92 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
three inches of water leached 15.8 per 
cent., and the third application of three 
inches leached 6.9 per cent.; a total for 
ten inches of water of 60.5 per cent, of 
the small amount of soluble phosphoric 
acid mixed with the test soil. The ex¬ 
periment with sulphate of potash was even 
more striking. The first four inch ap¬ 
plication of water leached 67.3 per cent., 
or over two-thirds of the potash; the sec¬ 
ond of three inches 17.3 per cent., and the 
third of three inches, 6 per cent.; a total 
for the ten inches of water of 90.6 per 
cent, of the sulphate of potash mixed in 
the test tube soil. Now, the condition of 
fertilizers covered in a ridge of soil is 
not half SO favorable to leaching as these 
test tube experiments, and when these 
soluble salts are diffused through the soil, 
the humus must hold more of the atten¬ 
uated solution, yet, at the same time, 
when the soil is fully saturated with rain 
and the water table gradually sinks be¬ 
low the surface, a large percentage of the 
soluble fertilizers must be carried with it. 
If we lose half as much fertilizer as 
was leached in the experiments, it is a 
most serious loss and drawback to har¬ 
vesting good crops. If we only knew 
when a wet season was coming, we would 
apply our fertilizers on the installment 
plan, or when a dry season was coming 
we would apply soluble fertilizers in ad¬ 
vance ; but undoubtedly the safest plan 
from lack of this knowledge is to apply 
the less soluble fertilizers and have in 
reserve an irrigation plant with which to 
meet the emergency of drought. 
In this, however, the individual must 
work out the problem; according to his 
peculiar needs, or average the good sea¬ 
sons with the bad to determine profit or 
loss. 
In fruit tree fertilizing, especially if 
the sod method is used part of the year, 
soluble chemical fertilizers are a neces¬ 
sity, as they will dissolve without evapo¬ 
ration or loss. Nitrate of soda is of ex¬ 
treme solubility, and sulphate of ammonia 
probably leaches about as fast as phospho^ 
ric acid. Broadcast applications to or¬ 
ange trees, for instance, which have a 
healthy and unlacerated system of fibrous 
roots, may be depended upon unless rain¬ 
fall is excessive, to be practically all 
available for plant growth. 
DISCUSSION. 
Mr. Wakelin—Let us hear from the 
gentleman who has Mr. Chase’s property 
in charge. 
Mr. Hoard—The pump we are using 
at Chase & Company’s grove is of simple 
construction and great capacity and is en¬ 
tirely different from any I have ever seen 
used in this state. It consists of a wood¬ 
en box two feet square inside and eighteen 
feet high, with a steel shaft running 
through the center from top to bottom. 
This shaft has a water wheel at the bot¬ 
tom end and another wheel of the same 
kind) in the middle and an eight inch pul¬ 
ley on the top end which is connected with 
the engine by an eight inch belt. The 
box stands on end in the edge of the 
lake where the water is about three feet 
deep. The lower water wheel is so con¬ 
structed that when revolving rapidly it 
raises the water to a height of seven and 
one-half feet where the upper wheel catch¬ 
es it and carries it out at the top of the 
box. This gives us an elevation of fifteen 
feet above the lake and six feet above 
the highest point in the grove and con¬ 
siderable pressure. From the top of the 
pump the water runs through a ten inch 
