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About The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933 | View Entire Issue (March 6, 1903)
Home Kural Telephone Company. (Continued from second page.) thete different lines in accumulating would come in, and I asked him which is the bert system He eaid oar con ditions here are directly opposite to thoee at Newberg and that this system under one management is much the best, and have the directors build the line aown mere. L. Morse It eeemg to me it is un necessary lor us to lool our timo awnv discussing this report. It will be neces sary for us to organi.o before anything can bo done. It seems to me that the best and only thing we can do is to have tne committee tile articles of meorpora tion. N. C. Evans Any three members can file their articles, but thev cannot organize until they have issued half of vucir tiuun. ill lewuiirg 11 COSIS OUC. i month in the city and the rural tele phones cost 25c. a month to maintain lines and telephones. As the lines get older will not the expense of repair in crease? J. II. Shoemaker They had enough in the proposition and I think thev managed their system about as well as ait matcner. L. H. Morse Let tis go on and me our articles or Incorporation and get a iiead to tins move ment bo that if any one has a Dro- position to offer they will have someone to go to. We are on the right track. It is a Dig juniplrom Uto50 centsanionth G. E. Williams I am not speaking now in the interest of the telephone company, uui l want to say a lew words from the business man's stand point. If you reject Mr. Thatcher's proposition i realize mat it win douoie tne expense of the telephone service of the mer chants of Hood River, for we will be obliged to retain our present phones in order to reach patrons of that line and we would want one of yours to do busi ness with you. 1 cannot get it through my head why you cannot accept Mr. Thatcher's proposition. It is practically the same as the Kewberu proposition. You will have tho expense of building into town and the expense of a central if you do not take his proposition, while if you accept his offer you will save the expense ot the extra central office. If you have the two systems it will always be a source of annoyance for they will not accept any courtesies from each other. I don't think that you under stand what an advantage it will be to have your telephones kept in order. None of you, perhaps understand keep ing them in order. If you were using your own phones and anything went wrong with them, the expense of the re pair would come out of your pocket, while if you accept Mr. Thatcher's pro positon and anything goes wrong with your phone, bring it into the office and we will give you a new one in the place of it free of cost. It is not a difficult thing to do to take care of the lines, but to take care of and repair the delicate mechanism of the phones re quires the necessary tools and mach inery and skilled workmen to use them, this, you know, is expensive. And this expense you will avoid by accepting Mr. Thatcher' proposition. Adjourned to meet in the A. O. U. V hall, (Saturday March 7, at 2 p. m. THE INSTITUTE. An Interesting Cathering of Fruit Growers In Hood River. The farmers' institute held under the auspices of the Oregon Agricultural college and the citizens of Hood Kiver met In an interesting session Monday, March 2, in A. O. U. W. hall. The meeting w aa called to order at 1 :30 by lion. K. L. timith, chairman. There were present from Gorvallis, A. II. Cordley, state entomologist, and of the faculty of the college, Dr. James Withy combe, and Professors A. L. Kuisely and J. F.Kent. Of our citizens there were in attendance about 100, principally prominent fruit growers of the valley with some representatives from White Sulnion and Mossier. Mayor Coon gave an address of welcome to our visitors to w hich' Dr. Jas. Withycombe replied aa follows: I desire in belmlf of my colleagues to express our appreciation of the very coiilial welcome which has been ac corded us. It is profoundly gratifying to meet so many who are doubly inter ested iu horticultural pursuits. A well conducted day's Inteif hauglngof ideas is equally beneficial to the experiment station worker and his actual fellow worker. The Agricultural College has done much to stimulate the horticultu tul and agricultural interests of our state. It has also done much for the young men of our state to equip them for more active services in life. The Agricultural College otters liberal edu cation for the young farmer among all scion t i lie li nes relati ng to h is occupat ion. Hut the great niasscaniiot avail them selves of the college, henee the Insti tute takes the place of the college, and thus practically brings the college to your door. Kurming is a science; it is a master science; it is the science of Hcienecs, the art of aits. Yet this wonderful art nnd science is not yet developed to list utmost limit. The hope of our state rests upon a pros perous population; the hope of our nation rests upon the intelligent, pro gressive, honest