Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1903-06-12
The Apple Orchard.


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 II not worth while to study the
cause of their failure now?
Men realize that for the growing of
their anpual crops they must cultivate
well and keep up the fertility of the
soil. They do not try to grow corn
and wheat at 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
q tree can not only take care Of itself
like the trees in the forest, but that
they can crop the land for other things
at the same time and still get crops Of
apples. Herein lies the greatest of all
the troubles in apple growing. So long
as the soil was q virgin soil and
Astounding in plant food the trees
throve in spite Of neglect, but as they
gradually robbed the soil assisted by
the crops planted among them there
was soon failure, for trees as we'll as
other crops need plenty of available
plant food in the soil.
Another thing that apple trees espe.
cially need Is an abundance of soil
moisture. 1t is useless to apply fertili-
zers to any plant If there is not moist.
ure enough in the soil to dissolve them.
Hence the importance for providing q
soil Astounding in vegetable decay to
retain the moisture needed for the go
luton Of the plant food applied. Few
growers fully realize the amount Of
the various forms of plant food that an
apple orchard takes from the soil. AT
the recent American Apple Growers
Congress in st. Louis Professor Clio.
thier gave some very striking figures
In this regard which were taken from
tho experiments NAE ut the Agyicui
tural Experiment Station Of Cornell
University. He showed that with an
average yield land this Is small one
In a good orchard) of 200 bushels per
acre, that this 200 bushels Of fruit
pounds of nitrogen, only one pound Of
phosphoric acid and nineteen pounds
of potash, and the apples alone would
remove from each acre S2.45 worth of
plant food. Then the growth of the
wood and the leaves Of the tree must
be taken into account, and it takes
very considerable. amount Of food to
keep up the activity of q large tree.
Altogether there was in the orchard q
demand for plant food to total value
Of $9.01 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, End yet every
farmer knows that he cannot expect
fifty bushels Of corn per acre unless he
keeps up the fertility of the soil, and
yet We see the same men trying to get
apples from a Soil that has been drained
by the trees in this way for a genera
ton, and not only drained by The trees,
but called upon to grow a hay crop CT
we cannot grow apples as well 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 de-
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 be of great help. not only in fur
nishing nitrogen but in giving some hu.
mus making matter to the soil. If Kai-
nit has been used in the preservation OF
this manure it will not only make the
manure better in preventing the loss
Of nitrogen, but it will add potash that
Is needed. When the trees have
reached maturity we advise the seed.
ing down to grass. But not in grass to
be cut for hay, but grass to be cut only
as a mulch for the trees and left on the
ground, cutting 1t several times during
the season. Then give the grass top
dressing annually Of fertilizer COM
posed Of 500 pounds Of acid phosphate,
800 pounds Of cottonseed meal and 400
pounds of murlate Of potash to make
ton. Use this literally and get q good
growth OF grass and every time you
cut the grass spread II to decay un.
der the trees as far rs the limbs ex-
tend and iii lie further Then if you
attend to the spraying you can grow
apples Just like you did in your boy.
hood ard probably bettcr.-W. Z. Mag.
GOV -.