HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION
Washington State College is the Friend of the Farmer
Bulletins and News Notes From the Staff at Pullman.
'- ggsFrjg- -atr I
View of Washington Agricultural College, Pullman, Washington, the Bole Ajn of Which Is to Aid Agriculturists.
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PBTNE OBOWTNO IN SOTJTHWEST
EEN WASHINGTON.
By 0. M. Mois, Horticulturist.
THIS bulletin discusses the cause of
tlio frequent failure of ilio pmnc
crop in a few localities in South
western Washington and suggests some
changes in orchard management for the
improvement of theso conditions. There
aro many orcharJs that have eaeh year
produced mcdiu:n heavy crops of good
fruit; but each year Ihero are many
orchard') that produce little or no fruit.
The crop failures of any one year are
usually prevalent iu pome particular
localities; and ouly on ran occasions
arc the fruitless or barren orchards sur
rounded by productive ones. It is com
HI0.1 to find one part of tho orchard
more productive than other parts. This
uneven production is most noticeable
in orchards bearing a light crop, and
those orchard i have increased in num
ber in the last few years.
Tho crop condition:! during 1912 and
11)13 Imvo been studied very closely. A
survey of the soil and orchard condi
tions und a study of the weather records
seem to justify sonio conclusions that
may bo helpful to the prune growers
of the region. This bulletin is ouly a
preliminary report and may be followed
by others based ou moro definite experi
mental data.
The Italian Prune.
The Italian prune lias been planted
in greater quantity than all other
varieties. The other varieties have not
proved to be its equal in vigor of tree,
productiveness, size and qnality of fruit,
it grows and fruits best on a deep fer
tile loam or clay loam soil. The tree
is vigorous and hardy, but is liable to
show weakness in resistance to disease
and insect attacks when grown on soil
to which it is not adapted. This weak
ness is also often indicated by the loss
of crop during inclement weather. The
tree has a strong tendency to produce
moro twigs and small branches than it
can continue in growth. It is subject
to over production of fruit also and will
not thin its fruit by dropping the sur
plus or overload like some other vari
eties of pruns. This over production of
fruit and wood weakeos the entire tree,
It blossoms about the middle of the
plum blossoming season.
The French Prune.
The French prune was planted to some
extent about twelve to eighteen years
ago. The tree is vigorous and product
ive. It is less popular than the Italian
because of tho small sizo of its fruit,
and because of its disfavor in the mar
ket. Thero are very few localities, if
any, where this variety should be plant
ed jn commercial orchards in Clarke
County.
The Sugar Plum.
A few trees of the sugar plum have
been planted in several orchards. The
trees bear young and heavily. . The
fruit is of good size and appearance, but
does not dry so well as the Italian va
riety and is often severely criticised'
on that account. Until it has been bet
ter tested and its value more fully
proven, it can not be recommonded for
commercial planting.
The blossoms, leaves and fruit of the
prunes aro frost tender and escape se
vere injury when frosts occur, only by
the existence of an especially favorable
condition of the soil and air preceding
and immediately following tho frost.
Plants that are vigorous are most able
to resist unfavorable weather condi
tions. Soil.
The orchards of Clarke County have
been planted oil every variety of soil
available. One extreme type is repre
sented by the heavy loam and clay soils
Jrith deep clay subsoil. This is eouiaion
along the edge of the plateau running
north from Vancouver. Another type is
represented by thin, light, gravelly soil,
usually underlaid with coarse, open
gravel subsoil. This is found in the cen
tral part of the county. All slopes and
oxposures of soil have been planted and
a remarkable number of the plantings
have been profitable. The heavy and
medium deep soils have a good water
holding capacity and aro generally well
adapted to orchard production. The
lightest soils are not capable of carry
ing a heavy stand of fruiting trees
throughout the summer, and could prob
ably be made more profitable if devoted
to other erops.
Planting.
The trees are usually set about 18 to
22 feet apart each way- and grown to
tho largest sizo possible while young.
