El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-08-21
CARE OF FRUIT
TREES ESSENTIAL
TO THEIR GROWTH
Fabian Garcia, of State Col
lege, Gives Advice in a
Special Bulletin.

state College n NJ, Aug 2O.-In a
carefully prepared bulletin just issued
9 Prof Fabian Garcia says thai tbe
principal factors which influence
} vigorous tree growth are good and
! timely tillage, proper irrigation at
the right time, sufficiently fertile
SOIL and proper pruning. None
OF these factors should be neglected nv
the Orchardist. Proper and tfrnelz fr-
rigation and tillage work hand in hand
with a fertile soil
An orchard is continuous cron and
therefore it gives no chance for rota-
ton or for the soil TO be given a rest
aIJer Few years In time the trees
viii begin to decline. producing smaller
growth and foliage and, conseuusntIy.
inferior crops Of fruit. This NAV he
due, to a large degree, to some of the
plant food elements in the soil HAVING
been considerably reduced by the con-
tinuous cropping. Thus the use of or
chard fertilizers becomes coca sfonaIIv
necessary. When in the southwest the
use Of orchard fertilizers has not been
considered necessary, it. is beginning
to attract attention.
Experiments Are Conducted.
During the past three or four years
the station has been receiving a num-
Der OF inquiries from fruit growers re-
sarding the kind OF fertilizer TO use to
encourage a more healthy and larger
growth on their trees. in order to pro-
duce better crops Of fruit In Septem-
Der 1911. the experiment station start
ed a fertilizing experiment with peach
trees. Two and One-half acres of the
peach orchard were seeded to alfalfa.
This was irrigated, giving a good
termination, and the young alfalfa
withstood the winter well During
January. 1912, a block Of the peach
orchard S0X200 feet. or about So acre.
containing 20 Elberta and 20 Crothers
trees, was MANFRED with II large wagon
loads Of barnyard manure. or at the
rate Of 40 loads per acre The manure
was spread all over the surface and
plowed under. Then it was immedi-
ately irrigated. TO start decomposition. I
On May IS, 1912. the same sized plat
ss the one MANFRED was fertilized with I
20 pounds OF sodium nitrate. or at
the rate OF 500 pounds per acre. The I
nitrate was broadcast. and then disced |
in with an orchard disc During the !
growing season of 1912 the MANFRED ]
and sodium nitrate plats were kept well /
cultivated and irrigated. while the trees /
In the alfalfa plat received no cultiva- ]
ton. but were irrigated about twice 4
as often
Effect OF Fertilizers.
The effect of the manure and sodium ]
nitrate was very noticeable on the /
-rees, as the growth was much larger
md the foliage more healthy looking
nan on the alfalfa or check plats- in !
act, the MANFRED trees produced too !
much growth for best results. While I
he fruit grew larger. it did NOT color
Up as we'll and was later than on the
heck. alfalfa, and sodium nitrate trees.
Apparently there was little too much
manure used at one time At the end I
Il each year, 1912 and 1913. careful
measurements were taken Of the {
-rowth produced during each season
n 10 TO 30 trees under each treat !
nent. The average growth per tree
n 1912 in the alfalfa plat was 15.4
nches; in the check and cultivated
lat lS5 inches: in the sodium nitrate
lat 2l-2 inches; In the MANFRED plat,
Sc inches. IN 1913 the average /
rowth per tree was somewhat less.
n the alfalfa plat It was SIS inches: IN
he check and cultivated plat II was
DC inches; in the sodium nitrate plat.
80 inches; in the MANFRED plat, 13.2 /
lches
According TO these figures, the ef-
act on the growth in 1913. the sec
nd season after the application of the |
lanure and sodium nitrate, was not so
larked as in 1912. In the spring OF
]12 the trees were topped back con-
derably; more so than in 1913. This !
ay have also influenced to some ex-
mt the greater growth in 1912 It IS
ute noticeable that during both years /
he sodium nitrate and manure pro- |
lced a larger growth than the trees
] the check or alfalfa plats.