452 PRerporr of THE HORTICULTURAL DEPARTMENT OF THE 
August 3 and the seed covered with a weeder, followed by a 
roller. } 
1906. Plat plowed June 4-6; rolled and harrowed June 7; 
harrowed June 22, July 19, August 2. <A cover crop of oats 
was sown August 2 and harrowed in the next day. 
1907. Plat plowed May 27-29; land harrowed May 31, June 
28, July 17, July 27, August 5. A cover crop of mammoth 
clover was sown August 6 and covered with a weeder. 
1908. Plat plowed May 23-26; land harrowed May 27, June 
4, 12, 23, and July 31. A cover crop of oats was sown July 
31 and harrowed in the following day with a weeder. 
Fertilizers used.—At the time this experiment was begun, 
there were few data to show what food constituents the orchard 
lands of the State need. It was commonly thought that the 
apple lands of western New York need phosphoric acid and 
potash and that the land of which that in the Auchter orchard 
is a type needs the former in particular. For the first three 
years of the experiment, therefore, 4,000 pounds of acid phos- 
phate were used in the orchard, and cross rows 8 and 9, run- 
ning through the tilled and sod plats were fertilized with 
muriate of potash at the rate of 400 pounds per acre. It 
could not be found that trees or cover crops were any the 
better for the application of potash in these two rows and it 
seemed from other data coming in that the phosphoric acid 
was being wasted as well. The fourth season, 1907, the gen-’ 
eral application of acid phosphate for the whole orchard was 
dropped, but the muriate of potash was continued on cross 
rows 8 and 9; and the phosphate was applied on cross rows 
12 and 138 at the rate of 15 pounds per tree; on cross rows 
16 and 17 the two fertilizers were combined in the quantities 
given above. During the season of 1907 no effects could be 
observed on apples, cover crops or grass. It is fair to conclude, 
therefore, that the additions of these two food constituents 
were not needed in this orchard and their use was discon- 
tinued in 1908. None of the plats to which fertilizers had been 
applied in past years showed any effects in 1908, 