tillers of the soil. The state of Oregon owes a great debt of gratitude to Hood Kiver for demons trating to the world that unity means the fulfilment of a definite puriK.e. You market to the best advantage because you have Impressed upon your minds the advantages tohe derived from unity of methods iu plant ing, growing, nnd marketing. Hood Ki ver is known far and near for what it lias accomplished. We come to you not merely as instructors, but simply to mingle with you and exchange thoughts that are mutually helpful. The experiment station wants to know your troubles; we are here to assist you, and hope our coming here will lie of some lienefit to you. We hope that vou will avail yourselves of this oppor tunity; that you w ill not be backward iu asking questions. We want to dis cuss all papers thoroughly. PLANT POOD FOR THK OKl'HARIt. Tiof. A L. Kuisely I wish to discuss in n general way soinethingnbout plant fond lor the orchard. I w ill endeavor to go into it In a general way and give you something about the elements of jilant food. We have among tbeele mentof plant food, which are about 70, only twelve or fourteen which are well known to horticulturists. Of these ll'or 14, we pay attention only to three or tour. We give no thought to the carbon, the oxygen, the sulphur, etc., .etc., hut we must lie on the alert for ivrtttiu elements w hich after years of use gradually become deficient. There are about lliree of these which the fertilizer man Is interested In, that if, the nitrogen, potash, and phosphoric acid, sometimes lime, but not very ofleii. We will suppose we have a ton .f a pics. A ton of apples conlains 2 6 pounds of nitroyen, about .2 pounds of phosphoric acid, and 4 pounds p;t ash. There are only the or sis iounds of actual plant foml in a ton of apples; Hie rest is mostly water. The water, tugnr and starch, the cell structure, contains mostly hydiogtn, oxygen, and farboo. Iu a ton ft strawberries we have about 3 founds of nitrogen, 2.3 pounds phosphoric acid and pounds potash; most of the rest is water, i U In a ton of cherries trfere are (! pounds nitrogen, 1.2 pounds of phos phoric acid, pouuds potash, r A crop of any one of these varieties of iruu aoeg not carry on very much plant ioou. iow, wnen we must apply plant food, we apply nitrogen, phos phoric acid, nnd potash. One of the main sources of nitrogen at the present time is the commercial product called nitrate of soda, imported mostly from South America. This contains about 16 per cent of nitrogen, and retails somewhere between tS0uiid70perton in the west. Another source of nitrogeu is sulphate of ammonia. This is a by product from the manufacture of coal gas. In the Southern states cotton seed meal is used, that which is left after pressing out the oil. Dried blood con tains 10 or 12 per cent of nitrogen and fish blood 7 or g percent. Then, around slaughter houses they have tank age, which is a source of nitrogen, containing about iu or 12 per cttut. The main commercial fertiliser which is used as a source of nitrogen is nitrate or soda, in the united Slates some thing over 100,000 tons are used annu ally; it retails In the East at from $40.00 to 150.00 per ton, in the West troiu ffiO.OO to 170.00 per ton. Another element which becomes deficient in the soil Is phosphoric acid. We can get that from a number of sources; for instance, one source is ground bone, 20 to 30 per cent; also, from the Southern slates, the source of a great Industry, called rock phos phates. These rock are mined, and contain from 10 to 30 per cent of phos phoric acid. All of tills Is not avail able; they treat it in sulphuric acid and make dissolved rock. This rock con tains about 16 per cent phosphoric acid. That is the main source of phosphoric acid. In the West we get it as Thomas blag. Borne also comes from Uerniany, containing IT) to 20 per cent. Of this there is 7 or H per cent available; the rest will gi'..iluully beconie available in time. Wood :;shos contain a certain amount, about 1 to 3 per cent Potash is another thing which can be applied to soil at times when it be comes deficient. Most of the potash now conies from Germany. The mines are located at a place called Stussfurt audit is mined there in large quan tities. It is in form called muriate of potash. Practically all of the muriate of potash in the whole world comes from that place iu Germany. Most of the sulphate of potash comes from the same region. Both muriate and sul phate contain about 50 to 55 per cent of actual potash. Kulnit is mined Iu Germuny. It con tains more or less potassium sulphate and common salt; it contains 10 to 5 percent actual potash. Wood ashes contain 4 to 8 per cent of potash, some timesa little more. Some havesaid that ashes from fir wood is not good. We have made several analyses and find that fir wood ashes contain a large amountof potash,-10 to 12 per cent. Fir wood ashes is lighter and will.not weigh more than hair as much as the same bulk of ashes from scrub oak, but a pouna or nr wood ashes contains as much as a pound of ashes from scrub oak or ash wood. If we