Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-06-04
The Strawpile

pin, Rhode Island Greening. Roxbury,
and Northern Spy. The orchard was
divided into eight plats. four treated
and four untreated. WooC ashes We're
applied to the treated plats at the rate
of 100 pounds per tree, or 1890 pounds
per acre. During the last seven years
Of the experiment acid phosphate was
applied at the rate of SE pounds per
tree, or 4OS pounds per acre. Calcula-
,tions made from analyses of the fer
tilizers show that on the average 1853
pounds per acre of actual potash We're
applied each year, " pounds OF phos-
phoric acid from the ashes and 81
pounds from the acid phosphate, and
lime at the rate of 80 pounds per tree,
1886 pounds per acre. The amounts
are in excess of the usual recommen-
dations of these fertilizers for ap-
pies.
Yield and color of fruit were the
two standards used for measuring the
effects of the fertilizer. AS for the in
crease in yield, it is reported that the
results were practically negative from
financial standpoint.
With regard to color 1t is stated that,
taken as a whole, the results are dis
appointing. They lack uniformity anu
were not decided enough in sufficient
number of the twelve seasons to en-
able us to state that the addition of the
substances applied heightened the color
of apples under the conditions of the
experiment The effects varied not only
from season to season, but varieties
varied greatly in some seasons, and In
others the same variety would color
differently in plats receiving the same
treatment. When we consider the num-
Der of factors which are known to In
fuence color In fruit we cannot assume
with any degree Of certainty that the
results set forth above show that the
addition of these fertilizers changed the
color of the fruit in this experiment in
any season. Thus exposure to light, the
intensity Of the light, amount Of foliage
on the tree, the shealthfulness OF the
foliage, the amount Of stored food in
| the plant soil heat. the texture of the
soil-all of these, besides potash and
phosphoric acid. have All influence. The
| relations of these factors are SO tntri-
cate that it is almost impossible to
separate them in an experiment like
this, and especially as the differences
were so slight.
A comparison of the color data with
meteorological data for the twelve
year period shows that the treatment
seemed to have an influence in coloring
fruit only in those years when the
1 apple did not develop well. as In 1893
and 1902 and that in other seasons,
as in 1896, 1900 and 1901 when climatic
conditions were favorable to the de-
velopment of fruit and foliage, the coll
oring was as nearly perfect on the un-
treated as on the treated plats.
1t is not to be inferred from the re-
suits of this experiment that COM
mercial fertilizers are never needed IN
the apple orchard, but they do appear
to show that an orchard soil may not
need potash, phosphoric acid nor lime,
even tho the soil may have been
cropped half century; that in soil
which produces apples Of poor color
potash and phosphoric acid may not
improve the color, and that the apple
does not seem to be as exhaustive OF
soil fertility as farm crops. The ex-
pertinent suggests as well that to as
sumo without definite knowledge that
a tree needs this or that plant food
| often leads to the waste of fertil1ztne
material, and that in the matter OF
| fertilizing an orchard fruit-grower
should experiment for himself, since an
/ orchards need of fertilizer can be de-
termined only by the behavior Of the
trees when supplied with the several
plant foods