514 Report oF THE HorTICULTURAL DEPARTMENT OF THE 
ficient. The soil should be made fine and mellow by thorough 
cultivation. 
lertiligers—Available plant food should be present to meet the 
requirements of the plants. Congenial surroundings with plenty 
to eat and drink are plant essentials. Heavy applications of well- 
rotted stable manure and the plowing under of leguminous cover 
crops, as already indicated, are beneficial The weed seeds from 
the compost heap may cause trouble at times. Additional applica- 
tions of plant food in the form of commercial fertilizers may be 
necessary. The kind and amount to use depend on the need of 
t.e <ou. This may be entirely different in different localities or 
even on apparently similar soils in the same locality. The lack 
may be in nitrogen, potash or phosphoric acid. Applications of 
nitrogen in the form of nitrate of soda at the rate of from one 
hundred to two hundred pounds per acre, or dried blood at the 
rate of two hundred to four hundred pounds per acre, will stimulate 
erowth. A lack of potash may be supplied by using wood ashes 
at the rate of two thousand pounds per acre, or by applications of 
muriate of potash at the rate of about five hundred pounds per 
acre. Phosphoric acid may be supplied in the form of acid phos- 
phate using six hundred to seven hundred pounds per acre. 
Various other fertilizers might be named. If the soil is naturally 
well supplied with available potash or phosphoric acid nothing will 
be gained by additional applications. The aim shold be to find the 
actual needs of the particular soil. To this end it is desirable to 
make tests of different fertilizers leaving check rows for com- 
parison. The fertilizers shouid be applied at the beginning of the 
growing season rather than in late fall. Applications the second 
spring may at times be beneficial. 
Selection of varieties—- Under different environments the same 
variety may be most profitable or become worthless. Its adaptation 
should be determined before an extensive use in the commercial 
plantation, This may be determined by a test of a few plants. The 
newer, most promising kinds should be tested and the local value 
determined before setting them in the main plantation, and only 
those varieties should be finally selected that make the best record 
locally and which meet the requirements of the market to be 
supplied. 
Sex of plants —Some attention must be given to the sex of the 
plants. Those varieties producing no pollen (imperfect) should 
alternate with the kinds producing pollen (perfect). If only those 
