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

TO hear farmers in all the eastern scc-
ton Of the country say we caiinGt
grow apples any more as we once Gid.
Now, the climate is not to blame for
this, and IL apples cnce grew we'll With
you is it not worth while TO study the
cause of their failure HOW?
AIen realize that for the growing Of
their annual crops they must cultivate
we'll 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 thcy assume that
4 tree can not only take care Of itself
like the trees in the forest, but that
they can crop the land for other things
ut the stlme time and still set crops of
apples. Herein lies the greatest of ill
The troubles In apple growing. SO long
rs the soil was virgin soil ann
aboundins in plant food the trees
thruve in spite Of neglect, bat rs they
gradually robbed the soil assisted hr
the crops planted among them there
was soon failure, for treoa as well ~
other crops need plenty Of available
plant food In the snil.
Another thing that Npplc trees espe.
cially need is an abundance Of soil
moisture. It Is useless to apply feriil!-
,$ers to any plant II there is not moist
We enough in the soil to dissolve them.
Hence the Importance for providing
soil abounding IN vegetable decay 10
retain the moisture needed for the So
luton of the plant fooi applied. Few
growers fully realize the amount Of
the various forms OF plant food That an
apple orchard takes from lie soil. 1t
the recent American Apple Growers
Cou,rcss In st. Louis Professor Cio-
ther gave some very striking figures
In this regard which were taken from
the experiments made at the ASrlcul-
tural Experiment Station Of Cornell
University. He showed that with nh
average yield land this is a small one
In q good orchardl Of 200 bushels per
acre, that this 200 bushels Of fruit
would remove from the soil thirteen
pounds Of nitrogen, only one pound Oh
phosphoric acid and nineteen pounds
of potash, ard tie apples alone would
remove from each acre S2.45 worth oil
plant food. Then the growth of the
wood and the leaves Of the tree must
be taken into account, and it takes
very considerabl. amount OF food to
keep I'D the activity Of large tree.
Altogether there was IN the orchard 4
demand for plant food 10 total value
Of S0.01 per ncre.
FIc compared this with crop Of corn
making fifty bushels per acre, and
showed that the corn removed little
more thnn 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 mon trying to get
apples from soil that has been drained
by tlle trees in this way for genera
ton, and not only drained by The trees,
but called upon 10 grow a hag crop CT
to pasture stock. Is It any wonder iliat
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 thct for
nitrogen and potash, and the trees Will
demand more potash than Il crop OF
corn Of fifty bushels per acre, anu de-
mand 1t every year. for there can be
no rotation Of crops here In their
young state. when growth is what We
waut. applications Of stable manure
will hc Of great help, not only in fur
nishing nitrogen but in giving some hui
mus making matter to the soil. IL ka.-
nit has been used in tho preservation OF
this manure it 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 TO grass. but not in grass to
be cut for hay, but grass to be cut only
rs 4 mulch for the trees and left cn tile
ground, cutting 1t several times during
the season. Then give the grass top
dressing annually of fertilizer COM
posed of 800 pounds of acid phosphate,
800 pounds Of cottonseed meal and 400
pounds of muriatc of potash to make
ton. Use this literally and get good
growth Of grass and every time you
cut the grass spread it to decay un-
der the trees rs far as the limbs eN-
tend md n little further. Then if you
attend to the spraying you can grow
apples just like you did in your boy
hood and probably bettcr.-W. Il. Mas'