42 Report of State Board of Horticulture. 



Eanges with good cultivation. The ability of tlie fruit grower on 

 this coast to conserve moisture by intelligent cultivation during the 

 dry period of the year would be a revelation to an Eastern farmer. 

 On deep hill so'ls I have seen corn that produced thirty-five bushels 

 to the acre, without a drop of rain from planting to gathering. 

 Without cultivation the corn would have perished for the want of 

 moisture. Deep, alluvial, sandy-loam soils along the rivers and 

 creeks never fail to yield, although the cultivation may he poor, as 

 these soils are always sub-irrigated. 



Many Eastern men who come here desire to engage in apple or 

 pear growing. Not being judges of our coast soils, they purchase 

 land from surface indications, and in time find they have made a 

 mistake. To succeed here in fruit growing, the grower must plant 

 the variety of fruit his soil and location is adapted to. Soil and 

 location that the peach and grape would succeed on with reason- 

 able attention to detail, misht he of such a character and depth 

 that the apple and pear planted on the same would be a failure. 



It is my purpose in this report to call the attention of the prospective 

 purchaser to the various soi^s as they exist in this district, with 

 their character and adaptability to fruits they will grow with 

 success. 



THE APPLE AND PEAR. 



The apple and pear, to be a source of profit here, should be 

 planted on the best alluvial soils along the streams, or if the hill 

 lands are chosen, they must be deep, not less than five to six feet 

 in depth, and a greater depth would be better. There are no soils 

 too good and rich to grow the best apples or pears. The success 

 and profits of the Eogue Eiver Valley apple and pear grower are 

 in proportion to the good quality of the soil his orchards are planted 

 on and the attention he gives to details in its management. A 

 shallow soil will spell failure if planted to the apple and pear, unless 

 water is available for irrigation during the months of Au.srust and 

 September. However, it must be remembered that not all shallow 

 soils are adapted to irrigation. To irrigate with profit, the subsoil 

 must be right. If the subsoil is wrong, irrisfation would be detri- 

 mental. A shallow loam soil two and one-half feet deep, resting 

 on decomposed bedrock or broken bedrock or loose gravel would be 

 all right for irrigation. Irrigation, if intelligently done, would be 

 a great benefit to an apple or pear orchard on such land, for the 

 reason that the surplus water in irrifrating would readily drain 

 off through the gravel and bedrock without injury to tbe growing 

 tree, on the other hand, should a shallow soil rest on a clay sub- 

 soil or a cement hardpan, irrigation would be detrimental to the 

 growing of apple and pear trees. To successfully irrigate fruit 

 trees on any of our soils here underdrainage must be had to carry 

 off the surplus water during the irrigation period. These shallow 

 soils with a clay subsoil or cement hardpan can be made available 



