112 
SEVENTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE 
Mia and phosphoric acid being continually applied without any 
potash, it does not take long for one to be in excess of the 
other. The young tree can stand the deficiency tor some time, 
for it is continually returning to the soil through its drop¬ 
ping leaves all the potash it has gathered, except the amount 
contained in the body and limbs of the tree. A different thing 
happens, however, when the tree begins to bear, for every 
orange that is carried away takes with it a certain amount of 
plant food, a large proportion ol the ash of which is potash. 
A tree cannot continue to bear five to twenty boxes per annum 
unless there is a return made in some way. Recently I visited 
groves in difierent parts of the state that were old enough and 
large enough to bear irom ten to twenty boxes each, yet the 
average crop was not three boxes. These trees were cow- 
penned, and had nevt j r received an application of potash ex¬ 
cept what little was left by the cow chips and decaying weeds. 
The fruit was not what would be called first-class in flavor and 
soon got soft and spongy. 
In contrast to this, I have been in a grove of four acres 
from which 2,500 boxes of fruit were gathered and shipped; 
another of five acres, twelve years old, containing 216 trees, 
which yielded over 1,600 boxes; still another of forty acres 
which yielded the handsome crop of over 17,000 boxes. All 
these groves were fertilized with a fertilizer containing a large 
percentage of potash. I might also add that to my knowledge 
these groves have borne heavy crops ever since this plan of 
liberal fertilizing with strong potash manures has been fol¬ 
lowed, and the trees are now set with another large crop. Pot¬ 
ash not only increases the productiveness of the tree, but it 
makes the fruit firmer, enables it to hold on longer, and im¬ 
proves the quality of the fruit, giving to it that delicate bou¬ 
quet which leaves a pleasant farewell taste in the mouth that 
is strongly suggestive of more. Putash, however, like all the 
rest, can be overdone, and instead of tending to early ripening 
of the fruit it will retard it so much that ’he fruit will be very 
acid quite late. Tests have been made the past season with 
just this result. It should be the study of the orange grower 
to know what amount of potash can be usi d with profit and 
for the best results in the way of fruit. 
Ail of the forms of potash are insecticides to a considerable 
extent, and in our garden, where potash was used liberally, 
the vegetables were not troubled with root knot. Kainit is an 
absorbent of ammonia, and is useful on this account to use 
about stables, out-houses, and in compost heaps, where the 
compost is for garden purposes. 
There is as much difference in well fertilized fruit and 
that which has to shift for itself, as there is between well 
