
New York AGRICULTURAL ExprrRimENnT STATION. 207 
For the purpose of learning the practical experience of those 
: 4 engaged in growing nursery stock a circular letter was addressed 
E to several of our leading nurserymen, containing the following 
questions: 
1. Do you know from experience or observation the effect of 
a following one lot of nursery stock with another upon the same 
' land? 
- 2. Can stock of pitted fruits be grown successfuily immediately 
after a crop of non-pitted fruit stock, or vice versa? 
| é. Can wheat, oats or barley be relied upon as a good crop follow- 
ing nursery stock? | 
The replies to the above questions were practically uniform, the 
testimony being that a crop of nursery stock was exhausting © 
_ to the soil, so that if followed directly with successive crops of 
4 trees, the resulting crops were less thrifty ond became steadily 
a poorer and poorer, and this result followed so invariably that 
’ the plan is abandoned. Pear trees are reported as especially | 
a exhausting to the soil. It is found that if, during an interval 
of a few years, other crops were grown, the soil became in con- 
dition to grow again a successful crop of trees, having recovered 
_ apparently from its exhaustion. Several nurserymen testify that 
# a crop of ornamental trees can follow fruit trees with good results. - 
% The replies to the second query were generally, that, while a 
crop of stone fruits could successfully follow a crop of seed fruits, 
the reverse was not the case. 
_ In reply to the third question there was an invariable “ yes,” and 
this appears to be a matter beyond controversy, so far as per- 
_ sonal experience and common observation goes. 
4 It is impossible to question the facts which are matters of 
| almost universal experience with our most intelligent nurserymen, 
_ and yet their almost unanimous explanation that these facts 
q g are result of soil exhaustion appears to conflict with the testi- 
mony that excellent grain crops invariably follow ugon land from 
which a heavy crop of nursery stock has been just removed, 
‘ since, as is well known, the grain crops make a heavy demand . 
ve upon the land and of the same constituents which we find present 
in ee ash of nursery stock. 