have an orchard which seems to be unthrifty, and the foliage is rath er yellow and the trees stunted and do not make much wood growth, the probability is .that the soil lacks nitro gen. If you have an abundance of ni trogen iu the soil you get a large wood growth, t lie leaves large, and the ten dency is for the fruit not to be of good quality. If you stimulate the tree too much with nitrogeneous fertilizer, you eel a big wood growth at the expense of the qualify of the fruit, and the color is not so good, in applying fertilizers to an apple orchard, we might advise putting on say from 50 to 100 pounds of mirateor soda per acre; from l to i pounds of nitrate of soda per tree. Of phosphoric acid, put on 200 to 400 pounds, 3 to 6 pounds per tree. Potash, 100 to 200 pounds, each tree 2 to 4 pounds. In using this plan, however, do not put the fertilizer at the base of the tree; the feeding rootlets are away from the tree a distance of 10 or 12 feet from the base. " . Phosphoric acid and potash com pounds may be applied any time in the spring or late in the winter; super-plios- phute can he put on at any time. . Ap ply nitrogen, or nitrate of soda, just about the time the growing season starts; if applied in the fall, being very soluble, It will leach out of the soil. Phosphoric and potash fertilizers do not leach out of the soil unless (he soil is almost pure sand, then almost any kind of fertilizer will tend to leach out of it. Sometimes it is better to apply the nilrogen in some other form. ior instance, if you can get it, to a small extent stable manure will furnish ni trogen in small quantities and also furnish organic matter and hu mus for the sou. In a reuiou where we can grow any of the clovers, or vetch, they will take the atmospheric nitro gen and fix it in the soil so that the tree can gel l lie nitrogen, and thai is the cheapest way to get nitrogen into the soil. In the orchards 1 would ad vise using some cover crop, possibly a lit t te full rye or vetch, possibly a little clover, and turn under the next spring. This will ndd a little nitrogen to the soil; that Is the cheapest way. As a general thing, I would advise a farmer to put on his fertilizer broad cast and not apply it around each indi vidual tree, tor tins reason : i he ten dency is to put it loo near the tree, and to put too much there. If it is put on broadcast there is not enough around one tree to cause injury. A larue tree would not sutler so much in jury from this cause as a small tree. When fertilizer is sown uroaocast inert is no danger to small trees; ia a general wav. it is advisable to put fertilizer on broadcast. Potash and phosphoric acid can tie applied broadcast any time. For apples, apply nitrate of soda 50 to 100 pounds per acre; phosphates, 200 to 4u0 pounds muriate, 100 lo 200 pounds. On making an application of fertilizer vou may or may not get good results. The older the orchard 4he longer it takes to attect the trees. On a youngi orchard there will be results the first season; on ait orchard 25 years old you may not see any elfect the first year, and" may not the second year; probably the third year you will begin to see the eflect. If the soil is not very rich in plant food, possibly it would tie well to put on some fertilizer each year. Wood ashes contain all the elements of plant food in Just about the right propor tions, with the exception ol iuirKen. Thev contain no nitmecii. 1 he min eral elements, potash, phosphoric acid, lime, are all in wood allies, wood ashes is one of the very best things wej call put on the ground, apple orchard or slrawlerrie8. I would rather have you asK ques tions, and then we can go right at the points we want to learn nbout. The probability is that right here in this re gion you have gotten some points we do not know anything about. I would pruUauly learn as much as you iroiu piestioiis wuien you may ass. J. H. Hioenuiker The conditions with us are different from those at Cor vallis. We have not the moisture In our soils that you have where making these experiments with terusmers. . i. you not unit mat we mck moK-iurea- well as fertilizer. Prof. Knisely I presume part of the time the moisture is one of the condi tions. We will get more about on the texture of soils. Trees must have enough moisture; if they do not have enough, they do not make a normal growth. : If they have too much moist ure they do not attain their natural growth. Water itself is a plant food. J. H. Shoemaker Do you not think it would be advisable to irrigate our tiees, our old orchards. Prof. Kuisely If they luck moisture It certainly would help them. There are regions I know where a man will have an orchard, nnd through the sum mer season it dries up and sutlers from drouth very much, and at the same time another man whoseorcbard does not sufl'er from drouth at all. Both have the same amount of rain fall. The orchards I am thinking of are in New lork, and some are cultivated thor oughly, aud others have no cultivation. Good cultivation in some cases will run .thorn through the season all right. , fc. L. Smith Orchards bearing a heavy load of fruit would undoubtedly be benellted. J. II. Shoemaker The conditions are such in some localities that we can raise clover without irrigation. Where we can not raise clover without Irriga tion, If it Is possible to Irrigate, do you think it would lie profitable; Prot. Kuisely l would try it on a few trees and experiment. J. H. Shoemaker Would that lake the place of fertilizer? Prof. Knisely If the soil is deficient in potash or plant food, it would not take the place of fertilizer. But if the plant food is there, the water conditions should be made right to take up the plant food. J.