19 19 



BETTER FRUIT 



Page ij 



THE 



Orchard Ladder 



of Quality 



Must bear the name "Northwest." 

 Thousands are sold on their merits. 



Ask your dealer 



to let you see 



our ladder. 



A PRUNER 



Which does the work 

 twice as fast as any 

 other make and costs no 



Why Not Use 

 THE BEST 



It's the 



BASTIAN 



Northwest Standard Eagle Ladder ■ 



If your dealer does not carry our Ladder and Pruner in stock, write us 

 direct for prices. 



Information on our Orchard Supplies gladly given on request. 



NORTHWEST FENCE & WIRE WORKS 



Successors lo N.W. Fence & Supply Co. and Reliance Wire & Iron \\orks. 



PORTLAND, OREGON 



CONNtCTiNG 

 FERRELFOfi 

 It FT PHUNEfl 



BASTtAN 



SECTIONAL 



PRUNER 



Complete to use In 

 6. 9 and 12-ft. lengths. 

 Put up in cartons 42 

 Inches long. Can be 

 mailed by parcel post. 



BASTIAN 



STRAIGHT 



PRUNER 



The standard and 

 most speedy Pruiier 

 made. 



Correlation of Orchard Practices 



By C. I. Lewis, Chief, Division of Horticulture, Oregon Agricultural College 



THERE is no question of greater im- 

 portance to the orchardist than 

 that of the proper vigor of his 

 trees. The question of vigor is really 

 a relative one. The type of vigor in 

 very young trees might not be the same 

 type desired in a mature tree. During 

 the first few years of a tree's life it 

 growes very vigorously and makes a 

 very rapid vegetative growth; later it 

 ceases the extremely vigorous wood 

 growth and begins to bear fruit. It 

 finally reaches very heavy bearing and 

 gradually goes into a decline or reaches 

 a stale of equilibrium, so to speak. We 

 can see in a general way that a tree 

 adapts itself to its surroundings or en- 

 vironment, and as a result is either in 

 a state of equilibrium with the environ- 

 mental forces or is undoubtedly becom- 

 ing adjusted to its surroundings. We 

 also remember how neglected trees by 

 the roadside soon reach a condition 

 when they do not change very mate- 

 rially. They do not make much new 

 growth, neither do they change their 

 bearing habits very materially. 



In discussing the question of vigor, 

 I wish to divide the trees into three 

 classes. The first will include trees 

 from about one to five years of age. 

 These trees are in what we might call 

 the formative period; second, those 

 trees from five to eight years of age, or 

 in some cases somewhat older, are pass- 



ing from the formative stage or body- 

 building condition into the fruiting 

 stage. We sometimes call this the 

 transition or critical period. The third 

 class of trees include those which have 

 reached heavy bearing, trees eight to 

 ten years of age and older. 



We will discuss first the trees in the 

 formative period. During this time we 

 desire trees which are sturdy and 

 stocky, trees which are growing well. 

 To encourage this condition we should 

 give very intensive tillage, beginning as 

 early in the spring as the ground can 

 be conveniently worked, and following 

 this with frequent stirrings of the 

 ground until about the middle of July, 

 or until such time as the trees have 

 made a desirable terminal growth. As 

 soon as this period is reached it is well 

 to cease tillage and encourage the trees 

 to harden for the winter, giving them 

 an opportunity to thicken their growth 

 rather than encouraging more terminal 

 growth. We can make two classes of 

 food which the tree receives. The first 

 is the raw sap or mineral food; soil 

 nutrients largely nitrates, so to speak, 

 which come up from the roots into the 

 leaves, and, second, the elaborated food 

 which is manufactured by the leaves 

 themselves. The leaves receiving the 

 raw food from the roots combine it 

 with certain gases obtained from the 

 air, manufacturing in this way concen- 



trated foods or carbohydrates, sugars 

 and starches, so to speak. In the early 

 spring when there is a large amount of 

 sap coming from the roots, the leaf area 

 of the tree is small, and it is noted that 

 the tendency of the tree is to make a 

 pronounced shoot growth. Any stimu- 

 lation given to the tree at this time 

 tends to produce additional shoot 

 growth. Later, if the leaves have fully 

 expanded and the sap supply is some- 

 what reduced, the elaborated food man- 

 ufactured in the leaves becomes rela- 

 tively more abundant. The trees now 

 tend to increase the diameter of the 

 branches and store food, showing less 

 tendency to make terminal growth than 

 formerly. Should it be desired to inter- 

 crop young orchards, tilled or hoed 

 crops are superior since their tillage 

 also assists the trees. Strawberries and 

 early-garden truck are among the most 

 desirable crops to grow. While grain 

 and hay occasionally may be grown, if 

 they come very close to the trees they 

 will retard the growth and may seri- 

 ously stunt the trees. Under normal 

 conditions very little soil fertilization 

 should be required for young trees. If, 

 however, such trees are puney and not 

 growing as desired, it may be necessary 

 to stimulate them by artificial means. 



In pruning such young trees there are 

 several points we wish to keep thor- 

 oughly in mind. First, the trees should 



