THE INSTITUTE.
An Interesting Cathering of
Fruit Growers in Hood River.
(Continued from second page.)
Dr. Withycombe How much do you
put on?
Chas. Chandler About 50 to 75
pounds to the ncro.
Dr. Withycombe Yes, that ig the
amount we uge, and land plaster is jimt
what we need.
Prof. Kniaely When a man plants
red clover Is there not a tendency to run
out? He will get a pretty good crop the
first year, a fine crop the second year,
and then the clover will fail. How
long can you keep clover in before you
plow it up?
Dr. Withycombe It depends a great
deal upon the land. Here they can
grow longer than I hey can with us. We
cannot let clover go over two years, but
here you can let it stand four or five
years. I think the root borer will be in
troduced here sooner or later, then in
two or three years vour clover fields
will have to be plowed and renewed.
Chas. Chandler With me the timo
thy crowds the clover out.
i)r. Withycombe Yes, that's true. I
will tell you how it is in the valley. In
the early days we could not grow timo
thy hay satisfactorily. But we began
sowing timothy with clover, the first
year the timothy and clover wore nearly
equal, the second year it was about two
thirds timothy, and the third year it
was almost all timothy.
K. L. tiurith Is not the timothy a
poorer hay than any of the clovers?
Dr. Withycombe Yes, sir, but it is a
good hay for horses subject to hard
work, feeding it with heavy rations of
grain.
Chas. Chandler I would always
rather have clover and timothy mixed
than clear clover.
F. P. Friday What do you use for
fertilizer on your lawns?
Prof. Knisely They use wood ashes.
Dr. Withycombe Do they not use a
combination?
Prof. Knisely Yes, sir, but I don't
know just what it is.
Dr. Withycombe Nitrate of soda
would be better than that 1 think.
Prof. Knisely A good fertilizer is
wood ashes, but should be put on thinly,
if you put it on in shovelfulls you will
kill your grass.
Dr. Withycombe You must be care
ful in the use of commercial fertilizers,
very careful or you will kill your
plants. One of our citizens at Cor
vllissowed guano on his grass very
generously and killed every spear of it.
Here during a breathing tpell B. It.
Tucker brought up to the chairman's
stand some fine samples of Arkansaw
Blacks and Yellow Newtowns, which
were admired and commented on by
those near at hand and led to some gen
eral conversation respecting the com
parative merits of the Oregon and the
Michigan apple. Prof. Knisely being a
native of Michigan, thought the apples
grown there now are not so good as
were those he ate there when a boy. It
was intimated that he had been eating
a better quality of fruit here, perhaps,
was what caused the change; but the
general opinion was that a quarter to a
half a century's experience in the world
lias a tendency to clear away the glam
our that hovered over and surrounded
us in the days of our youth, and we now
see things as the are. Speaking of the
apple called to the chairman's mind a
little incident that occurred atthe world's
fair ut Buffalo. The Michigan fruit ex
hibit was arranged along side the Oregon
show, and the chairman, w ho was visiting
the fruit displays, remarked to the gen
ial attendant in charge of the Michigan
apples, "I don't understand how you
can enjoy such a reputation for fine
apples, w hen they are evidently so very
much inferior to our Oregon fruit." The
attendant's eyes twinkled as he solemnly
replied:
"He who whispers down a well
About the things he has to sell,
Will never reap bright, golden dollars
Like he who climbs a tree and hollers."
Kesuming, Professor Knisely spoke of
the Texture of the Soil J he said :
We hear more orleasaboutthetexture
of the soil and I will tell you something
about what it means. We know what
will make up the eoil with reference to
making it loose or friable, when I tell
about its having a fine texture or a
coarse texture. In the department of
agriculture at Washington there is one
bureau that devotes all its time to the
study of the soil. They are making
hundreds of experiments and analyses
of the soil and by these analyses of it
they can sort out the different kinds of
soil. They take a cample of the soil and
see how much of it will go through a
coarse sieve, then they S' how much
w ill go through a finer sieve, and so on.
In this way they learn how much
coarse gravel there is in a given sample,
then how much fine gravel, then how
much coarse tand, then fine sand, and
then very fine sand, and then sand that
is still liner that they call silt, and then
finer still that they call clay. This
has all been brought about within the
past few years. Before that time every
thing that was done was accomplished
by chemical analysis; but it was found
that these analyses did not tell all about
the soil. For instance, you will take
a chemical analvsis and find one sample
of soil rich in plant food, and another
sample comparatively poor in its supply
of plant food, then w hen the crops are
grown on thee two soils, the one having
cmallest amount of plant food produced
a more abundant crop than that with
the greater si.pply. So there they
found something they did not know
about the soil. To illustrate further,
a gentleman took a hammer and knocked
a chunk off of a rock from the corner
of liia house, then he went out in the
road and picked up some hard cloddy
clay, and then again soil from the very
best land he had, of the very best text
ure. These he had analysed and found
that the rock had more "plant food in it
than either of tiie other two "sam
ples, but the rock did not produce any
ihing, and the clay contained the next
highest supply of plant food, but pro
duced no more than the nick, w hile the
soil of line texture, although poorest in
its supply of plant food raised an abund
ant crop. The rock, of course, had no
texture, no humus in it, and it proves
that no matter how rich your soil may
may be in plant food the soil must be m
m condition to make that plant fovd
available or it will lie worthless.
