88 Report of State Board of Horticulture. 



soil with a heavy claj^ sub-soil. Irrigation on any and all 

 soils, after the water is taken off, should be followed up 

 with cultivation, and water not again applied until the neces- 

 sity is indicated by the growth of the fruit and tree. 



ARTESIAN WATER. 



Through the enterprise of Mr. M. Pellett, of Ashland, Ore- 

 gon, who owns a large orchard near Talent, it has been dem- 

 onstrated that the Rogue River Valley is an artesian belt. 

 Mr. Pellett had a well drilled this season at his orchard, and 

 at a depth of 800 feet developed a flow of water that measures 

 forty miner's inches. Mr. Pellett's success has stimulated 

 others to drill for water in the valley, and now there are two 

 more wells being drilled. Next year there will be many wells 

 drilled throughout the valley. 



LABOR. 



The labor problem is one the orchardmen of Rogue River 

 Valley will have to think of in the near future. At the pres- 

 ent labor to gather and pack the apples and pears is none too- 

 plenty, although good paying wages are offered by the or- 

 chardmen. All of our valley towns have plenty of \'ouiig 

 men, without visible means of support, standing on the street 

 corners, or loafing in saloons, that can not be induced to earn 

 an honest dollar picking apples or pears. Such support as 

 this class do get, if they do not steal it, no doubt had from 

 the toil of some good old mother over the washtub. Were it 

 possible under our republican form of government, I would 

 favor a vagrant law that would compel this class to earn 

 their support by honest, honorable work or send them to the 

 rock pile under guard of the State and improve our public 

 roads with forced labor from these drones. The building up 

 of the various industries of a great State requires that all its 

 able-bodied men should contribute to its upbuilding. 



CROP ESTIMATES. 



The biennial year ending September 30, 1904, the third 

 district produced fruits of all kinds valued at $1,390,000. 



