POFC 1 6 



BETTER FRUIT 



February 



BEFORE ualng Cement Coated Nails 



Western Cement Coated Nails 

 for Western Growers 



Our Cement Coated Nails are always of 

 uniform length, gauge, head and count. 

 E^specially adapted to the manufacture of 

 fruit boxes and crates^ In brief, they are 

 the Best on the Market. 



Write for Growers' testimonials. 



Colorado Fuel & Iron Co. 



DENVER, COLORADO 



Pacific Coast Sales Offices 



Portland, Spokane, San Francisco 



Los Angeles 



AFTEJR use of C. F. & I. Co.'» 

 Cement Coated Noils 



Influence of Commercial Fertilizer on Bearing Orchards 



By Gordon G. 



SOME years ago and to some extent 

 today a very serious yet compara- 

 tively simple soil problem forced 

 itself upon the apple growers in various 

 sections of the Hood River Valley. It 

 had to do with vigor of tree and fruit 

 production. Orchards formerly pro- 

 ductive to a marked degree gradually 

 began to fail. This was true not only 

 of neglected orchards, of which I am 

 glad to say we have but few, but also 

 of orchards apparently (notice that I 

 place emphasis upon that word) re- 

 ceiving the very best of treatment as 

 judged by the standard practices of the 

 time. 



It did not rccpiire a person of highly 

 trained horticultural ability to see that 

 something was decidedly wrong. The 

 trees not only showed that they were 

 ■weak and devitalized, as evidenced by 

 general appearance, but they gave 

 striking proof of that fact in many 

 ways. For example, terminal growth 

 formerly vigorous and productive of 

 fruit spurs was gradually giving way to 

 weaker growths and in many cases was 

 reduced to almost negative propor- 

 tions. Fruit spurs formerly productive 

 of plump fruit buds were now giving 

 way to buds of an opposite character. 

 The leaves formed were thin, small and 

 sparse, and failing to function early in 

 the summer were numbered with the 

 windfalls. The yellow, almost reddish, 

 appearance of the bark also served to 

 indicate the true run-down condition 

 of the trees, and in typical cases these 

 characteristics could be noted at long 

 distances across the valley, especially 

 in the dormant season. A heavy crop 

 of blossoms, weak in character and 

 subnormal in size frecpiently appeared, 

 but owing to their lack of vigor were 

 unable to set and carry to full maturity 

 but a small ijercentage of fruit. Fruit, 

 while possessing good color, showed 

 such high percentages running smaller 

 than l.')0 to the box as to place it in the 

 secondary market-value class. Coin- 

 cident with these facts two general 

 outstanding features regarding care 

 predominated. The lirst was llial pre- 

 viously no irrigation had been given; 

 the second that long-continued clean 

 cultivation had been the general rule. 



Brown, Horticulturist of the Hood River Experiment Station 



The importance of the former is ob- 

 vious and I will not deal with it here 

 except to mention in passing that it is 

 the serious intention of the Hood River 

 F^xperiment Station to make a critical 

 study of this practice under local con- 

 ditions as soon as it is possible to do so. 

 Regarding the latter, it is now a rule 

 long since established by agricultural 

 practice the world over that clean cul- 

 ture practiced exclusively tends to 

 destroy the organic matter of the soil. 

 The relation of organic matter, humus, 

 bacterial action, water-holding capaci- 

 ty and good tilth are widely under- 

 stood. The relation of organic matter 

 also to that all-important element, 

 nitrogen, which makes for tree growth 

 and pi-oduction is also well understood 

 but often not appreciated in a practical 

 way. The soils in typically run-down 

 orchards dilfered from that which I 

 have just indicated in a marked way. 

 Tliey lacked water-holding capacity. 

 They baked or puddled easily and on 

 hillsides were much given to erosion. 

 In some cases the organic matter was 

 so badly depleted as to make the intro- 

 duction of leguminous shade and cover 

 crops much as clov»r and alfalfa, which 

 depend primarily upon an abundance 

 of moisture a matter of extreme diffi- 

 culty. 



Those in charge of this station in 

 1914, comprehending the true situation, 

 began a series of co-operative fertilizer 

 experiments in the Pine Grove district. 

 Various brands of conunercial fer- 

 tilizers were used carrying the princi- 

 pal ingredients, phosphoric acid, pot- 

 ash and nitrogen. These were used 

 under dilVerent conditions, in different 

 amounts and combinations. A limited 

 amount of barnyard manure was also 

 used. The results to date are so clear 

 and consistent as to point to the un- 

 mistakable correctness of the general 

 principles given and show plainly that 

 the mature apple orchard located on a 

 silt soil such as we have here is cer- 

 tainly no exception to the general rule. 

 Owing to the fact that practically no 

 resijonse has been secured from appli- 

 cations of potash or i)hosi)horic acid 

 and that the most consistent and satis- 

 factory results have been secured from 



nitrate of soda, I take it that a dis- 

 cussion of the latter work would be of 

 most interest and practical value here. 



For this work two typical Spitzcn- 

 berg orchards about sixteen years of 

 age were chosen. In both orchards 

 four plots were laid out under as nearly 

 uniform conditions as possible. These 

 experiments may be considered dupli- 

 cates in all respects other than in the 

 amounts of nitrate applied. In orchard 

 No. 1 5.6 pounds per tree formed the 

 basis of the work and in orchard No. 2 

 (1.7. Plots No. 1 in both cases received 

 their fertilizer in the form of crystals 

 broadcasted around the tree. Plots No. 

 2 in the form of a solution sprayed on 

 the ground around the tree. Plots No. 3 

 in the form of a solution sprayed both 

 on the tree and on the ground. Plots 

 No. 4, as will be noted from the chart, 

 have never received any fertilizer and 

 will hereafter be referred to as the 

 check. The cost of these application at 

 normal prices, -fOO.OO per ton, would 

 amount to approximately .$10.00 per 

 acre in the first case and about -$1.5.00 

 in the other. 



During the first year the applications 

 by the different methods were not all 

 made at the same time. This fact 

 served (me very imijorlant purpose. 

 For instance, it was learned that appli- 

 cations made in early March exerted 

 a n;arked influence beneficially during 

 the entire season on both tree growth 

 and fruit production. On the other 

 hand, the applications made in May 

 failed to exert any appreciable influ- 

 ence until nearly the close of the grow- 

 ing season. Conseipiently, taking ad- 

 vantage of this inforniation, the second 

 a))plieations were made in early !March, 

 191.5. 



Now just a word regarding the gen- 

 eral care given these orchards to date, 

 because that is an iinportant part of 

 the program. Orchard No. 1 received 

 its first irrigation in 1914. It was clean 

 cultivated in the early season and 

 seeded to clover and a good stand se- 

 emed. In 1915 this shade crop was 

 pastured by hogs and young cattle. In 

 early spring, 1910, 

 manurial content 



this crop with its 

 was turned under. 



Orchard No. 2 was clean cultivated 