From au examination of the soils
around Hood Kiver amoug the straw
txrries, I think the textur cannot be
improved very much, but it can lie in
jured a great deal. I want to try and
explain to you some things that influ
ence the texture. For instance if a
piece of low moist land be well drained
it will help the' texture. If the soil
is heavy and has not good drainage w ill
te greatlv improved by artificial drain
age. What we must guard against here
in Hood Kiver is rubbing the soil of its
humus. In the orchards here the text
ure el the huI is almost jverlect. I
think that this can lie kept up in this
way: I would advocate, eurly in the fall
pulling in a cover crop. 1 would put on
a mixture of several kinds, fail rye,
vetches a little barley, and a lilUe outs.
Kme of the things will grow through
the winter. The rye and the vetches
will live through the winter. In the
winter while the ground is covered
with snow the roots of the plants are
growing and by the time spring comes
the soil will be a mass of roots a foot
deep. In the spring the rye will start
very early. I would not wait until It
wag very high abont eight inches and
then turn the whole thing right under.
The soil is just one mass of the finest of
roots. The rye will add humus and the
vetches nitrogen to the soil. Whatever
plants are growing, these rootlets are
taking up the potash and putting it in
condition so that it will be available,
and when these roois decay there you
will have more plant food- for your
trees than ever before. I took 1& acres
of land and a part of it I had sowed to
rye, barley and vetch, very early last
fall, and there is a mass of living green
all over It and the roots of the plants are
down a foot deep and the soil is of the
finest texture, while right beside this,
where there Is no cover crop, it is solid
and the texture is not in good condition.
In the spring it is not necessary to plow
it 12 or 15 inches deep, but if he can get
that crop turned under just a little so
as to incorporate it with the soil it is
going to add humus to the soil that will
keep it in good tillh.all summer. I ain
just as sure as can be that with such
tillage there is lots of these soils that do
not need irrigation at all. Of course,
the very top soil will be dry and dusty,
but just beneath it will be moist.
The more humus you have in the soil
the easier it is to keep it moist. If you
will just cultivate through the summer
you will oxidize that humus and each
year you will have less of it and as the
texture becomes less the dryer you will
find the soil, and the more humus you
have in 'lie soil the more moisture you
will find there.
There is another thing that will influ
ence the texture of the orchard soil, that
is the time yon work it. 4fybu have a
rather heavy orchard soil with consid
erable clay, if you work it too wet you
will make it cloddy, and it will take
you three or four years to work those
lumps out of that soil. If you had
waited two or three days the soil would
not have become cloddy. In these
sandy soils you will have not so much
danger of working them too wet. One
cultivation too wet will so destroy the
texture that it will take years to over
come, therefore do not work a clay soil
too wet. I think you will do well to
have a little discussion on this subject.
Some of the soils in Michigan, the apple
lands are similar to yours.
Dr. Withycombe Tell us about
the capacity of the soil for holding
water. ,
Prof. Knisely There is quite a dif
ference 1q the capacity of soils to hold
moisture, we found in our experimental
work. ' We took a samplefroin Sherman
county, volcanic silt, that would hold up
to 60 per cent of its weight in water. We
had other soils that would not hold
over 30 to 40 per cont. Wo had a .gravel
soil that held but 20 per cent. We added
5 per cent of humus and then tested its
water holding capacity and found that
it increased its water-holding capacity
8 per cent. The soils also differ greatly
in their ability to draw up water from
beneath. That sample of soil from
Sherman county would draw it up far
ther than any other sample -we had.
We had some from right at home that
went a little over four feet, while the
soil from Sherman county drew the
water up over five feet. If the soil has
a good supply of humus in it in the
spring it is more capable of holding the
water necessary to carry it through the
dry season. The way ' the' teat
is made is to take a number of glass
tubes six feet in length and fill them
with dry soil from the different samples
and place the totter end in a vessel sup
plied with water and note the height to
which it draws the moisture. In the
case of the Sherman county soli it drew
it up over five feet.,"
F. P. Friday I would like to have the
professor tell us how to plow so as to
retain this moisture.
Prof. Knisely I presume Dr. Withy
combe on Bubsoiling is better informed
than I am. 1 think it depends a great
deal upon the kind of soil you have. At
home iu Michigan where the rich black
soil reaches down five or six feet deep,
I don't think it does a bit of good.
Dr. Withycombe If you have a hard
pan you have to break that hard pan iu
order to cause capillary action. We de
pend upon clover to do t his in the valley.
Here, if you have a hard pan, I think
Bubsoiling would be all right
F. C. Sherrieb Would you ever sub
soil new land?
Dr. Withycombe It depends upon
the kind of 'soil it is. If it has hard pan
under it I would certainly subsoil it,
F. P. Friday I started in to harrow
my orchard and my harrow teeth went
in 5 inches, and I made a slick or drag
to follow.
