Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1903-06-17
The ApDlc Orchard.

There Is nothing more common than
TO hear farmers in all tho eastern sec
ton Of the country say I'VE cannot
grow apples any more as we once did,
Now, the climate is not to blame for
this, and If apples once grew we'll With
you Is 1t not worth while 10 study tho
cause Of their failure now?
AIen realize that for the growing Of
their annual crops they must cultivate
well and keep up the fertility Of the
soil. They do not try to grow corn
and wheat Mt the same time on the
same field, for they know that it can
not be done successfully, but when it
comes to the orchard they assume that
a tree can not only take care Of itself
like the trees in the forest, but that
They can crop the land for other things
Mt the same time and still set crops Of
apples. Herein lies the greatest Of Eli
The troubles In arplo growing. SO long
as the sol! was a virgin soil and
abounding IN plant food the trees
throve in spite Of neglect, bat as they
gradually robbed the soii assisted by
the crops planted among them there
was soon failutp, FOR treoa as VOL rs
other ceons need plenty Of available
plant food in the soil.
Another thing that Npple trees espc-
cially need is an abundance Of soil
moisture. It is useless to apply feriil!-
asers to any plant If there is not moist
ire enough in the soil to dissolve them.
Hence the Importance for providing 4
soil abounding In vegetable decay TO
retain the moisture needed for the So
lutlon of the plant food applied. Few
growers fully realize the amount Of
the various forms OF plant food That an
apple orchard takes from lie soil. ct
the recent American Apple Growers
Congress In ST. Louis Professor Clo-
thier gave some very striking figures
In this regard which were taken from
the experiments made at the Asricul-
tural Experiment Station Of Cornell
Uniyersit-. He showed that with an
average yield land this is small one
In q good olchard) Of 200 bushels per
acre, that this 200 bushels OF fruit
would remove from the soil thirteen
pounds Of nitrogen, only one pound Of
phosphoric acid and nineteen pounds
of potash, and tie apples alone would
remove from each acre $2.45 worth OF
plant food. Then the growth Of the
wood and the leaves of the tree must
be taken into account, and it takes n
very considerabl: amount Of food TO
keep up the activity Of large tree.
Altogether there was In the orchard 4
demand for plant food 10 total value
of S0.01 per acre.
He compared this with crop Of corn
making fifty bushels per acre, and
showed that the corn removed little
more than the fruit trees, md yet every
farmer knows that lie cannot expect
fifty bushels Of corn per acre unless lie
keeps up the fertility of tie soil, and
yet we see the same men trying to get
apples from soil that has been drained
by the trees in this way For n genera
tlon, and not only drained by The trees,
but called upon to grow hay crop CT
to pasture stock. Is It any wonder that
we cannot grow apples as we'll as we
once did?
The statement we have given shows
that The demand for phosphoric acid is
very small as compared With that for
nitrogen and potash, and The trees will
demand more potash than crop Of
corn Of fifty bushels per acre, and dc.
mand 1t every year. for there can be
no rotation of crops here. In their
young state, when growth is what; We
want, applications Of stable manure
will hc Of great help, not only in fur
nitrogen but in giving some hui
mus making matter to the soil. II Ka.-
nit has been used in the preservation OF
this manure 1t will not only make the
manure better in preventing the loss
of nitrogen, but 1t will add potash that
is needed. When the trees have
reached maturity we advise the seed
ing down 10 grass. but not in grass to
be cut for hay, but grass to be cut only
as mulch for the trees and left Oh the
ground, cutting 1t several times during
the season. Then give the grass Top
dressing annually of fertilizer COM
posed of 800 pounds ofacid phosphate,
800 pounds of cottonsced meal and 400
pounds of muriate of potash to make a
ton. Use this literally and get good
growth Of grass and every time you
cut the grass spread 1t to decay un-
der the trees rs far as tile limbs ex-
tend md little further. Then if you
attend to the spraying you can grow
apples just like you did in your boy
hood and probably better.-W. Il. Mas'
sey.