The new enterprise., 1905-02-23
Thirty Years Experience in Berry fru''
Gro wing.

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Thirty Years Experience in Berry Frui'
Growing.
Thirty years old in any one iine
of business is quite paularcni"I,
for this has been a generation 0.
changes and frequent adjustments anu
reodiustments. 1t has not fallen 10
the lot Of many men to hold to one
thing for so near the third part OF 'ne
century, | consider myself fortunate
that fate has permitted me TO oenu
virtually all the energies OF my ne
TO one thing, given me time and op-
portunity to master it in proportion 10
my abilities and to reap reward 'na'
seems TO me greater than my deserts'
/ And still more fortunate am l IN 'hat
have had sons to grow up around me-
profting by my experience, to see more
broadly and reach higher, making my
plans and aims their plans and AIMS
but larger But l am not wrtlng
family history, but a treatise on irult
growing.
/ In that thirty years / learned many
things and had to unlearn many things
What | had TO chiefly unlearn was
that the old system Of manuring fruits
was wrong. 10 me and to my average
contemporaries in those days manure
was manure and fertilizer fertilizer
1t occurred to MS dimly, If at all, that
as different animals required different
kinds Of food and in different propor-
tions, so did different plants and crops,
And / will add that the loss from lily
balanced manure and fertilizer in those
dark days was enormous, and who VIII
be bold enough to say that the dark
days are even yet entirely past with
all Of us?
The three fertilizing properties which
experience has proven shohld be added
TO the soil TO make IT productive are,
as is well known, nitrogen, potash and
phosphorlc acid. All Of these are es-
sential, one as much as the other, but
they are needed in different proper
tions on different soils and for different
crops, and their blind and njudiclous
use works loss in many ways,
As nitrogen is the most expensive
1t is in that the greatest waste
and loss occurs in the ignorant
use Of fertilizers. The loss Is greater
in berry fruit growing than in any
other crop we have. because more fer
tili2er Is used on this than is the GUS
tom on other crops and because the
loss in quantity and quality through
unwise manurng is so great in this
crop.
My largest crops Of fruit have al
ways come from the most liberal use
of fertilizer when rightly pToportioned.
My largest crops Of disappointments
have grown where the largest guam
tity of lily balanced fertilizer was used.
My experience is that n perfectly
balanced berry fruit fertilizer should
contain at least two and onc.half times
as much potash and twice as much
phosphorlc acid as it contains am.
monia.
Ny plan in planting strawberries,
dewberrles, blackbeNies, raspberries,
etc, is to apply cottorseed meal in the
drills before the plants are set at the
rate Of 600 to 500 pounds to the acre.
This is sown in the drills and mixed
with the soil and listed on just before
the plants are set in winter or spring.
After that no more nitrogen is used in
any form until after the crop Is gath
cred the following year.
depend upon plenty Of potash and
phosphoric acid to make tie fruit Nor
have l ever failed in ny whole ox.
perence to make a good crop except
one year when hail destroyed about
one-half. | apply potash IN the form
of sulphate Of potash. which Is decld.
edly the best form for all kinds Of
fruit, using about 100 pounds per acre,
usually mixed with 800 pounds of
acid phosphate or dissolved bone. This
mixture | sow broadcast over the
plants during late fall and winter. II
will undoubtedly pay TO use a some.
Wnat large quantity Of both of these
fertilizers either broadcast before the
plants are set or else by choppng IN
a.vund and between the plants during
the summer or early fail Potash and
phor2horlc acid, rs they are much less
liable to be washed out and lost than
ammonia is, can therefore be more lib.
orally used without loss, as most of
the fertility Of this kind remains in the
soil until taken up by the plants.
will add that the largest yield Of
Strawberries which / ever heard of
being made in this State was grown
by myself under the system Of fertil.
izing above described.
o. w. BLACKNALL,
Kittrell, N. c.