Dr. Withycombe Don't confound
subsoiling with deep plowing. Suhsoil
ing means to have a plow that ruus
down deep and stirs the ground without
turning it up, with deep plowing yon
bring up the cold soil, and it does little
or no good.
Chas. Chandler Up on my place it is
a heavy clay soil and I think in plowing
it a number of times it forma a crust
and so I got a subsoiling plow and I
think it did good. I like to run it just
behind the stirring plow. I put in my
potatoes in that way and find it does
well. i "
Prof Knisely I will say that there is
a great deal about surface tillage that
we do not know anything about.' I do
not think we know which is the best
way. About four years ago the Cornell
university laid out a number of plats.
One plat was left fallow, another was
cultivated once a week, another one
twice a week, and they had a plat culti
vated with level culture and another
that received ridge culture. Of course,
it was a foregone conclusion that the
plat receiving the ridge culture would
have the the least moisture as there was
more surface exposure. The cultures
were made and the records carefully
kept and at the end of the season com
parisons were made. Every one thought
the plat having the rid,;e culture would
be the drye-t, but that ridge culture had
the highest percentage of moisture all
the wav through. I do not understand
it. I do not know yet what caused it. 1
know the records were accurately kept
and that was the result. I do not think
we have yet gotten at the secret of sur
face tillage.
Dr. Withycombe Do you remember
the results of the tests last summer on
the JSbermau county sample?
Prof Knisely We got pa m pies yes,
the plat that was cultivated was some
thing like 6 to 11 per ceut and the others
5, 6 and 7 in the early part of the season,
but later .hey came nearer together,
the 10 and U dropped down U 5 or 7 per
cent and the others dropped a little
lower.
F. C. Sherrieb Ridge cultivation will
not do 4.re.
Prof. Knisely I would not recommend
ridge culture. It may be that they
cultivated t-etter iu that ridge culture.
If we have a crop of clover in Jlje or
chard and let it grow in the spring it
will be a benefit, because it w ill lake np
the superabundant supply -of waur iu
the soil and put the ground in condi
tion favorable for the tree, but later
von will have to plow it under or it will
'rob the trees of the water you ish to
leave there.
N. C. Kvans How do you find that
out? , '
Prof. Knisely There have - been ex
periments conducted like this: A plant
is taken and placed in a vessel w here no
moisture can reach it except through
the' roots, and when it is grown to the
proper stage it is taken and weighed
and then every particle of moisture dried
out of it, and it is weighed again, the
difference in the weight being the weight
of water taken up through its roots.
Unknown Would not it be a good
plan to cultivate early in the spring
cultivate deep say, five or six inches
and get it as fine as possible and after
that cultivate only about two inches
deep on top of this soil? Would it not
conserve the moisture better than just to
cultivate the top?
Prof. Knisely No, I would not culti
vate deep to bring up the moist soil on
top, as'it would have the effect to hasten
the evaporation of the moisture in the
soil.
F. W. Angus What kind of tool do
you like best for orchard cultivation?
Prof. Knisely I do not know. Every
one has his favorite tool. I used to like
the light harrow and then the Planet
Junior. But if you use a tool like the
smoothing harrow it is not to dig up
the big weeds but just to keep the
ground stirred. I suppose every one
here has a tool he thinks is better than
any other. .
II. T. Williams I saw a tool in Texas
that was about as nearly perfect as any
I know of. It was a home made affair.
The owner took a beam something like
a plow beam and bent a saw blade down
and out so that it would skin the surface
and leave it soft and kill the weeds.
Dr, Withycombe We have a machine
like a harrow with cutters, three on a
side, and they run two inches deep. It
does not turn over the soil but just cuts
the top. :
F. W. Angus Something similar to
the Acme harrow? - . '
Dr. Withvcombe Yes, something
like it I think.
F. W. Angus The Acme harrow is in
tended to lift the eoil on the surface, but
not to turn it.
Dr. Withycombe Yes, something
like that I think. I found it- loft our
orchard In fine condition.
Prof. Knisely That reaches out fur
ther than where the horses walk?
Dr. Withycombe Yes, sir.
E. L. Smith I find nothing so satis
factory as the springtooth harrow with
the rake attachment. I cultivate deep
iu the spring, but after that not more
than two inches deep.
Prof. Knisely How often do yon cul
tivate? E. L. Smith Ten times.
Prof. Knisely All summer?
E. L. Smith Yes, sir, and there is
never a time that you cannot reach
moisture with your foot.
Prof. Knisely There is one thing if
you fractiee so rface irrigation the little
feeding rootlets are going toward the
water, if you irrigate, these little rootlets
will come to the surface for that water,
while if you give this surface cultiva
tion and do not irrigate, they jwU go
to the moisture and better w'htand
the dry season. I'i
E. L. Smith The apple roots'here
always follow the plow on the hard
ground beneath the soil you turnover in
plowing.
T. It. Coon It seems to me that the
amount of rainfall cuts but a little figure
as to the moisture condition in summer.