- II. Shpem'aker. Would you recom mend ueinK land plaster on orchards? . Professor Knisely It might be help ful in a small way. Land plaster is pot a plant food, has no nitrogen, no potash, no phosphoric acid. It has the power of releasing plant, food already iu the soil. 8evtTna pounds of land plas ter will liberie tpe potash already in the soil, and (fins the tree will feed up on the potash which the land plaster has liberated. . If the tree is lacking potash and you apply the land plaster. it will liberate the potash and in that way benefit the tree. At present we are carrying on some experiments. On one row we applied land plaster, but as yet have had no marked result at all. Land plaster is especially beneficial to clover. A. I. Mason Iu some parts of the valley we are troubled with a brown spot which is most quickly found in a lialdwin apple. e have heard ot var ious plans to prevent this. Some have recommended the use of lime. Prof. Cordley In regard to the brown rot or the .Baldwin apple spot, as it is sometimes called, this matter was brought up in our experiment suiuou, aim sev eral other experiment stations, and no cause for it has been discovered, nor any remedy. Thero have been " several theories, but no satisfactory demonstra tion as yet. At Corvallia we sprayed two out of three trees with Uordeaux mixture, and the two that were sprayed were almost entirely free, while the other tree was badly injured. The Ver mont station tried the same experiment with negative results. ,No definite in formation on the subject is obtainable. Joe Wilson Mv next neighbor had quite a number of Baldwin trees planted in lsbo winch bore loo boxes of apples last year which were entirely free from snntff. ' Vv hea the trees were voune the apples were spotted. He has been using muriate ot potash. G. K. Castner How may we know when we need potash and phosphoric acid. . Prof. Knislev I presume in much the same way as some physicians do. They have a sick patient and they start to doctoring him and try certain remedies a week or two, and then say they have to chance medicines, lliere is a good deal of guess work about it. It is easier on small trees than on large trees. If you had a strawberry patch and thought it was not doing its very best, I would buy about 100 lbs. gf nitrate ot soda, 100 lbs. of muriate of if taslt-atid 200 lbs. of superphosphate, gOr on one row I would put on a lime application of ni trate ol soda broadcast between the rows; on the other row muriate of potash ; on the third row . superphosphate, and would watch those rows that year and see how they seemed to do, and which did the best. If that soil lacks nitrogen, there ought to be a more vigorous grow th where the nitrogen was applied. In that way you get a pretty good idea. On another row put a mixture combin ing all three plant-foods, and watch re sults and see which does the most good. That iB the beat way to find out what the soil lacks. If that soil is sampled and a sample sent to the station we can analyze the soil and find a certain amount of nitrogen, potash and phos phoric acid., Now what we want to know is, whether that plant food is available for the plant or not. The chemist does not know. Up to the present time there is no method of getting the available; we can get the total, but it is a hard matter to tell whether it is avail able plant food or not. Question (tnknown) 1 have read that nitrate of soda being a stimulant, that dried blood is preferable to furnish the element of nitrogen. Prof. Kinsley V hen plants take up their nitrogen they take it up in the form of nitrates. If we apply nitrate Of soda this season, as we put it on the soil every bit of it is available immediately. The probability is that if it is a wet time the plant can feed on it at that time. If we apply nitrogen in form of dried blood there is not much of it in the form of nitrate. There is a process going on n the soil called nitrification. The effect will be that the fertilizer will last a longer time than in the form of nitrate of soda. Question ould dried blood have a tendency to leach. Prof. Knielcy Nitrogen in tho sou does not leach very much until it be comes nitrate. E. L. Smith In plowing under a crop of luguminous plant food, how long would it take for the nitrate to leach out. Prof. Knislev Nitrogen when plowed under will decay very rapidly. It de pends on the condition of the soil ; if loose and well watered the process will go on very rapidly. If tho soil is very