Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-06-06
Orchards Require Fertilizer?

OTCndFdS hctluiTc TcTtillEGt4
Thorough cultivation. liberal appli-
cation of plant food, protective spray
ing against insect and fungus enemies
and proper pruning are among the
most important of the fundamentals
commonly accepted and taught in
orchard management. Among these
none are more generally believed than
the effect of plant food. "Nitrogenous
manures make green apples ard
potash paints fruits" are accepted
sayings Many Maine men believe that
by the application of a highly nitro
genous fertilizer similar te the so call
ed Fisher Formula" their compara-
lively unproductive orchards have
been rendered highly productive. The
orchards at Highmoor Farm after
years of neglect were speedily Tin
three years time) brought by cuitiva-
ton. fertilization. spraying and prun-
ing. into healthy fruit bearing trees.
That the fertilization was as import
ant as anything in the treatment was
accepted at the beginning of the re-
iuvenation. The results of the three
years have. however, made clear that
the clean cultivation-grow no
crops on the land other than wood and
apples-was far more important than
the application of plant food. And the
New York Station has published in
Bulletin G39 the results of two sixteen
wear soil test fertilizer experiment
with mature trees and with newly
set orchard which show-"That in
these orchards and on that soil the
application of the fertilizer had no
appreciable effect, beneficial or otheE-
wise. No more fruit was produced, no
greater wood growth was obtained, no
differences in color or size of fruit or
foliage could lie detected where heavy
applications of complete manure or of
unbalanced manures were made, than
where small applications or no ma
nure ut all was applied
While this does not mean that these
results are capable of general applica-
ton. they are suggestive. And so far
as the best apple soils of New York
are concerned they demonstrate that
on those heavy clay soils carrying
large amounts of the ordinary eonstit-
ueuts Of plapt food that the money eN-
pended for fertilizers is money abso-
lutely thrown away.
The Maine Agricultural Experiment
Station in it's successful rehabilitation
of the orchards at Highmoor Farm
has expended approximately $50 year
per acre for fertilizers. Was that eX-
penditure unnecessary? Can that
large expense be safely stopped To
answer this question - rows contain
ing about 400 trees in the large Ben
Davis orchard are set aside for an ex-
pertinent to run an indefinite number
of years. The orchard as q whole has
been given annually 1000 pounds of a
fertilizer carrying 4 per cent nitrogen,
per cent Of available phosphorie acid
and per cent of potash.
This application will be continued on
4 rows other 4 rows win receive half
that amount annually and the other 4
rows will receive no fertilizer. Clean
cultivation viii be practiced on all.
Cover crops such as rye will be grown
on all each fall and plowed under
each spring This will, it is thought,
maintain the supply of humus. The
experiment viii be continued until the
linfertiized trees begin to show the
need of plant food. as indicated by
lesser growth of wood or fruit, or I'M
til years enough have passed to show
that the unfertilized are doing as well
as the fortified rows.
CHAS. d. WOODS, Director.
Oropo Maine lime 4 1912