If we should get 35 feet of rainfall it
would all run of and the : amount of
moisture would he the same in the sum
mer. I think there is considerable do
pending upon the way we cultivate as to
how much water we get. 1 think we
can cultivate all the time. I think we
find a greater variety of soils here than in
any other place I have ever seen. When
you hear Mr. Chandler talk, the soil is
like that iu the red hill country; when
Mr. Sears talks it is a heavy clay soil,
and it is a good fine soil. I am inter
ested in this cultivation question. I find
my orchard is pretty full of roots. I
can't plow it. The deeper cultivation
ought to he in the spring, I have no
doubt. How about rolling?
Prof. Knisely I would 6ay rolling de
pends upon the condition of the soil at
the time. I saw a field at one time
greatly improved by rolling, and I saw
the same field at another time greatly
injured by rolling. If it is rolled just at
the right time it will break up the little
lumps and be very beneficial.
Dr. Withycombe I think Mr. Coon
is laboring under a wrong impression.
You must meet the conditions that sur
round you. You must cultivate to meet
those conditions. The conditions here
are the same, if your laud is solid and
compact, you must break it up by the
subsoil plow or alfalfa or clover, and
your loose, porous soil you must use the
roller to Compact the 4and. We had
some land so filled w ith humus it was so
loose it was not capable of holding moist
ure. We advised pasturing it in order
to compact the soil and put it in condi
tion to hold moisture. So the farmer
must use the cultivator to meet the
condition of the soil (The principle i6
the same in all places.-
T. K. Coon I don't know as to that, I
know the conditions are not the same. I
notice one farmer work early and late,
and all the time and cultivate about as
good as it could be done and never make
a success of it, w hile his neighbor right
beside him hustles in his crops, gets in
a buggy and goes off fishing, never is so
painstaking as his less successful neigh
bor, yet his efforts seem almost always
to meet with abundant success.
Dr. Withycombe You must use both
brain and muscle. You know as well
as I do that you can go out in the valley
ay, four miles and find a dozen different
kinds of soil. The fact remains, you
must study the conditions of the soils in
order to adopt that mtthod of cultiva
tion which will bring to you the highest
degree of success. -
Here Dr. Withycombe 'launched out
in an enthusiastic and eloquent disser
tation on the importance of a scientific
technical traiuing for the farmer of the
future, w hich was clearly, forcibly and
logically delivered, carrying conviction
to all w ho heard him, that the farmer
more than all others requires an edu
cation of a high order so as to enable
him to successfully . meet the varying
intricacies of moisture, soil conditions,
cultivation, plant growth, helps and
hindrances, animate and inanimate that
bo has to deal w ith in some measure
every day of his life. He said the old
regime, under which the bright, quick
witted boys were given the best educa
tion and placed in the law ollices, the
hanks or the ministry, while just plain
John, who only knew enough to pail the
cow and plow hay was lcll at home
to drudge . on the farm, was being
relegated to the past, and that the
farm of today demands that the strong
est minds, the brightest intellects, and
the highest degree of education should
lie devoted to the development and ad
vancenn nt of its interests. It is regret
able that every .farmer and every farm
er's son could not have heard the doctor.
Meeting adjoumdt to 1 :30 p. m.
AFT&RNOOS KF.S8IOV, MAKl H 3.
Prof.l'ordley When it comes to telling
about how to kill pests, I discover that I
have come to Hood Kiver to lake les
sons rather than to tell you how to do
this, and I wish to say that there is no
place in the world w here that art is better
know n than right here. In .regard to
mixtures for sprays, I presume there is
no mixture in the world that is UMd at
extensively as the Bordeaux mixture.
In fact, I presume the Bordeaux mixture
is used more extensively than all other
In ix't urea combined. Tha ordinary
metallic copper is one of the most active
fungicides known, that is, in solution.
Only one or two other metals, possibly
murcury, has a greater effect on insect
life than copper. We use the copper
salts for spraying for fungicides. Of the
various salts formed from copper, copper
sulphate is used almost entirely,' Copper
is largely' used as vitrol in wheat, and is
also used for spraying plants. We have
to combine copper sulphate with various
agents that have a tendency to neutralize
it so it will not injure the foliage, and so
it will stick upon the foliage longer. Al
though a great deal of chemistry work
has been done on Bordeaux mixtures,
only enough has been done to teach as
that we know but very little about it. .
The professor gave an interesting ex
hibition of different methods of prepar
ing the Bordeaux mixture, allowing the
solutions to develope during the follow
ing discussion, thus demonstrating to
the audience the best way of making the
preparation for use in the spraying
pumps. The discussion following was
largely of a technical nature, and many
formulas were given for making spraying
preparations for use in destroying differ
ent pests. The beet method of prepar
ing the Bordeaux mixture Is to dissolve
equal quantities of the milk of lime and
copper sulphate separately and then
pour into the spraying tank at the same
time, making the material ready for use.
G. R. Castner I would like to ask
about using copper sulphate in the place
of salt in the lime, sulphur and salt spray
for San Jose scale.
Prof. Cordley There is practically no
difference. Some experiments indicate
that neither one is necessary. We think
it is safer to use one of the two until
more data can be obtained. So far as
scale ia concerned, you might get better
results from the copper sulphate, al
though I doubt it very much.
G. It. Castner How would it be for
apple fungus? '
Prof. Cordley I think it would be all
right. As a matter of fact, I am very
doubtful of the ellicacy of early spraying
for apple scab.
