May, 1919 BETTER FRUIT 



Smudging Saves Fruit Crop in the Frost Belt 



Smudging method cmpluM'cl in oiili;inl I.) piivcnt Inist iniin liamaKiiis liuil Ijiids. I Ins is what 

 is known as thi- tlu-rmos'tat systi-m. This instrument, whieh can be seen on the pole, ^ives the 

 signal when (he temperature drops down to the danger point. The smudge pots are then lighted. 



DURING the early part of April frosts 

 that were slightly damaging were 

 reported from a nuiiiber of the North- 

 west fruit-growing districts, and for the 

 first time this season smudging was 

 commenced. For several days orchard- 

 men were busy watching the local 

 weather conditions, and kept the 

 smudge pots set out and all ready to he 

 fired up. It is announced, however, 

 that frost has so far done very little 



[ damage to Northwest fruit crops. 



i At Medford and in the immediate 

 vicinity the temperature dropped down 

 to 29 degrees and in the more northern 

 sections of the Rogue River Valley the 

 thermometer recorded a degree or two 

 lower. As orchardmen had alreaily 

 been notified by Frost Expert Young 

 that they could expect a considerable 

 drop in temperature they were pre- 



paretl and took the proper precautions. 

 County Agent Gate of Jackson Gounty 

 reports that he does not expect any 

 further damage from frost in that sec- 

 tion. In view, however, of the very 

 heavy budding of trees he says that 

 many of the buds could have been frost 

 bitten without its alTecting the general 

 crop. Not in many years has there 

 been prospects of so large a crop in the 

 orchards in Jackson County as at the 

 present time and many of the orchard- 

 men there are predicting a crop of 2,500 

 cars. While heavy late frost would put 

 somewhat of a damper on this fine out- 

 look, it is expected that the Medford 

 district will now get by in good shape 

 by carefully watching weather condi- 

 tions and keeping the smudge pots going 

 if necessary. 



What They Are Doing in Fruit in Cahfornia 



HUMBOLDT COUNTY, for a long time 

 recognized as one of the districts 

 which produces the best apples that 

 arc grown in California, will this year 

 enter the deciduous fruit industry on a 

 basis of systematized production, grade 

 and pack. The deciduous crop raised in 

 Humboldt County is largely apples and 

 fruit of very excellent quality has been 

 produced there. This year the growers 

 for the first time will make a concerted 

 efTort to place their fruit on the market 

 properly, and a standard Humboldt 

 Gounty pack and label have been 

 adopted. Reports from there also state 

 that large acreages are being planted to 

 young trees this spring and that ulti- 

 mately it is expected that this county 

 will become one of the leading apple- 

 producing sections on the Coast. 



shipped 6,000 cars of wine grapes, 

 which were used for various purposes, 

 but what the situation will be this year 

 nobody in the grape business in Cali- 

 fornia will attempt to answer. In the 

 meantime reports are to the ett'ect that 

 there is every promise of an abundant 

 crop, just as if nation-wide prohibition 

 had never been heard of, and wine- 

 grape growers are asking a good, 

 healthy price for them, although there 

 has been little contracting for crops 

 so far. 



A situation that is now puzzling the 

 wine-grape growers of California is 

 what to do with the expected crop this 

 year. Last year California grapemen 



An irrigation system in Madera and 

 Merced counties that will irrigate 10,000 

 acres of land is now being con- 

 structed. The water will be taken from 

 a big reservoir on the Chowchilla River. 

 The land which is now in grain will 

 be subdivided into small tracts and set 

 to fruit. 



Page II 



has been set out at Woodlake by the 

 McGlure Brothers. The acreage that 

 will be set to this Oriental fruit is ten 

 and other settings of still greater size 

 are expected to be made in this section. 



To help rid Tulare County of ground 

 squirrels the supervisors of that county 

 have supplied ranchers with 23 tons of 

 poisoned barley, 16,000 gallons of car- 

 bon bisulphide and 1,000,000 gas balls 

 since last August. 



Having made a big success of grow- 

 ing apricots, Kern Gounty, it is now re- 

 ported will soon go into the cantaloupe 

 industry on a big scale, as 300 acres of 

 melons will be planted near Shafter 

 this year. It is expected to market the 

 Kearn Gounty melons in the gap be- 

 tween the coming of the crops in the 

 Imperial and Turlock districts. 



Eighty dollars per ton for peaches, as 

 against sixty dollars per ton last year, 

 is now being offered to growers for 

 their crops in the Santa Clara Valley. 



Some idea of the demand for Califor- 

 nia figs may be obtained from the fact 

 that E. Bruml of Hughson, who has four 

 acres in this fruit, has ah'eady been 

 paid .*3,000 for his crop several months 

 in advance of its maturity, and that all 

 the owner has to do to comi)ly with the 

 conditions of the sale is to cultivate 

 and give his orchard one irrigation. 



The Portersville section of California 

 reports a species of winter pear that 

 shows special qualifications to resist 

 blight, and under proper conditions 

 m;iy be stored for weeks. According to 

 the report this new pear gives promise 

 of being an important addition to the 

 orchard business of this particular 

 district. 



In the number of vines or trees set 

 out in Merced County this spring, 

 grapes lead all other plantings, accord- 

 ing to the county horticultural commis- 

 sioner, while almonds, peaches and figs 

 occupy the next three places on the list. 

 The total number of tdl trees and vines 

 set out in the county this season is 

 115,641. 



Of 1,000 acres of fruit and nut trees 

 planted in the Oakdale district in 

 Fresno County this year the bulk of the 

 plantings have been almonds, although 

 300 to 400 acres of figs have also been 

 set out by Fresno County growers this 

 spring. 



Two thousand acres of watermelons 

 will be raised in one district in Califor- 

 nia this year. Seventy-five per cent of 

 the crop from this acreage, it is ex- 

 pected, will be marketed within the 

 borders of the state. 



One of the largest single settings of 

 pomegranates ever made in California 



For Sale or Trade 



320 level acres, foothills. Southern California. 

 No alkali or hardpan. Fruit and stock location, 

 gravity water and good well, usual improve- 

 ments, house and b»rn, etc. Ideal climate, ele- 

 vation 3,000 feet. $30.00 per acre. Write owner. 



Box 211, Victorville, California 



