326 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAM. [1 Ocr., 1897. 
comparison it is shown that the twenty crops of apples remove more than twice as 
much nitrogen, half as much again of phosphoric acid, and nearly three times as much 
potash as the twenty crops of wheat.” 
Professor Bailey’s remarks on fertilising peach orchards, which are quoted by 
Professor Voorhus, are well worth repeating :—‘‘I believe that the keynote to the 
proper fertilising of peach orchards is potash and phosphoric acid, and not nitrogen. 
Ashes, muriate of potash, bone fertilisers—these are some of the money-makers for 
peach-trees. Tillage, with green manure crops at the end of the season, can be relied 
upon to furnish nitrogen in most instances. I do not wish to disparage the use of 
nitrogen, for even in bearing orchards a direct application may sometimes be 
necessary ; but I desire to state what I believe to be a fundamental consideration in 
orchard culture, that nitrogen can easily be used to excess, and that it can generally 
be obtained by means of tillage and green manure, and that potash and phosphoric 
acid need to be annually applied to orchards of bearing age.” 
I will conclude this somewhat necessarily tedious paper by saying that I think I 
have shown, what I indicated at the beginning, that there is a great deal for a fruit- 
grower to learn if he expects to obtain the very hest results from bis orchard—that 
is, when it becomes necessary for him to apply manure ; that he should make himself 
thoroughly acquainted with the requirements of his trees and the capabilities of his 
soil, or, rather, to put it more clearly, the amounts of the most important of the plant 
foods which his soil contains and which are likeiy to be or to become available for his 
plants. He should acquire a ‘Bpod knowledge of the various special manures obtain- 
able, and whether he will need to apply the most important either singly or together, 
and in what quantity. 
There is a great field open to those who wish to make experiments in manuring ; 
and my strong advice is, that everyone who grows fruit should make a few for himself 
and not be altogether guided by those made by his neighbours, for in all probabilit: 
every orchard soil will be found to differ in some respects from every other orchard, 
even though merely a fence separates them. 
T regret to say that in New South Wales but little manure is used of any kind 
compared with other countries and other Australian colonies even. I have reason to 
think that not more than 2,000 tons per annum are made use of, and this is a paltry 
amount in comparison with the area cultivated. 
And I also deeply regret to say that nearly all our valuable manure productions 
are being drained away from the colony. New Zealand seems to be one of the greatest 
and wisest vultures in this respect. Other Australasian colonies come here for their 
hosphates, and send us back fruit in exchange. I congratulate them on their wisdom. 
auritius and Japan even are beginning to make large inroads on our blood and 
bones, and very shortly we shall be left without even a skeleton. I admire these 
colonies and countries for their foresight and sense in coming to New South Wales 
to obtain the cheap means for enriching themselves and their orchards; but at the 
game time I deeply regret that we are such fools in this colony as to permit our 
orchards and cultivated lands to become impoverished for the want of a little 
knowledge. 
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