The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-12-03


 | in, the grower will be the better enabled to supply his wants, and may in this way meet the demands of his soil for plant l foods in an economical way.
 We will notice here lriefly the office of each of the three elemtnts of plant foods and the sources from which each may be most cheaply obtained
 Nitrogsn.
 The carpenter understands that when he builds house he must first have a frame; the farmer, wfo is feeding cat- tie for beef or hogs for pork, understands that he must have a frame to build upon or to carry the flesh. Now the office of nitrogen in agriculture Is largely to build up the framework of trees and plants. II properly administered 10 the soil, 1t builds the roots limbs, body and leaves of the tree. The broador and greater the framework. the greater will be the yield of fruit at maturity. Nitrogen is the most costly of any of the three plant foods when 1t has to be bought in the form of nitrates or initiate of soda; but nature in her lavish eifts to man has provided this element of plant foods in the air, 80 per cent of the air being nitrogen. Nature has also given Us u large line of plants that have the power to draw this nitrogen rom the air and store it in the soil. The peas, vetches and clovers are the plants tO be used for this purpose, and when the soil and crops have been supplied with the necessary amount of nitrogen from this the cheap plain extending sevnty-hv miles north good money for commercial nitrogens These legumes, while growing and stor- ing nitrogen. are. at the same time, talk ing from the soil large quantities of both potash and phosphoric acid, so that it becomes important to restore to the soil a sufficient amount of these two plant i de o1,aoY ct for If at,I nitrogen is perhaps nitrate of soda, which comes largely, If not entirely from the nitrate beds of Chilli, South America. These beds of nitrate ale several thou sand feet above the sea level on desert i plain extending seyenty-five miles north and south and about twenty miles wide, l varying in depth from three to ten feet.
 Nitrogen Is volatile, quick in its ac- ton, so that the grower should fully understand just when and how to use nitrogen to prevent loss and to get the best results. Apple trees during their first years growth and before they commence to bear fruits, should be literally sup piled with nitrogen, and this should all ways be applied. especially if conner cial nitrogen is used, when the trees are in a thrifty, growing condition. Ihc reader should remember that it is a waste of time and money to use nitrates on barren or naked soils or on plants that are dormant. It IS strange, yet have had numerous fruit growers say to me that they did not want to get large growth on their apple trees For the first few years after they were set, for the trees would not fruit so early or So well where there was this abnormal growth. This position, no doubt comes from a want of knowledge of plant foods, especially from a want of Knowledge con- corning the effects of a balanced ration for trees. 1 do not care how much growth the nitrogen produces on my trees pro vided there is a sufficient amount of potash in the soil to ripen the woody growth in due time. The trees that make a strong growth from the first will last longer, live and bear fruit longer so that if any time is lost about the tree coming into bearing, they will mora than make up that tine. As stated before, if plant foods are u4ed in the proper propor tions. the trees will not only grow larger. ! make the frame, but will bear fruit as early, and always bear better fruit.
 Many growers make the mistake of pro- | viding the soil with a sufficient amount of plant food to carry the trees until bearing time, then stop feeding and leave i the trees to feed themselves.
 (Continued next week.)