heavy and damp, it might take a long time for it to go to pieces and change into nitrates. F. P. Friday 1 have an orchard one year old, and now have a crop of pota toes on it. Will it take anything from the soil which ought to go into the trees? Prof. Knisley We might say in a general way that potatoes are a potash feeder. It you grow a crop or potatoes, the tops remain on the ground and they contain a good deal of plant food, espe cially uitrogen ; that part remains on the soil. The potato itself takes away w ith it quite a lot of plant food. If growing potatoes iu the orchard, you are taking some plant fix! out of that orchard. In a ton of potatoes there are 4.2 It of nitrogen, l,l4 lbs. phosphoric acid, 10 lbs. potash. F. P. Friday If the potatoes do not take away the plant food, might it not leach out of the soil anyhow? Prof. Knislev If you had no crop there at all, and kept the ground culti vated, you keep it stirred up and the liioislure does ni't go out. When the process of nitrification foes on, that which is changed into nitrates will mostly leach out. It might as well go into some crop as to leach out ia this way. I would rather have something there than nothing, but not to run it to extremes ; a little would not hurt at all. J. H. Shoemaker Would it be any benefit to the orchard to allow sorrel to grow up and plow it under. . Prof. Knisley What ia it, red sorrel? J. H. Shoemaker Yes. &f Prof. Knisley It would not hurt it any, might do it some good. The ma jority of soil would be benefitted by plowing underacrop of weeds. It would get more organic matter in the ground. A. ti. jewett wouta you aavise sow ing the sorrel? Prof. Knislev Hardlv. E. L, Smith The most important question is, how can we restore humus to the soil in our orchards. This must undoubtedly be done by some crop, what we don't know, and it is necessary for us to find out what crop we can mature so that it can be plowed under not later than May. I wouia line to nave vt. Withycombe tell us what crop we can plant here to restore humus to our orchards? Dr. Withycombe Mr. stated that experiments in this line for the past four years had not been entirely satisfactory, lie said that in the wheat growing sec tions of the state this Question was caus ing much serious concern, and unless solved in the near future the wheat sec tion would become a barren wilderness. In Hood Kiver there is not so much cause for alarm. He thought that by plowing in a crop of clover or vetch oc casionally the humus could be restored in a great measure-. A. H. Jewett I sowed some clover in September last. This is about eight inches high. Is that a eood growth f Dr. Withycombe That ia as good as you want. Did anybody here ever try vetch? Mr. Gesslins Several parties in Bel mont growing clover without success, that is, crimson clover. Dr. Withvcombe Crimson clover will erow better if sowed in July. .1 would recommend a luguminous crop for ob taining nitrogen from the atmosphere. If you cannot get luguminous crops, get some other crop. Get rye, get winter it rye will grow here. 1 Uuknewn man I sowed about six acres of vetch, sowed five acres with oats and one acre by itself. The five - acres .1 . i 1 l . I . are now auout one incn nign, aim look ing well. The acre sowed alone did not come up, and there is no stand. There are two kinds of vetch, which is the best? Dr. Withvcombe The common retch A. I. Mason Expressed himself as having great difficulty in plowing around his trees near enough to plow under any crop. It was recommended that ' when the trees get too large to plow near them, to omit planting a surface crop, ana loosen the soil around the trees by sur face cultivating. G. K. Castner In localities where we cannot irrigate, where we are above water, if we plow a surface crop under in May, we do not have very much land for use after that time, could we preserve the moisture in the soil? Would it not do us harm in drying out the soil? Dr. Withvcombe if you have a very large growth, and the soil is open and loose, the chances are that there would be extensive sou evaporation. Plow earlier. If you can grow clover or vetch vou don't want anything better. A. H. Jewett My crop of clover is six inches high, is that sufficient? Dr. Withycombe Yes, sir, you do not want anything better than that. - A. H. Jewett This is grown without irrigation on dry soil. We : also ' at White Salmon are growing two crops of c over without irrigation. H.T. Williams Do fertilizers have any effect upon the color of fruit,' and what? The speaker cited instances where the use of potash had increased the color of the fruit. Prof. Knisely I do not believe I can answer that. So far as I know there is no experimental work that is at all ab solute on that, sometimes the appli cation of fertilizer seems to affect the color, and on certain plants the foliage is affected by the application of iron. I do not think the application of fertilizers is at all certain to affect the color of the fruit. One set of experiments might get a more highly colored fruit and another would not when tried. The use of potash