The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1920-02-26
NITROGEN FOR
BIG FRUIT CROPS
Oregon Horticultural Chief Tells
of Results Obtained With
Nitrate Fertilizers

At the request of the Nitrate Agen-
cies company, of Seattle, we are re-
producing below an article written by
C.. L. Lewis, chief of the. division of
horticulture of the Oregon Agricul-
tural college,:
For years the Oregon Experiment
station has been conducting fertili-
ger experiments with orchards, from
1912, to 1919, these experiments were
under my direct supervision, while
connected with the Oregon Agricul-
tural college. The experiments were
conducted on very extensive scale.
Large blocks of trees were used, fer
tilizers of various kinds were applied
in various amounts-for nitrogen and
elements as manure, dried blood, sui
plate of ammonia and nitrate of soda;
for potash, muriatel and sulphate of
potash. German potash salts, also
high grade superphosate, ground bone
lime and gypsum, were used. The re-
suits have been uniformly the same.
Nitrogen has been the one element
which gave results.
On the light soil of the Hood River,
the result obtained from nitrogen
with apples was wonderful. In the
vicinities of Newberg, Salem, Dallas
Rosburg, Riddle, and Medford, the
same results were obtained. Also in
/ {,.so Tor.
Nelis pears and peaches. Nitrogen
restored the vitality Of the trees,
turned the yellow leaves green, pro-
duced wood growth, produced fruit
for without wood growth, we never
get fruit-restored the balance be-
tween the sugar and starch on the
one hand and the nitrates on the
other hand, increased the percentage
of set, drove out many fundamental
troubles; in fact, transformed the or
chards. In no case did potash or pro-
sphoric acid prove to be of any valus
for, the reason that probably these
soils are at the present time well
supplied by Nature with such elem
ents. A chemical analysis of the soil
indicates that to be the case. Nitro
gen may be applied in several ways.
It would have been well in the fall,
to have applied stable manure, or
some such element as dried blood, or
if nothing has been applied, the best
thing to apply from now on is nitrate
of soda, spread broadcast around the
trees, about a month before bloom,
will help the average mature prune
and apple orchard in western Oregon.
Follow this up with good tillage, and
drill in cover crops next fall, or add
stable manure, if you desire but put
your money into nitrate.
Mixed fertilizers are generally low
in nitrogen: and high in potash and
phosphoric acid; are a poor invest
ment for the average orchardist,
judging by not only the experiments
which the state experiment station
has conducted, but by the results the
fruit growers themselves are getting.
Many of the mixed fertilizers contain
too much plant food, which is very
slowly available. You are paying too
much freight on substance of no val
ue. The time may come when some
of our soils may respond to applica-
tions Of potash or phosphoric acid.
Meanwhile let the state experiment
station conduct such experiments.
That is what they are for, and if you
are going to buy fertilizer, buy nitro
gen, the one element in which our
soils are deficient, the element which
is lost from the soils so easily, the
one element which determines to a
large extent the vigor and vitality of
our trees, and which must be kept
present if we are to make money out
of our orchards.