The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1906-01-25
THE FERTILIZATION
OF GROWING TREES


Our attention has been called by n.
III. Shepard to an excellent article on
fertilization which we print below
and which has received the approval
of several local growers who have seen
it. IL is as follows:
At q recent meeting of the horti-
cultural seminary of the Massachu-
setts Agricultural College, Prof. W.
p. Brooks was the speaker, and his
subject was "The Fertilization OF
Fruit Trees, Especially Apples. lie
began by stating few general princi-
pies. In dealing with fruit trees very
slow acting fertilizers are to be chos-
en- as a rule. This Is because the crop
remains long in the land, and be-
cause, as rule, slow-acting fertilizers
can be bought at a price which makes
the unit of plant food in them much
cheaper. There are of course some
exceptions to this rule, especially In
soils which are liable to leach. In
such cases quicker acting fertilizers
are required. Again, ii is not always
true that the unit of plant food can
be bought most eheaply In slower act
ing chemicals. At the present time
nitrade of soda offers practically the
cheapest form of nitrogen, pound for
pound; yet IL is one of the most
quickly available fertilizers known.
In applying potash and phosphoric
acid to fruit trees, at least In soils
which are fairly retentive, coneldera-
ble quantitios can he held in reserve
that is, the soil will carry large
stock OF these fertilizers on which tue
trees can grow indefinitely as they
need them. For various reasons, how
ever, nitrogen cannot be stored up IN
tho soil In the same way. 1t has to be
supplied frequently, and therefore us
ually in smaller quantities.
Ii Is TO be noted further that In the
use of nitrogen on fruit trees consid-
erable care has to be exercised, Large
quantities Of nitrogen are not needed,
and even moderate quantities are
sometimes dangerous. In an apple or
chard all the nitrogen which Is requir.
ed may sometimes be secured from
the use Of leguminous cover crops,
such as COW peas, soy beans, cl, vel
or vetch. AS nitrogen is the most ex
pensive element to be secured, there
is manifest economy in applying suel
system of management as will pro
vide this nitrogen on the ground with
out the addition Of expensive nitro
genous fertilizers.
The principal part of Prof. Brook
lecture, however, was devoted to |
discussion of very interesting exper
iment In the fertilization OF appl,
trees carried out at the Hatch Expert
ment Station of tho Massachusetts, Ag
ricultural College. A good piece o
land, having been previously oultivat
ed In grass and other common agricul
tural crops, was in the fall Of 1888
plowed and dressed with ono ton 0
wood ashes to the acre. In 1883 |
was again plowed, and in 1889 the reg
ular system of fertilizers was adopted
as follows:
Plat received annually at the rat
of ten tons of barnyard manure pc
acre.
Plat 2 received at the rate Of on
ton of wood ashes per acre.
Plat received nothing In the wa.
of fertilizer, but was held as checl
against which the other lots could b
compared.
Plat received annually bone mea
600 lbs, muriate of potash 200 lbs,
Plat received annually 600 lbs. o
bone meal aud 400 lbs. of low grad
magnesia potash sulphate.
The trees we're planted in 1890, ant
the land was plowed and cultivated
until 1893, when it was seeded dowl
to grass. The hay was cut and carried
away until 1902, after which the ha,
was cut aud left on the gground. TIL,
trees have therefore been growing
since 1890, and are now l5 years old
They have been bearing for severa
years, and while the results are no
necessarily hnal, very good judge
ment can be formed regarding The
general results.
1t may be said that the fertilizers
in the different plats cost approxim
ately as follows:
Plat $50 per acre per year.
Plat 2--Sl2 an acre,
Plat 3--Nothing,
Plat 4--Sl0 an acre.
Plat 5-Sll an acre.
The amount of potash in plats >,
and 5 was approximately equal, as was
the phosphoric acid in plats aud D.
Considerable difference is shown IL
the growth of the trees during the Il
years of this experiment, 1t would
be naturally expected that the growtf
has been considerably the least on
plat 3, where no fertilizer was applied
Taking the average circumference oi
the trees in the different plats, the
following figures are shown:
Plat l-3l. 81 inches.
Plat 2-27. 80
Plat 3--24. 50
Plat 4-26.9i
Plat 5-3l.l
1t should be said that this expert
ment included several different vari
cites of apples as follows: Baldwin