. Better fruit. Fruit-culture. ipiS BETTER FRUIT Page ii plant food, will not release or make available to the tree plant food in sulli- cient quantities to properly nourish the tree. This condition of the soil has been brought about by the continuous burn- ing up and almost continuous exhaus- tion of the organic matter in the soil. This is the result of cotinued clean cul- tivation without addition or organic matter to the soil. The point that I want to bring out most forcibly here is that our soil troubles are mostly physical rather than chemical, and that the addition of chemical or commerc
. Better fruit. Fruit-culture. ipiS BETTER FRUIT Page ii plant food, will not release or make available to the tree plant food in sulli- cient quantities to properly nourish the tree. This condition of the soil has been brought about by the continuous burn- ing up and almost continuous exhaus- tion of the organic matter in the soil. This is the result of cotinued clean cul- tivation without addition or organic matter to the soil. The point that I want to bring out most forcibly here is that our soil troubles are mostly physical rather than chemical, and that the addition of chemical or commercial fertilizers can do little toward the per- manent upbuilding of our soil condi- tions. Fruther, without an adequate supply of humus or organic matter we do not get full benefit of whatever chemical fertilizer we may use. To build up and maintain a constant sup- ply of available plant food with the least possible waste we must have hu- mus or organic matter in the soil. Humus is decomposed organic matter. Humus acts as a sponge to not only hold moisture but to hold available elements of plant food. In the decomposition of organic matter various weak acids arc formed, known as humic acids. These weaks acids have a dissolving effect upon the soil particles and change the otherwise unavailable elements of fer- tility into available form. Humus holds the soil particles apart and prevents the soil from becoming hard and com- pact. In my opinion any system of orchard- ing in our semi-arid irrigated districts which docs not provide for a goodly supply of organic matter in the soil is not a permanent or sound system of orcharding. I shall not enter here into any extended discussion of the differ- ent methods of supplying that humus any more than to say that under condi- tions existing generally in our fruit sections far the cheapest and most eco- nomical method of supplying that hu- mus, together with additional fertility, is by means of cover crops. Neither is it my purpose here to
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