The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1889-01-16
For THE FLORIDA AGRIcULTURIsT.
Experiments with Fertilizers

For THE FLORIDA AGRICULTURsT.
Experiments with Fertilizers.
Will you please allow me space in your
esteemed Journal to ask a few questions
concerning fertilizers. | will preface my
questions by stating that my grove is
situated at Summit, Fla, on the Florida
Southern Railroad.
Each row in the grove has a variable
soil, from a very light sandy to dark
rich, all being high, dry pine land.
fortified the grove on january l9and
20, 1888 the thermometer registered 30
degrees Fahrenheit. The grove is young
and has Just commenced bearing; foliage
a dark green and thrifty.
On the first thirteen trees used Mapes
Fruit and Vine Manure, twelve and half
pounds per tree Seven trees bloomed
profusely but dropped their fruit SO bad
ly that they only held 755 oranges. On
the adjoining row, with eleven trees,
used Wilcox & Gibbs Orange Growers
Own GuanO, twelve and ahalf pounds per
tree. Eleven trees bloOmed freely, but
they fell so badly that only 1,22O re-
manned to be gathered. On the fifth row,
with nine trees, | used Florida Orange
Food, twenty pounds per tree. Seven
trees bloomed profusely, but only held
1874 oranges.
On seventh row [ used Wilcox 4 Gibbs
American Dissolved Bone and Potash,
twelve and half pounds per tree. All
eleven trees bloomed profusely, but [ only
gathered IT'S oranges.
Onrows 8, 9, 10, II, II and ID (eachrow
has ten to eleven trees), Iuseda compost
of my own, consisting of:
COTTON seed hu1l ashes 200 lbs
Cotton seed meal 4OO IDS
Nitrate OF Soda 2OO lbs
Acid phosphate. SVV lps
OF this put on twenty pounds per tree,
as tried to put the same value OF fertil-
izers on each tree, regardless of the guam
tity They, too, bloomed well, but fell
badly. Row eight bore 1861; nine,
Ats; ten, i, 524; eleven, / ,145; twelve,
255. q should here state that on May
9th | put on two and a half pounds OF
nitrate of soda extra) Row thirteen bore
800. On the same date put three pounds
of sulphate of potash to each tree OF this
row.
Rows fourteen and fifteen had fifteen
pounds of the above compost per tree
and on May 9Th they also had two pounds
each of sulphate of potash and nitrate of
Soda They bloomed well, but row four
teen only held fifty and row fifteen twenty
four oranges.
One tree in row ten and one in row
eleven, on which put an extra amount
of nitrate of soda in january, each held
600 oranges.
Now, Mr. Editor, will you and your va
rious contributors q would be especially
glad to hear from the Commissioner of
Agriculture of Florida) please give me
your opinion of the above experiment?
All the trees we're an average size and
age All grew enormously, and all fell
enormously, but some worse than others.
AS above stated two trees held an extra
amount of fruit when nitrate of soda was
used in january, and the same fertilizer
seemed to make them shed when. used
later.
The compost seems to have a decided
advantage, but these rows shed two
thirds of their crop, both while small and
on until picked.
am afraid that all of the fertilizers had
too much ammonia, and yet Florida Or
ange Food claims to havenOne but they
fell exceedingly bad all the same, just as
the ammoniated rows did, except where |
put on a late supply.
| beg pardon for such long letter; the
subject of fertilizers is SO important to me
that hope you will not ignore it.
l.. B. Folk, M. ID.
Columbia, S. C.
For THE FLORIDA AGRIcULTURIsT
HTVI ~ = n