrmanAnrv nf flnwpr-show comDetitions. We see on every hand 



nr * ma 7 C01 V tain an abundance of potash, lime, phosphoric acid, 

 in Ji?,ki ' yet , be ver y unf ertile, because these substances exist as 

 nSS ^ n com P ounds -as in granite, sand, and the like. Before any 

 kmu? hT? ed, f nt J c ? n be absorbed by a living plant, or roots of a tree, 



an if n?ni 1SSC i lved by , water > or water made sli S htl y a c id - Thus all root- 

 is more or less acid. 



air thiLw 1 !;? 011 must . be of ^ch a texture as to admit free access of 

 to Vetain ^ ? 6 Same i lme not 100 Porous, but dense and firm enough 

 againsutoTms o/wind * ^ SUPP ° rt t0 the gr ° win * tree 



Plan ts onL neXt be asked > how do fr uit trees feed ? 

 the tree «S, a o!?gf COntain _ ?° P er cent > is ab sorbea trom the soil by 

 mineral matters IfT root - bairs - Thi * wa ter forms the vehicle of the 

 and are men- *7* hlcb P ass dl f e ctly into the cellular tissues of the roots, 



constitute after S „ • th . rough the stems > leaves > flow ers, and fruit, and 

 UP from the soil K^L ng 6 ash ° f the P Iant Nit rogenous food is taken 

 produced from am J • tree A ™<>ts in the form of nitrates, which have been 

 ln to albuminoid v nia "- , r absor Ption this is converted by the plant 

 important organ* '; ext ' n °rder to the roots, the leaves are the most 



»f0M of smaU mouths which Th '- e ' °° * full - foliaged tree ' P ossess 



How do Trees Feed? 



Water. 



now competition amongst show executives to provide the largest prizes, 

 so that prizes are being offered far in excess of the real, or even assumed, 

 value of the respective exhibits. Doubtless the exhibitors rejoice, but, as 

 the frog in the fable said, "What is sport to you is death to me,'' so may 

 these exaggerated prizes ultimately kill the societies offering them. 



It is just as well that both committees and exhibitors should realise 

 that probability, and in time stop what is likely to be so harmful. 

 It is so much better to keep prize amounts to such reasonable sums as 

 means will enable to be offered, and not to attempt doing the big thing 

 and ending in bankruptcy. Then what benefit to horticulture is likely to 

 result from these large prizes ? Just take horse racing, in which there is 

 such exceeding competition, although very much of it is fou ed by greed 

 and duplicity. During the past few years prizes of literally immense 

 value have grown up in various directions, and the winners have rejoiced 

 over their luck, of course ; but can anyone at all familiar with horses 

 affirm that in any way these big sums as prizes have done anything to 

 improve them or breeding ? Of course not. It will be the same in 

 horticulture. The societies that offer these big tempting prizes may 

 secure large competitions, but they will render horticulture as a skilled 

 profession or occupation not only of no good, but will inevitably do harm. 

 Nine tenths of the horticultural societies of the kingdom find it difficult 



the atmosphere P ° S which drink in the carbonic acid gas from Nine tenths of the horticultural societies of the kingdom hnd it difficult 

 absorbed, the L^S™ CVery fort y-four parts by weight of carbonic acid enough as it is to hold their own, and if they, too, should be tempted to 

 Dortmr, 'r lce ootams twelve Darts nf rarhnn t« v.„;m „~ *v,~ ~~ ;~ o w,rr ^-io== nr turn the.v will soon come to srrief. When we see £20 



Portion of its strnrt?, r tWelve parts of carbon to budd up the organic 

 that trees should l ttms incre dible (says Professor Anderson) 



of carbonic acid thll • \ • whole of their cart »on from the four parts 

 w nen w e calculate tL.lt m l ° t00 ° o{ air > bm it can be understood 



square foot of land ani • £ are 2 ' l6 ° P° unds of air overlying every 

 carbon, which is i u TJ n that a , mou nt there are about 5 % ounces of 



W hen we findfi £ a n ° less tban 7 tons per acre. 



™ m a mangold root crop of 25 tons per acre there 



offered as a first prize for a giant group of plants, which must not only 

 be of first-class quality, but be arranged with the highest artistic skill, 

 there is an impression that the amount offered is far from being excessive ; 

 but when this large sum is offered as a first prize for forty- eight or 

 perhaps sixty chrysanthemum blooms, arranged in boxes with little 

 artistic taste, carried with comparative ease, and worth in the market 

 about sixpence each, the offer does seems beyond reason. A Dean. 