J. L. Carter I would like to ask a
question as to how to get a good milk of
lime, a good, smooth preparation.
Prof. Cordley It depends somewhat
upon the lime. Under all circumstances
only enough water should be added to
keep the lime slacking fast. We should
not Hood the lime; should not nearly
cover it. Keep it moist and generating
heat. "
J. L. Carter Suppose you are using
100 gallons of water and 33W pounds of
lime ; it is pretty hard to keep it from
packing. .
Prof. Cordley I think it would be bet
ter to have it in a larger box, with the
largest surface possible exposed.
T. R. Coon What ia the best way to
prevent or kill aphis, and when?
Prof. Cordley The best time is just
as the eggs are beginning to hatch.
Whale oil and soap solution, or kerosene
emulsion are the best things to use.
T. R. Coon How about concentrated
lve?
Prof. Cordley This will kill aphis,
but I don't like to use it on the trees.
It will injure the trees.
T. R. Coon What is the matter with
salt, sulphur and lime; it will kill them.
Prof. Cordley It is all right; the
others are cheaper.
Mr. Sproatr I would like to call Prof.
Cordley's attention to the orchard of E.
Locke. This gentleman has used con
centrated lye for five or six years. His
apples are practically free from scab, the
skin of the apples is as bright as though
polished. He is recommending it highly.
He uses 6 lbs. Babbitt's double strength
lye to 100 lbs. of water and 10 lbs. sul
phate of copper. He is recommending
this spray to the growers of the valley.
Prof. Cordley As an inseticide, it is
valuable ; as a fungicide it is of little
value.
T. R. Coou In what proportion
should concentrated lye be mixed iu
order to kill aphis? 1 have used lye
made from oak ashes, which kills all
the aphis.
Prof. Cordley I can't tell you; I have
not used it enough to know. I would
not want to advise.
Mr. Mohr (Peter Moor's son) We
have used concentrated lye for aphis,
but it did not kill them for us without
killing the foliage also. We used whale
oil soap and kerosene emulsion, and it
killed them on two applications.
T. R. Coon Did you ever put lye
on before the buds swelled?
Peter Mohr We never put it on be
fore the buds swelled; we put it on
when the trees were In full leaf. I
E. L. Smith The lime, sulphur and
salt solution is what Is known as the
California wash. The lime, sulphur
and blue vitriol Is known as the Oregon
wash. Iu southern Oregon they have
never used anything but lime, sulphur
and blue vitriol. Prof. Forbes, one of
the greatest entomologists in the United
States, has made extensive experiments
with these two mixtures, with the re
sult that one is as effective as the other.
In either case 99.02 .per cent of the
scales on which the applications were
made were killed. Less than 1 per
cent were left alive, and this was pro
bably due to their being concealed
under the bark. In regard to leaving
out the salt in these two sprays, the
Agricultural College has made ex
teusive experiments with the result
that the conclusion is reached that the
salt does no good. The sprays were
equally effective without salt. A solu
tion of 1 pound of sulphur, 1 pound of
lime to 4 gallons of water did the work
thoroughly. For San Jose scale it did
the work perfectly. There is no ques
tion that the salt is useless. In southern
Oregon they never use It.
Mr.Mohr Will sulphur and lime kill
the oyster shell scale?
Prof. Cordley Not likely, as the oys
ter shell scale is then in the egg, and
the eggs are protected. The best time
to kill this scale is when the eggs are
hatching. The oyster shell scale is not
important enough to consider at all in
the Willamette valley; don't know
w hether it is here or not.
O. L. Carter What is the remedy for
brown aphis?
Prof. Cordley The same remedy.
W. A. Sliugerland You would not,
then, recommend spraying for fungus,
or apple scale.
Prof. Cordley For apple scale alone,
I would defer all spraying until the
fruit buds start; any time between the
time the leaf buds start and the time
they open.
fc,. L. Smith Western Oregon has
considerable fruit badly affected with
apple canker. There is some of it in
Hood River valley. Mr. Smith cited
an instance where the trees were in ex
tremely bad condition and the fruit
worthless. The remedy used was, as
aoon as the fruit was off In the fall the
trees were nprayed with Bordeaux mix
ture of doublestrength. This was done
twice, aud the jpores were all killed,
the trees were renewed in vigor, and
were as healthy and full of vigor as
though never affected with pet, and
the fruit waa perfect. The foliage was
strong and healthy, and the orchard
attracted general attention on account
of Us healthful, vigorous growth.
Prof. Cordley It ti quite probable
that the full application of Bordeaux
after the crop ia off would be the best
meant of fighting the apple scab itself.
If I were going to make a winter spray
ing, I would make it in the fall liefore
the leaves were off, and make it
heavy.
O.L. Carter I notice that the spray
gradually reduced in strength.
Prof. Cordley It has been found that
milder sprays are just as effective an
strong ones In a great majority of oases,
hence the change.
Mr. Sproatr What causes rust on the
apples? is it a disease, or the result of
Bordeaux spray? Some of us think that
it is the result of using the Bordeaux
mixture.
