The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1900-11-02
Orchard Fertilizers.


There is nothing better for most fruits
than good stable manure, says II. e.
Van Denan in Farm and Ranch. How
ever, there are some strawberry growers
who would not thank any one to haul it
upon their plantations for that fruit.
They claim that it makes the berries
soft and too tender to ship well. This
may be true in some cases, and yet
there are more strawberry fields starving
for the lack Of stable manure than there
are those injured by too much. One OF
our largest and best peach growers
claims that he never wants load OF
stable manure hauled into his orchards,
feeling sure that it would hurt his crop.
He prefers commercial fertilizers and
soiling crops. On the other hand, /
know several good peach growers, judg-
ing by their crops Of large, delicious
fruit, that want all they can get of 1t.
One farm that know had about 40 car
loads applied during one fall, and the
succeeding crop paid for it, and much
more.
Stable manure is good for apple or
chards, vineyards and all kinds OF berry
patches,i if applied wisely. There is more
much, although this, as well as most
other good things, can be overdone. The
main difficulty is in not having enough
10 60 around. II large amountsof stable
manure are used, it is best to supple
ment it by adding an ample amount Of
sulphate OF potash, and also acid Phos-
phate or dissolved bone This is for the
reason that stable manure contains an
excess of nitrogen, as compared with
phosphoric acid and potash; in other
words, 1t is uot well balanced fertilizer.
Ii stable manure be used exclusively,
1t Is liable to produce too much wood
and too little fruit. The plan of using
commercial fertilizers and soiling crops
as q substitute for stable manure Is q
very good one, and has been adopted by
many farmers and fruit growers.
If the clovers and field peas, ETC., are
grown and plowed under, they will add
large quantity of nitrogen, having taken
II from the air. This is a great gain,
because nitrogen is the most costly i'm
gredient In any manure. These crops
also add that important item we call
hnmus, which is decayed vegetation, and
Is one OF the most valuable things putin
70 the soil by stable manure.
ii nitrogen is to be added in CONNER
cial form, which Ia often very wise
thing to do, there is no form in which
1t will act 80 quickly and in which it
may be had as cheaply as nitrate of So
da. This, however, should be put on
shortly before II Is expected to be taken
up by plants or trees, for 1t is very solu-
BILE and easily lost tifnot soon appropriated
by the growing crop. II is we'll to make
nt least two applications in one season.
one in the early part and one later, when
the growth is almost at its height. 1t
means O remarkably vigorous growth
Nitrate Of soda should not be put on
land in the winter because it would be
largely lost in the drainage water before
the time for crops to take 1t up.
Phosphoric acid Is another necessary
part Of any complete manure, ,and should
be used in growing soiling crops or di-
rectly upon the orchards, vineyards,
berry fields, etc. 1t is found abundant
ly in bones and phosphate rock. The
dissolved forms are far more available
than those which are merely ground or
crushed. There is small proportion OF
1t in wood ashes. +.
Potash is the backbone Of all fruit ma
nures. II has most wonderful effect
on the fruits. It gives rich flavor and
brilliant color to the fruit and causes a
sturdy growth Of tree or plant. While
1t is the principal manurial element of
wood ashes, it Is much more cheaply OBJ
tanned in the various forms OF potash
salts than in the form of commercial
ashes. Muirate OF potash is the cheap
est OF these considering the contents OF
available potash, which is per cent, or
q little more in some samples. Sulphate
OF potash is also very good, and 80 is
kainit, but the latter has but u to IA
per cent OF potash in it. 1t is excellent
tor mixing with stable manure while
the heaps are accumulating, for it
abeorhs much OF the nitrogen, which.
would otherwise evaporate and be lost
In the air. All of these forms of potash
should be applied some weeks ormonths
before they are expected to show their
effects upon the crops. For fruit in
particular, il is probably best to use sui
phate of potash exclusively as source
of potash, because the sulphate produc-
es q better quality OF potash, increasing
the sweetness OF the fruit, and its cost is
not very much higher than that OF mu-
riate of potash.
Potash and phosphoric acid are never
lost by evaporation or through drainage,
but remain in the coarse manure with
which they are mixed, or in other forms,
In the soil, until taken up by the crops. |
Nitrogen Is lost in both these ways and
should be very wisely used To use any
or ell of these fertilizers directly on the
,ropa. or indirectly on them through