would tend to make a firmer fruit; the sunshine would do more than anything else to color it. G. J. Uessling It has been our ex perience in Hood River that the use of potash on strawberries makes a brighter color and a firmer fruit. H. T. Williams I have myself noticed that the use of potash increases the firmness of the (rait skin. The speaker here mentioned an experiment he made in the East with tomatoes, where by the use of potash the skin of the tomato was made firmer and brighter colored, the skin did not crack nor rot, where without the use of potash, great difficulty was experienced in shipping the fruit A crop grown under an application of potash shipped well, and did not show any indications of rot. STRAWBKR&Y FK8T8. Professor A. B. Cordley, state entom ologist, then delivered the following ad dress on strawberry pests: I have chosen the subiect of straw berry pests, not because I wish to talk very much on the subject, nor because you have very much interest in it, as I understand you have very lew pests here. For seven or eight years my at tention has been called to some six . or seven pests within the borders of the state which work on strawberries. I can go hastily into the subject I know that in a place like Hood Kiver ; where you have gained such a reputation for apples and strawberries, you must have a fund of information regarding the fruit you have to deal with. ' The worst strawberry pest in the stale ia the strawberry root borer. I do not know whether -von hava had anv aerionn trouble with it here but some grow ers in the state , have. I know of several strawberry plantations that have been completely wiped out ot existence by the root borer. It is produced Jw the same kind of a moth as the peach borer, a black moth about an inch tong. You will find them fluttering about the plants, and they lay their eggs in June and July. From the egg deposited there hatches a grub, and it is this grub that bores into the roots of the plants. The grub passes its whole life in the root, it is certain aeatn to uie piarji. Anotlter peat is sometimes confounded with this, but ia not at all like it, the strawberry pronged miner. This is a pest that is produced by a little colored moth not more than one-quarter of an inch long, slate colored, and found in im mense numbers about the plants, about the same time aa the other moth spoken of. The miners produced by this moth are usually found in great numbers in the crowns of the strawberries, and do not usually go down deep into the roots. The pittle worms are about a quarter of an inch long, and are pink in color. They may kill the plant and they may not, but they are certain to reduce its vigor very much. I have known plants to be badly infested and survive. In the Willamette there is also a mall blue beetle that feeds upon the foliage of the plants. This is not serious, and could undoubtedly be controlled by spraying with arsenites. This is the only strawberry pest that can be controlled by spraying. Two years ago I received two strawberry plants that were diseased in some wav I found it was due to a bacterial trouble, Last year I made a visit to that planta tion and found Quite a serious condition there. The owner had perhaps eight or ten acres of strawberries in one of his patches, and about one-third of his plants had been killed. I . presume mere is no doubt thai we have in the state a bacterial disease of the straw berry, unlike anything elBe. There are two or three pests that I presume you are familiar with in a small way. The strawberry leaf curl which may do damage, but usually does not. The strawberry leaf blight In the Willamette valley nearly always does aa damage, but not seriously The two last mentioned in the straw berry sections of the East have been controlled by mowing the vines and burning them when the crop is off. The two borers I spoke of, and which I consider the worst pests in the state, cannot be cured. Tnere Is no remedy for them, because they are inside the plant. The only thing to do is to destroy the plant as soon as you see it is infested, or dying, it would be well to do it before the first of May. The only object In destroying the plants is to destroy the insects with them, to Keep them from spreading. This concluded the professor's speech The question of grubs found in manures and their eflect on plants was brought up. The professor said that these grubs are harmless to plants, and man ures can be safely used. There is an other grub closely resembling the man ure grub which does work in plants in some localities, and this has led to the suppositious harmfulness of the com mon white grub. Mr. Williams described the use of castor oil pomace in connection with one of bis peach orchards in the East, and said In effect that wherever this pomace was used no borers infected the trees, while on other rows of trees ad Joining they were numerous. He asked whether or not some powdered form of this castor bean might not be used for borers in strawberry plants. The an swer was that no experiments have oeeu made along this line. ' A. C. State n