Prof. Cordley It can be so formed,
but I have also seen rust in many or
chards that have never been sprayed.
It may also be caused by frost. There
are two ways in which rust may be
formed, strong spray and frost.
. L. Smith It is a disease, and not
a condition caused by Bordeaux mix
ture. I have seen orchards that had not
beeu sprayed for three years which had
the disease just the same as those
which had been sprayed.
H. F. Davidson bought apples
from a party last full and ohjected to
the rust, and he said that he had never
used spray at all.
Prof. Cordley I have seen several
orchards that had scab, and had never
been sprayed.
T. R. Coon We are in danger of loss
by strawberry rust perhaps as much as
by apple tree rust. We have several
hundred acres of strawberries, all of
which are more or less affected by this
rust. Is it any use to do any work
after the crop is off.
Prof. Cordley Would there be any
objection to mowing aud burning the
plants.
T. It. Coon It is commonly prac
tised here.
Prof. Cordley It isa fungus disease,
and I would be williug to tuke oath
that it can be controlled by spray. If
you keep the plants covered with a
solution of Bordeuux mixture up to
about the time the fruit is ready to
pack, I am positive it can be cured by
spraying.
H. F. Davidson I would like to ask
about when to commence spraying,
and how strong a spray to use.
Prof. Cordley I should use the 4-4-50
Bordeaux mixture, and commence
putting it on the new leaves as soon as
they begin to start, and keep the plant
covered as long as possible without dis
figuring the berries. After the fruit Is
off, continue to use the mixture. Do
not use it when the plants are in bloom;
it would be apt to blast the blossom.
H. F. Davidson I would like to ask
Mr. Coon if there has been any experi
menting done on the Butts place.
Mr. Coon I sprayed five acres there
one year, but it was done so late that I
did not consider it a fair test. The re
sults were not so notieable to a degree
that I would want to say very much in
favor of it. A later experiment was
weak, and did uotamount to anything.
H. F. Davidson It is a very serious
matter, fcseven or eight years ago niy
attention was called to the same thing.
I noticed where the land bad beeii fer
tilized by manure, giving the foliage a
very heavy growth there was consider
able rust. I noticed several patches
last season where the berries were fine
except for that one thing, and It near
ly ruined them. They had bad odor,
and were bad in appearance; it is a very
serious matter.
Prof. Cordley I believe strawberries
can be sprayed very easily by having
pipes extend down behind the wagon,
with pressure applied, covering several
rows at once.
T. R. Coon Has Irrigation any ef
fect in reducing cod 1 in moth; several
parties have irrigated their orchards
and thought there was fewer cod I in
moth.
E. L. Brnith Up in Idaho they have
thousands of codlin moth to our one,
and they all irrigate their orchards.
W. A. Sliugerland I would like to
ask bow to treat seed peas to prevent
their being eateu by pests.
Prof. Cordley Fumigate the seed.
Use 10 pounds of bl-sulphate ofcarbon
to 10 bushels of seed.
Mr. Willis I would like to ask how
to prevent Blugs.
Prof. Cordley If you have an a
bundant supply of very flue road dust,
dust thoroughly with this and it will
kill them. Or, use a simple solution of
Paris green; or white hellebore. Helle
bore is expensive, however.
Mr. Sproat How long would you
recommend using summer spray?
Prof. Cordley In the Willamette
valley they spray after the first of July
until ready to pick the fruit.
Peter Mohr I believe that early
spraying is the proper thing to prevent
codlin moth. Mr. Paasch sprayed a
week earlier than I did, and Mr. Win
chell also sprayed a week earlier than L
did, and they had a very small per
centage of bad apples compared to my
apples. I believe an orchard should be
sprayed every week or ten days. I had
some codlin moth shut up, and they
hatched out in about nine days, and
when a codlin moth hatches out it Is
ready for business.
D. H. Sears If you want to spray
effectually and kill aphis, spruy thor
oughly with salt, sulphur unci lime.
Kill the eggs aud clean up the trees be
fore the leaves start, and I guarantee
that you will not be bothered with
aphis. It is a mere waste of time to
treat the eggs when the tree is in full
leaf.
Peter Mohr I had one year lots of
aphis ou my young trees. I don't
know how I got it. Anyhow, I got a
remedy. It is: 1 pound genuine whale
oil soap, i pound tobacco, 2 table
spoon fulls kerosene to 2'a' gallons oj
water. This will kill the aphis with
out fail; it is as good as snuff.
After some further discussion, the
audience was treated to a soul inspiring
speech from Dr. Withycombe. The
doctor is an earnest worker and thor
oughly in love with his work, and no
one can bear him talk without feeling
Tike taking up his vocation again with
renewed vigor, fully convinced that
the farmer, and especially a Hood River
farmer, is the most fortunate being ou
earth.
