August, 10-21 



BETTER FRUIT 



Page 25 



Our Inquiry Depart- 

 ment 



Cover Crops 



TVTHERE the rainfall is limited during the 



'' growing season and the irrigation supply 



restricted is it advisable to plant alfalfa in an 



apple orchard? — J. H., Washington. 



No. Under the circumstances you mention, the 

 alfalfa, which requires large quantities of water 

 to mature properly, will make a scanty growth 

 and is liable to rob your trees of their share of 

 moisture. If you want a mulch or cover crop it 

 would be better to plant vetch or clover under 

 the conditions you have outlined. 



AAA 



Prune Tree Trouble 



The leaves on my Italian prune trees are turn- 

 ing brown and falling off. The prunes are either 

 turning red or yellow and are dropping off. This 

 orchard is in blue grass heavy sod. I have sprayed 

 and there are no insects in this orchard. It has 

 plenty of water. Could you tell me what to do 

 or could you refer me to someone who could? 

 H. L. E., Idaho. 



From what you tell us we are inclined to believe 

 that lack of nourishment and soil fertility is what 

 is the trouble with your prune orchard. It is very 

 probable that the heavy sod you tell us is in your 

 nrchird should be plowed up and the orchard 

 placed under cultivation during the growing sea- 

 son. This heavy sod is undoubtedly robbing your 

 trees nf their vitality. We advise you to com- 

 municate with the Experiment Station of the Uni- 

 versity of Idaho at Moscow in your state. 



AAA 



Printing on Apples 



Will you please send me osme information on 

 the marking of apples by pasting some sub- 

 stance on them and then letting the sun redden 

 them only where it is desired to have the printing? 

 — K. M. C, Oregon. 



The process of marking apples in the way you 

 inquire about is as follows; A design is made on 

 paper — the design then being cut out so there is 

 a perforation allowing the sun to shine through. 

 This design or lettering Is pasted on the apples 

 before they commence to color, and after they 

 have obtained the highest degree of color these 

 designs are removed. The portions of the apple 

 covered up by this design or lettering, as you can 

 see, remains the original color as when they were 

 first pasted on. This is the process. It was first 

 used in the Hood River Valley by a large firm of 

 apple buyers who utilized the product for one of 

 the prominent cafes in New York City. The ide.i, 

 however, did not originate in America, having 

 been taken from France. 



These labels or designs are made with a steel 

 die. 



AAA 



PBOiEcriNG Trees from Rabbits 

 I have 30 acres of apple trees set out in the 

 Okanogan valley last spring and a year ago and 

 expect to plant out 30 acres more in the next two 

 years. Last fall I wrapped the trees with tar 

 paper to protect them from rabbits, but snow came 

 and packed and the r.ibbits ate all the twigs 

 above the tar paper. Fencing and wire wrapping 

 are too expensive. Is there not some formula to 

 spray the trees with in the fall to stop the rabbits 

 from eating them? — D. T., Washington. 



There is no spray that you could use thit 

 would be effective In this case. That is, there Is 

 nothing of this kind that you could use without 

 putting something on the trees so highly poisonous 

 or in such large quantities that it would be pro- 

 hibitive. As you say, wire wrapping is expensive, 

 but it is the most effective and about the only 

 means of preserving your trees under these con- 

 ditions. There is one remedy that you might try 

 and that is poisoning the rabbits yith poison bait 

 — carrots, or some other vegetable of which the 

 rabbits are very fond, treated with strychnine 

 might do the work. As you probably know, thou- 

 sands of jack rabbits in the grain countries are 

 gotten rid of in this way. 



TRACTOR PRICES 

 "C'RUITGROWERS who are contemplating the 

 purchase of a tractor will be interested in know- 

 ing that the International Harvester Company has 

 just made a second cut In its tractor prices. The 

 reduction has brought the International 8-16 and 

 Titan 10-20 down to $250, and the International 

 15-30 to $550. These are the lowest prices the 

 company has ever quoted on these makes of trac- 

 tors, considering the equipment now included in 

 the price which was formerly charged for as extras. 

 Other tractor manufacturing companies have also 

 announced reductions more or less sweeping. The 

 result being that tractor farming, with present 

 prices of fuel and lubricating oils, is now on a 

 much more economical basis than Is possible by 

 using animal power. 



Chief of Soils of the Oregon Agricultural Experi- 

 ment Station. AAA 



The California Raisin Growers' 'Association 

 estimates that the crop of raisin grapes in the 

 Fresno district this year will total 135,000 tons. 

 The production is estimated to be 80,000 tons 

 below normal. 



AAA 



The present production of honey in Oregon is 

 nearly 100,000 pounds. Bee pasture is being rap- 

 idly increased owing to larger areas coming under 

 irrigation. 



SNAPSHOTS 

 Eastern Oregon is not looked upon as much 

 fruit products from the little district of Cove 

 of a fruit producing section, yet the value of the 

 will this year total $140,000. Forty thousand 

 dollars of this amount will be realized from cher- 

 ries. Its apple crop is valued at $20,000, over 

 $10,000 worth of berries were shipped and other 

 fruits make up the remainder of the amount. 



AAA 



More than SO per cent of the heavy soils of 

 by the use of lime is the advice of W. L. Powers, 

 Western Oregon can be nnde more productive 



NICE BRIGHT WESTERN PINE 

 FRUIT BOXES AND CRATES 



Good standard grades. Well made. Quick 

 shipments. Carloads or less. Get our prices. 



Western Pine Box Sales Co. 



SPOKANE, WASH. 

 Catalog mailed on request. 



NOW is the time to send to 



Milton Nursery Co. 



MILTON, OREGON 



For their 1921 Catalog 



Full Line of Nursery Stock 



"Genuineness and Quality" 



Write for 

 Terms 



E 

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C 

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POWER PRUNE DIPPERS AND TRAYERS 



We make the best. Write for our catalogue. This is the dipper demonstrated 

 at the State Fair at Salem last season. Order now while we have the supply. 



SALEM MFG. CO., Salem, Oregon 



Factory located at 1396 North Front and Hood Streets 