In many orchards the trees are too close
xnd the tints are crowded and the roots
cannot obtain sufficient planl food to
keep tho trees in full vigor. Overcrowd
ing lowers the productive capacity and
shortens the life of the tree. Cutting
out some of the trees in some of the
orchards would bo beneficial, but in
very few cases are the planting plans
satisfactory for such work.
Pruning.
The pruning systems adopted by the
different growers vary from that of
careful, systematic shaping of tho tree
top, to the other extreme of entire neg
lect. The frame work of the tree should
consist of three to five large branches
so distributed as to make a well bal
anced tree top. These large branches
should send out smaller ones near the
base, and higher up should gradually
divide into a largo number of limbs.
Tho fruiting wood should be well dis
tributed from center to circumference
of the top. As the trees advance in age
tho fruiting wood will be farther from
the trunk. The normal tendency is to
form a dense canopy of twigs and
foliage around the outside of the top
and shade to death all twigs inside.
This has not been appreciated by many
growers, and they bavo attempted to
do all necessary pruning by cutting out
a few large limbs. The small branches
become very thick and tho foliage so
dense that direct sunlight can not reach
the inner part of tho tree. The twigs
become weak, slender and pendant in
form and a largo number of them die
each year.
An Annual Operation.
Pruning should be an annual opera
tion and should be considered as one
of the cultural lines of work to be con
tinued throughout the life of the orch
ard. The height of the trunk is large
ly a matter of personal preference, but
there seems to be a strong tendency to
go to the extreme and have the trunks
five feet or moro in height. A trunk
three feet tall will ordinarily be satis
factory for the development of good
trees. The young trees should be cut
back each year until they have reached
bearing age. This will develop large,
stocky trunks and branches and with
the new growth properly thinned the
best formed trees can be developed.
The frame work of the tree must be
so arranged that the fruiting wood of
the bearing tree will be evenly dis
tributed throughout the entire space
that tho top of the tree occupies. The
top should be so thinned that some of
the direct rays of the sun will reach
the center of the tree or even the
ground beneath.
Heavy and light pruning are relative
terms und are used arbitrarily. Pruning
may be said to be heavy when it causes
the trees to send up a large number of
water sprouts and is too severe for
vigorous trees that are fruiting regu
larly, but it is often the best that can
be given old or weak trees that are pro
ducing light crops of small fruit. Prun
ing is usually described as light when
only the very weak or dead twigs and
the crossing and interfering branches
are removed.
Tillage.
The most common practice of tillage
is that of plowing the land in the spring
with a turning plow and immediately
working it down into a fine level con
dition and continuing clean shallow till
ago through the summer. The test prac
tice, -and ono commonly followed by
many of the successful prune growers is
to follow the above system of spring
and early summer tillage, and in late
summer to seed the orchard down to
vetch. This. crop grows on the land dur
ing the fall, winter and early spring,
and after it has developed a good mat
of green material it is plowed under
late in April or early May. Clean tillage
is then continued as in the previous sea
son. Some growers make the mistako of
plowing before a good crop is developed
to plow under, and fail to obtain the
most possible fertilizing value from the
crop. The opposite tendency is to let
the cover crop stand until it has taken
from the soil a part of the moisture
that should be saved for the use of the
trees. Tho aim should be to let the
vetch develop to the. largest size possi
ble without robbing the soil of moisture
that will bo greatly needed by the trees
before the close of tho season.
The system of tillage generally is
auite good, but comparatively few of
tho orchards are so managed that the.
soil fertility is maintained or improved
from year to year. The soil fertility
should be improved as the orchards
crow older. The trees are larger and
are capablo of bearing more fruit. The
orchards on the poorest sou have been
failing in crop production most fre
quently, the trees making less growth,
the leaves being smaller and showing
a greater tendency to curl and expose
tho under' side, giving the tree a light
gray appearance when seen from a dis
tance. Somo of this soil is so impover
ished that it will not produce a good
crop of vetch or weeds and grass. The
fertility of such soils must be increased
before the trees can be expected to pro
duce satisfactory crops. The application
of decaying vegetation in the form of
barnyard manure will be the best and
surest method where this material iB
available. The application of commer
cial fertilizers in sufficient quantity to
give a cover crop a good vigorous start
in the fall and early spring would prob
ably be of value. The limited tests that
have been made indicate that nitrate
of soda or some form of nitrogen fer
tilizer will give best ivsults.