H. F. Davidson then read a paper on
Successful! Commercial Apple Growing
as follows:
It is comparatively a simple mutter
to grow apples for one's own family
use, for each one for himself can select
an assortment to suit his fancy, and it
is not material whether they are of
good yielding varieties, or whether
they are peculiarly adapted to the loca
tion, for if the crop is short there are
onley less apples for winter use thau
when the crop is heavy, and the other
business of the farm is li'tle affected;
but successfull commercial apple grow
ing is an investment for an income,
aud the success of the enterprise de
pends upon manv important features,
among which are the selection of the
varieties, the selection of soil adapted
to the varieties you want to grow,
securing stock true to name as repre
sented, the selection of proper varieties
for polleuiziug, planting ttie trees the
proper distance apart, whether or not
to grow other orop between the rows,
and if so, wbat? neccessary pruning
and cultivating, and proper spraying
for the young trees first, and the trull
when the trees begin to bear, and the
best method of changing varieties al
ready planted that are not satisfactory;
also the question of irrigating bearing
orchards is becoming more important
each season as the orchards grow oldt r.
The above subjects cover enough
matter to occupy several sessions of tne
Institute, if discussed fully, but we can
get a few ideas on each point that
should be profitable. While Hood
River valley, can truthfully claim the
honor of producing the finest New
towns and Spitzenbergs in the world,
we have locations that are not adapted
to these varieties for various reasons.
The quality of the soil, the moisture iu
the ground, the elevation, etc., all con
tribute to the success or failure of these
varieties, and while the time was that
little waa definitely known of these in
fluences, later years have proven where
these varieties reach the highest state
of perfection.
Before locating an orchard, look over
and see wbat tne man on the other
side of the line fence has accomplished.
True, he may not have secured the best
possible results, but If this is a fault in
the care of the trees it will show, and
unless your location has considerable
natural moisture in the ground, don't
overlook the fact that you are apt to
see the time when irrigation water
will be of considerable value to your
crop of apples.
If a man had a piece of ground bear
ing valuable deposits of placer gold, he
would be considered a poor manager if
be persisted In farming the land to
wheat instead of mining the gold. So
if a man has soil suitable for growing
Newtowng and Spitzenbergs to perfec
tion, why should he go ou producing
corn fodder and Ben Davis and neglect
the fruit for which his soil is the best
In the world? The writer made a trip
through the principal cities of the
United States during the winter and
did not see apples from any other sec
tion that compared with these two
varieties as grown here, but found that
many other varieties do as well in
many ot her sections as they do with us.
The poinological world has been hunt
ing for a place to grow better Newtown
Pippins and Spitzenbergs for half a
century, and if we can produce a su
perior quality of these apples and get a
good yield, why not do so and leave
the common varieties to the other sec
tions. In apple growing, It Is like Jim
Hill says about railroading, when he
started he found a great many people
capable and willing to do the things he
was doing, but the farther be gets up
in the business the fewer his competi
tors, and so our ambitious are to grow
apples that places us above the great
masses who grow ordinary fruit. The
most interesting feature is that the
class of people who are financially able
to buy superior qualities at high prices
is increasing faster than the supply,
and they want only the best quality,
quality, quality, no matter how good
those a little under may be.
It is unnecessary to say that it
would be rather unfortunate If .all of
the apple orchards in the future were
to produce nothing but the two desir
able varieties named, as other varieties
will continue to be grown ou certain
locations with more profit than either
Newtownsor Spitzenbergs, but to the
fortunate owner of soil capable of pro
ducing the better varieties this lends
no encouragement to plant common
fruit. The growing of a commercial
orchard is rather a dull proposition,
for it is a long time before the first pay
day comes around, and there Is a de
sire to relieve the monotony of waiting
for returns by growing something be
tween the rows that will not Injure the
trees, and yet compensate the farmer
for his work. This is rather a delicate
matter, for some crops need cultivation
when trees need to be let alone, and
vice versa, and we have orchards a
round us which show the results of
mistakes In this direction, whlleothers
are apparently benefitted by the extra
cultivation. The trees should be head
ed the proper distance from the ground
with sutlicient limbs to bear a full load
of fruit, and pruned - sufficiently to
keep the head of the trees well bal
anced, and not too thick with wood.
An apple tree deserves as much atten
tion as a horse or a cow, aud if neg
lected is equally, if not more, worth
less; and when any disease or insect
attacks the tree it must be doctored if
it is expected to live and thrive. This
means spruy ing whenever any disease
or insect appears irom the time the
trees are planted until they live out
their full term of life.
It has been a serious matter to or
chardists to find too frequently that
TESTIMONIALS.
Hood River. Cten..
Jan. 25. 1903. David
son Fruit Co. Gentle
men: I bought a fo
nioua Hpruy Pump
from you three years
ago, and 1 want, to
nay t nit I think the
I'oino.is Is all o. k.
Ha e sprayed several
orcl a us with It each
year b -Hides my own,
and it hag always
given good aatlsfac-
tion. ir l were Buy
ing a dozen spray
pumps today I would
buy Pomona Htralght
through. They can't
be beat.
Yours trulv,
W. H. HEAIW.
POMONA.
Hood River, Ogn., Jan. 10, 1903. Davidson Fruit Co. Gentlemen: Aftr using four other
makes of Hpray Pumps 1 bought a Pomona and found It a great suiwess. 1 sprayed 30 aerua
of orchard with it for two seasons and it was still as new and had cont nothing for repairs.
