B. P. I.— 570. 



SUGGHSTIONS TO SHT I'lJ-RS ON THE SANDY SOILS 

 OF Till: COLUMBIA RR'ER VALLEY. 



INTRODUCTION. 



Many people are coming to the irrigated districts of the Pacific 

 Northwest with the view of engaging in commercial orcharding. 

 Beinjr unfamihar \\'ith the soils and climatic conditions of the West 

 and lacking experience in fruit growing and irrigation farming, they 

 are often at a loss to know how to proceed with the development of 

 their farms. The time and expense required to bring an orchard 

 into profitable bearing make it very important that the beginning 

 be properly made. 



The following discussion of crops and methods of handling the .soil 

 is intended primarily as a guide for the new settler who has not yet 

 acquired experience in farming under the conditions that prevail in 

 the Colinnbia River Valley. The limitations of this circular forbid 

 detailed discussions, and all that is here attempted is to point out 

 some of the essentials to be observed. 



In preparing these suggestions the results obtained by the best 

 farmers in the oldest districts of the region under discussion have 

 been carefull}' considered. While these are probably the safest 

 guide obtainable at the present time, the development of these dis- 

 tricts is not sufficiently advanced to indicate defuiitely just what may 

 be most successful. Much yet remains to be ascertained as to the 

 best methods of irrigating and of building up the productiveness of the 

 soil, as well as to determine the crops and the varieties of fruit that 

 will pay best. 



The new settler should not be in too great haste to get a commercial 

 orchard planted. It is far better to grow alfalfa or clover for one 

 or more years and in the meantime decide upon the kind and varieties 

 of fruit to be grown than to ])lant immediately and run the risk of 

 planting that which is not desirable. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE REGION. 



The principal region to which this paper applies is the low sandy 

 lands of the Columbia River Valley lying between the Dalles, Oregon, 

 and Priest Rapids, Washington. There are many other tracts of 

 similar soil along the Columbia River above Priest Rapids, and still 



[Cir. 60] 3 