Please give ingre dients of spray for strawberry pests, Prof. Cordley I would use Bor deaux mixture first. Apply just as the new leaves are started. The plants should be kept covered with this up to the time the blossoms begin coming out. Do not spray while In blossom; it might keep away the insect pollen izera. At the evening session, Monday, II T. Williams of Hood Kiver read an in terestlng paper upon the following sub ject: DECORATION OF COUNTRY HOMES. In these days of thoughts of practical utility and strife for financial gain from our farms, it seems to me there is much to be derived, aside from great financial gain, in the proper decoration and orna mentation of our country homes. A handsome row of shade trees in front of a farm will cause that farm to sell for enough more to pay for those trees than it would without ; and think of the large dividends ot comfort and pleasure vear after year while you live there enjoying the work of your hands. People do not like to part with beautiful trees ; and many a tree has enhanced the value of land far more than the tree itself has cost even with years of care. A citizen of Geneva, N. V., who has a valuable tree that was marred aud disfigured by the acts of men putting up telegraph wires, promptly sued and recovered the sum of IlSo for the value of that one tree to his place. What more beautiful object in nature than a beautiful tree? A story is told of some little children born in New York who had never seen the country, and when they were given a summer outing in one of the children's free excursions, they were lost in amaze ment and delight at the sight of the green grass and the beautiful trees. One little child was so blessed with the sight she went up to one of the trees, threw her little arms around it and hugged and Kissed it in dengni ot ecstasy, it seemed a being from heaven to her adoring heart. We live surrounded bv such blessings; why not use them to our best advantage, enjoyment and hap piness? Why should we not give to our children such coveted pleasures as this. and let them grow up surrounded by objects of beautv on everv side, whieh will cause them ever to think of home as the dearest place on earth to them? No child ever forgets the first objects of beauty it beholds; and the ornamenta tion of your country homes brings you three-fold value in the pleasure to your self, contentment and enjoyment of your family, and suthcient financial gain in value of your property to cover all . t i : . . , ii; i mo sums you speuu in ineir einoeiuaii nient. I doubt not if all the streets and ave nues of the valley, lovely as they are, were lined with ornamental shade trees, the value of property would be increased in worth and estimation fully 2o pr cent in the thoughts ot visitors, vt hen once you begin to entertain thoughts of decoration, choose something of real ele gance, creating satisfaction. tot street trees, 1 would choose the Norway maple. Always massive and noble iu its proportions, it uevei fails in giving good value for your esteem. If you can afford it, there is something still better, a royal tree, called Schwer dler's purple leaved maple, a variety which Das all the beauty of form of the Norway, but its young shoots and leaves are ot a purplish or crimson color, which changes to purpled green as the lower leaves olden. This is a royal tree in magnificence. It I was to choose one tree alone for the front yard, with something of ele gance and surpassing beauty, it would be the Colorado spruce. In all the realm of evergreen life I do not know of anything that surpasses this beau teous gem or creation, finished, coni- filete iu all its stages of growth, its eaves of glowing, silvery blue, more and more glorious as the years goby. it surpasses description in its natural attractiveness. I do not believe there are adjectives enough in a worthy dic tionary to do it justice. One or more trees or this Kind netween your house and the road will attract universal ad miration. If your grounds are ample enough, and you desire to plant something ol unusual vaiue aim etnaing ueauty, plant along the sides of your lawn lead ing from the front, one side, a row of the new double lilacs, such as Rotho mageusis rubia, Emile Lemnine, Pres Grevy aud others are very tall, have immense spikes ot nowers, perhaps is inches in length, of greatest size, aud double flowers of many shades of color. They are grand beyond description. At the base of these, a few feet away, I would plant a row of your native or se lected, finest Rhododendron from the nurseries. This country is the home of the Rhododendron, and it should be a success everywhere. It only needs partial shade and a mulched soil to re tain moisture. The glory of this double row of bloom from these shrubs will well repsy you for your time and attention. For the opposite side of I he lawn I would repeal the row of tall double lilacs, aud at their base I would plant samples of either the Kal mia latifolia, the mountain laurel, a beautiful native evergreen shrub, with silvery foliage and dense clusters of pink or nearly white