Last aeawn, for my Increasing business, I bought a Hentlnel Jr., and rind It equal to any de
mands that I can make on IU It la powerful, durable, readily cleaned and easy to work,
even at lou to 125 pounds pressure. I consider It unequaled. Yours truly, M M. KKXNKDY.
We are agents for spray pumps and other things that
the fruit growers need.
Davidson Fruit Co.,
The Spot Cash Grocery
DEALS IN
Salt Salmon,
Lard,
Bacon,
Hams,
Dry Herring,
Groceries,
Flour,
Feed,
Hay,
Grain,
Buckwheat Flour,
Vegetables,
Butter,
And all Country Produce taken in exchange for goods.
J. E. HANNA.
SEXTON & WALTHER,
The Dalles. Oregon.
Agents for the Celebrated
Smith Grubbing Machines.
We also carry the best Steel Wire Cable for Stump Pulling; Hope
Shortened ; Sniiteh Block.; Grubbing Hooks and extra Rope Hook.
Write for Prices.
their trees do not turn out to be the
varieties they thought they had plant
ed ; but when one has a good root,
trunk and head, it is possible to put
the right varieties on the limbs by
budding, or top grafting with compara
tively little loss, if this is done before
me trees grow too large, and we are
glad to note that our orchardists are
availing themselves of the opportunity
to do this. The question of spraying
is fully covered by Prof. Cordley,
whose experiments and experiences
have materially assisted in enubling
the Hood River growers to save so
large a percentage of their apples from
the ravages of the dreaded codlin
moth, and other insects and diseases.
If the right varieties are planted in
proper locations.and the trees well cared
for up to the fruiting age, then the
most Interesting and delicate part of
the work of apple growing begins.
There are three promiuent qualities
that are against all apples, even of the
best varieties, viz., wormy or infected
fruit, poor color, aud undersize. The
question of worms and diseases are
covered by the operation of proper
Q.1 ,,l ... I.. ..."., 1 f . .
"i'j"is, mo K.nv- ib uuectea oy tue
exposure of the orchard, the manner
In w hich the tree has been pruned
allows the sunshine to reach the
fruit, or is prevented from reaching
it on account of too much foliage, the
quality of the soil and the moisture
iu the ground, and the size is effected
by the quantity the trees are allowed
to bear.
In this locality the general tend
ency of the trees is to overbear, and
if allowed to do so the crop Is reduced
In value on account of undersize, aud
the following seuson's crop is injured,
if not ruined, by the I nubility of the
trees to mature an overload and form
fruit spurs for another crop. Ninety
six large apples fills a standard box,
and it takes from 175 to 250 i and 6
tr. apples to fill a box, besides, nobody
wants to buy the latter size, and every
body who handles apples wants to buy
the former size. Then why grow 250
apples where 06 should have grown,
when the latter are worth by far the
most money, find ready sale, and allow
your trees to mature buds for another
season's crop. Yes, have your trees
thined out if there are too many limbs
and then hire somebody else to super
intend the thinning of the apples, for it
is truthfully said that no niun can prop
erly thin his own fruit. There is an
other anvantage lu thinning which is
where two or more apples touch each
other ou the tree, they are to provide
a spot on each where the lurva of the
codlin moth can enter without par
taking of the ration provided for him
through the spraying nozzle, and all
of the apples touching each other are
pretty sure to be wormy and not fit for
market.
The old theory that irrigated fruit
will not ship has been proven er
roneous, for it has been positively de
monstrated in Hood River valley that
the orchards and the fruit on some loca
tions are benefitted to a very large ex
tent by a reasonableamountof irrigation
say once in July, twice in August and
once in September, more or less accord
ing to location. Troes that have not
had sufficient moisture cannot mature
as much fruit properly as they can if the
moisture is supplied in the proper
quantity. For the first few light crops
trees do not need irrigation, but when
the load runs up to five bqxes of apples
or more to the tree, water must be ap
plied to the top of the ground, unless
there is a strong sub-irrigation.
Sew Today.
United States mail boxes at $1.50
while this lot lasts, the next lot will be
$ 1,75 and $2.25 at Dallas'
Just received a fine lot of up-to-date
watches direct from the factory, and
have now on hand 118 watches. I
buy large stocks and Bell below all West
ern prices. C. H. Temple.
Just received a line of watches,
clocks, jewelry and silverware, at F. W.
Clarke's, opposite postoffice.
If you want to file on timber land
homesteads, call on George T. Prather,
U. S. Commissioner, district of Oregon.
It will pay you to get our prices
before buying your winter supply of
groceries. The Spot Cash Grocery.
Mberty Home, Hood
Kiver, Ogn., Jan. 5,
1113. Davidson Fruit
Co. Gentlemen: A
year ago I purchased
from you one of the
Uould Pump Co.'.
Hentlnel Jr. Hpray
Pumps. I have used
ll one season in my 20
aere orchard, and can
truthfully say that 1
am well pleaaed with
the rexults obtained.
For simplicity In con
struction, durability
111 wear, convenience
in cleaning and re
pairing, easy opera
tion and thorough
work, it receives my
hcitty commenda
tion. Youin respect
fully, A. I. MASON.
Hominy,
Fruit, "
Eggs