Orchard Conditions.
The orchards vary greatly in vigor
and regularity of crop production, and
these two qualities seem to be so close
ly jelatod that the second is in direct
proportion to the first. A few orch
ards located on good soil that is espe
cially subject to late spring frosts have
repeatedly failed to produce good crops.
Land in such locations should be de
voted to other erops. The orchards on
thin, light soil need all the help in
improving the fertility of the land that
can be given. The trees on this soil also
require more careful pruning and thin
ning of the crop. One or two crop fail
ures have disheartened the owners,
orchards have been neglected to their
permanent injury and some made en
tirely worthless. The poor or unprofit
able orchards should be improved by
adopting a better system of tillage, fer
tilizing, pruning and spraying or should
be cut out at once. Orchards tever im
prove by neglect.
In Nuremberg, Grmny, SOO Wortmon
are employed ia mating '.Mil soldiers auii
lead toys,
PREPABINQ FETJIT EXHIBITS.
IK a short time now, states B. X
Barnett, Pomologist of the Wash-,
ington Agricultural Station at PuB;
man, an interesting part of tho fruit
grower's mail will consist of the prf:
mium lists issued by the various fair
asosciations. A careful study of these
will prove of value to all, but morii
especially to prospective exhibitors, al
a thorough knowledge of tho entry re
quirements and premium classes is neees-
sary in making up a successful exhibit.
Fruit fit to be taken to the fair most
have been well grown. It Is possible,
for a poorly cared for orchard to pro-
duee a winning plate, but it is a rare
thing, and, when it comes to the larger
box classes, practically impossible, well
crown fruit has been properly sprayed,
cultivated, pruned, thinned and bar
vested.
Too great emphasis is usually put oa
the matter of size by both the manage
ment of the fair and the entrant. Tho
abnormal, whether it be an apple the
size of a pumpkin or a five-legged eair
is of interest, but should never be made
even an important feature and could,
well be left out entirely.
Fruit for exhibit should be selected
from a large quantity and in good day
light, should show the proper form, sir
and color for the variety and the indi
viduals should be uniform in the above
characteristics. It should not be neces
sary to say that show fruit must be
wholly free from injury or blemish of
any kind, not even a limb rub or brok
en stem.
If the fair is placing emphasis on the
commercial side of the fruit industry,
pack becomes important and should
have eareful study, especially when the
fruit is apples or pears.
Proper packing presupposes correct
grading, which should have been done
in good light and with a large quantity
of fruit at hand. It is the custom te
givo equal value to bulge, alignment
hoight of endt compactness and attract
iveness. In a commercial way, however,
the amount of bulge and the compact
ness are more important than the other
features. Most of the packed apples
which win prizes have been put up by
expert packers.
For the earlier shows the peaches,
plums, grapes and other soft fruits
should be made more important parte at
the exhibits and the requirements of
perfection for them more rigidly en
forced. With them condition, including
freedom from blemishes and the physi
cal condition of the fruit, is of primary
importance arid must bo carefully con
sidered in choosing the show fruit.
Oversize in this class is nearly always
accompanied by defect of other kinds
and what the exhibit might gain far
being quite largo is likely to be lost be
cause of split stone, cracked skin or
similar defects.
District displays are of value for ad
vertising purposes and prove one of the
most attractive features of many fairs;
The whole district should join in pre
paring them, under tho direction of a
committee, and each contribute accord
ing to his ability.
Tho experiment station of the Wash
ington Slato College has now in press
a popular bulletin treating much more
fully of thiB subject. This bulletin win
be sent to those applying for it
No Excuse for Cholera.
If it were not for hog cholera port
raisers would be living In the lap 4
luxury. The time will come when there
will be no more excuse for bog cholera
than for the human cholera that until a
century or so ago periodically devas
tated Europe and America. Both art
essentially filth diseases.