Yerington times. [volume] (Yerington, Nev.) 1907-1932, 1912-08-17
ESSENTIALS OF PLANT.
Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium
are Most Important.

pertinent oldtOH, says. mere are %
different chemical elements which are
used to make up the growth of plant
The following nine are very essential
for the proper development of the or
chard plant. Carbon hydrogen, oxy
gen, nitrogen, sulphur, phosphate, po
tassium. calcium and iron The three
most important of these, and which
are sometimes absent in available
form. are nitrogen, PHOSPHORUS and
potassium. A certain amount OF nitro
gen is required for the vigorous
growth of the plant and is used prin-
cipally in the formation of the woody
part Of the plant Phosphorus is not
as essential in fruit growing as il
is used to make large per cent OF the
seed but is. however. essential to aid
the proper ripening of the fruit Po-
tassium aids in the proper coloring OF
the fruit and goes to make up large
per cent of the ash of both the fruit
and OF the fruit wood.
Mdi1t VI tht otN SUNS a'N 'iNii
chemically in nitrogen, PHOSPHORUS
and potassium. but oftcntimes these
clements are not available for the
plant on account OF the poor physical
condition of the soil; we mean that il
lacks humus By humus we mean the
compete decay of organic matter
which can be obtained by the blowing
under of some green manure crop,
such as alfalfa. clover, vetch oats.
rye, etc.
In the east where experiments have
been run with clean cultivation versus
sod for orchard soils, the results were
found to be in favor OF the clean cul
tivation. Clean cultivation versus
rotational shade crop has been tried
in Colorado and the results were in
favor OF the shade crop rotation. In
the east. cover crops are used. which
means the sowing OF the seed III the
late summer and the blowing under Of
the green manure crop the next spring
or in the early summer. Our condi
tons are such that this method does
not work well, the greatest troublt
being that the spring blowing under
OF great mass OF green material in
irrigation. as it sometimes causes the
soil to puddle and thereby causing the
leaves to turn yellow By shade crops
is meant the sowing of the seed in the
spring of the year. thus shading the
soil during the summer from the sun.
and the blowing under of the green
crop either the following fall or thu
next fall, depending on whether an
annual. biennial or perennial crop is
grown.
Nearly all of the Colorado orchard
soils are very poor in humus content
and this is the principle reason why
they are hard TO work when il comes
to irrigation and cultivation. Such
soils do not take water readily nor
do they hold it after they have been
irrigated Humus in the soil will do
away to large extent with these
troubles and can be obtained by the
blowing under OF barnyard manure,
but on account of the scarcity of it,
the orchardists will have to rely to :
great extent on the growing and the
blowing under of a shade crop.
Shade crops are divided into two
classes. viz. leguminous and non-leg-
luminous, The legumes are plants like
alfalfa. clovcrs. etc: the non-lcgumes
are the grains, like oats, rye, barley,
etc. For orchard soils which possess
a hard under soil there is no plant
like alfalfa This is not hard to han
die il it is allowed TO go to seed and
plowcd under-in the fall of the second
one half bushel to the acre, with tn"
alfalfa for nurse crop. The oats
should be cut before they go to see.l
and they can be harvested for feed.
Alfalfa can be sown later than clover
with good results, but. as a rules, I
is better to sow all shade crops in the
orchard as early in the spring as pos
sible. Monmouth red clover makes
very good orchard shade crop. but
sometimes it is very hard to get the
clover to grow we'll at first unless il
has the proper amount of moisture,
This is one reason why clover is not
always a success in peach orchards,
as sometimes the clover requires more
water than is good for the peach trees,
In growing anything in the orchard,
one must remember that the trees are
first consideration and the crop of sec
ond Importance For this reason do
$1,000 IL, 4..s..s "a cellar To