flowers; or still better, I would choose the Azalia, the Ghent varieties. This is a species growing three and four feet high and yellow, orange and red flowers, and possesses a delightful perfume. The paper read by Mr. Williams is too lengthy to attempt to reproduce u herein full, and we regret to be com pelled to omit his description of the different shrubs and plants, and enu with his closing remarks: Nearly all of these examples of floral wealth I have named to you are peren nial inhabitants of the ground. They do not need renewing from year to year; once placed in their home, they are there for all time and need but slight attention and care. When the bloom is in our orchards aud we feed the sense of floral glory, and all the elation that comes to every sense, can we not perpetuate these delights by a little more atteution to the flowers that surround the house. They do not cost us much, but they are wonderful to cheer. Blooms there a flower with beauty full adorn ed, Or dainty shrub with tender drooping fronds, Drilling white, In radiant glow heaven born; Or lifts a tree with strong mujeatlc grace, Bat tell us this one story, sweet to know He made them 10, that we might love Him for H in gifts. (Continued next week.) Land to Rent. Apply at the Prather Investment Oo.'s of fice, or to K. K. KKW1N. TESTIMONIALS. Hood River, Ogn., Jan. 25, 1IMW. David son Fruit Co. Gentle men: I bought a Po mona Hpray Pump from you three yearn ago, and I want to say that 1 tnink the Pomona is all o. k. Have sprayed several orchards with it each year besides my own, and It has always given good stUltfae tlon. If I were buy ing a dozen spray Cumps today I would uy Pomonas straight through. They can't be beat. Yours truly, W. 11. BEARS. m i vt r.' i . t tv POMONA. Hood Rlver.Ogn.. Jan. 10, 1903. Davidson Fruit Co. Gentlomen: After using four other makes of Hpray Pumps I bought a Pomona and found It a great success. I sprayed 90 acres of orchard with It for two seasons and it was still as new aiid had cost nothing for repairs. Last season, for my Increasing business, I bought a Hentlnel Jr., and find It equal to any de mands that I can make on It, It Is powerful, durable, readily cleaned nnd easy to work, even at 100 to 125 pounds pressure. I consider It uneq lulled. Yours truly,' WM. KliNNEDY'. . . We are agents for spray pumps and other things that the fruit growers need. Davidson Fruit Co., The Spot Cash Grocery Groceries, Flour, Feed, Hay, Grain, Buckwheat Flour, Vegetables, Butter, And all Country Produce J. E. SEXTON & WALTHER, The Dalles, Oregon, Agents for the Celebrated Smith Grubbing Machines. We also carry the beet Steel Wire Cable for Stump Pulling; Rope Shorteners; Snatch Blocks; Grubbing Hooks and extra Rope Hooks. Write for Prices. GET When in In the CLARKE'S! Anyihjiig Drugs, Patent Medicines, Paints and Oils v Get it at CLARKE'S Opposite Post Office. Williams Pharmacy, Otten Building, G. E. WILLIAMS, Prop'r. Headquarters for Pure Drugs, Toilet Articles, PATENT MEDICINES, Prescriptions my Specialty. COLUMBIA NURSERY. Established 1S92. Offers a full line of Oral NnKsrj SB, Ois ml Ti-p-i Ail And other Fruit Trees, Plants, Shrubs and Vines. You are Invited To examine the stock and let us know what you want. H. C. BATEIIAIH, Proprietor. Telephone 604. The Irishman" and tlie" Sun. ' An Irishman wbo bad just landed iu New York from his home In Ire land was strolling around the city, taking In the sights. In the course of his 'walk he came across Battery park, and seeing a bench unoccupied near the water front, sat down. It was just about sunset when the Celt took his seat In the park, and as he gazed across the water at Governor's island, the big guns at that place boomed, announcing sunset. Now, this noise was new to the Irishman, and he said to a police man who was passing by: "Phat'sthot noise fur?" "Aw, it's the sun goin down," re plied the officer. "llegobs," remarked the Celt, "the sun nivlr went down thot hard in Oire laud. Philadelphia Bulletin. Saved From I'erditiou. Ballington Booth has boon telling his friends about a woman who stood up to testify to her conversion in the days when he was with the Salvation army. She said: "1 was very foolish and vain. Worldly pleasures, and espe cially the fashions, were my only thought. I was fond of silks, satins. jewelry, ribbons, and laces. But my mends, i found tney were dragging me down to perdition. So I gave them ; all to my sister I "New York Times. Liberty Home,Hood River, Ogn., Jan. 6, 11103. IvidHon Fruit Co.-1- Gentlemen: A year ago 1 purchased from you one of the Oould l'ump Co.'s Hentlnel Jr. Hpray 1'umps. I have used It one season in my 20 acre orchard, and can iruinuiny say mat 1 tin welt pleased with the results obtained. For simplicity In con struction, durability In wear, convenience in cleaning and re pairing, easy opera tion and thorough work, It receives my liuany commenda tion. Yours respect fully, A. I. MASON. DEALS IN Salt Salmon, Lard, Bacon, Hams, Dry Herring, Hominy, Fruit, gs,. taken in exchange for goods. HANNA. IT AT riced'of line of SPRAYING MATERIALS.