THfE CHEMAWA AMERICAN
3
MR. WERTZ'S LECTURE.
Mr. Wertz from Hood River valley
delivered an interestingtand instructive
lecture in the school chapel Monday
evening. His subject was the raising of
apples and poultry. He said he seldom
had the opportunity of looking into so
many smiling faces and speaking to such
an intelligent looking audience as those
who were present. He expressed his
willingness to answer all questions ask
ed relating to the subject. He told the
etory of the apple seed. The planting,
and the attention it must receive in the
nursery room until it has developed in
to a sprout about the size of a pencil,
when it is budded, usually in the month
of August. He explained the science of
budding.
He demonstrated, with the assistance
of Mr. Chalcraft and Mr. Hatt, the line
and ring system used for setting out
trees, thus keeping them all the same
distance apart and in line in all direc
tions. The point where the tree is to set
is marked by pegs driven in the ground.
Digging the holes is the next important
step. Mr. Wertz showed by the use of a
simple apparatus called the yoke, each
tree could be placed in the neuter of the
hole, and not be a fraction of an inch
out of line. He called attention to
spraying and protecting the trees from
the many pests that destroy them.
In Hood River valley if a fruit grower
does not spray his orchard at the proper
time the fruit growers association sprays
it for him and presents their bill. .If
any trees are effected with scale or pests
the inspector notifies the Fruit Growers'
Union and his orchard is pulled up. It
is plainly understood why Hood River
produces the best apples in the United
Stales. 1
He told how the apples are picked,
sorted, and packed for shipment. The
apples are carefully picked in two gal Ion
cans and placed one and two at a time
in the boxes and taken to the packers.
The Fruit Growers' Union does not per
mit the grower to pack his own apples.
They send their own packers and fore
men. Each apple is wiped, wrapped in
tissue paper, and packed in boxes be
tween layers of card boards It then
goes to the presser where the lid is put
on and they are ready for shipment.
When they reach New York or other
shipping points the fruit inspector looks
them over with a critical eye and if one
box ii not up' to the standard the whole
carload is rejected.
Mr. Wertz closed his lecture by some
interesting remarks on the raising of
poultry. He said that the 'principal
point to remember when starting into
the poultry business was to buy the
standard-bred fowls and to know as
much about chickens as the man Who
goes into the drug business knows1 about
drugs. It costs as much to feed scrubs'
as it does to feed thoroughbreds. The
pedigree fowls are the best for eggs arid
table use. 5i
He made a1 drawing of a hojppler'vsil
i' i mi i ... . . --'jI;! V . v m ? -.fr n 2
. ana oats. ne aa vantage mat comes trom
a hopper is that it prevents waste 1 arid
requires filling onlv once a week and
keeps the poultry well supplied with food.
Beef scraps and green food should also
be fed. Dry-mash is 'the feed that must
be fed in the winter if eggs are expeeeed.
Dry mash is made of equal parts of corn,
wheat, oats, middlings, cotton seed, and
beef scraps ground together.. Plenty of
tresh water and green food is necessary
in winter. In summer the beef scraps
should not be usecl.
He showed how the record of each, lien
was taken'by the use of a trap nest.
Each fowl is numbered and a record
kept of the number of eggs layed each
month. By this system the best breed
cf poultry can be raised. The drones
can easily be disposed of by this method.
He made a drawing on the. black board,
describing the' way it is used. He gave
several good points on buying and sell
ing eggs for hatching, stating that hon
esty was the best policy. He explained .4
the manner in which day old chicks ara
shipped a great distance without loss, it
being much cheaper to buy them than to
take the trouble of hatching by use of
the incubator or fowl.