WORK or THE HUNTLEY EXPERIMENT FARM IN 1912. 



27 



ORCHARD AND SMALL-FRUIT TREES. 



In the spring of 1911 a 5-acre tract was planted to about 100 

 varieties of apples, cherries, and plums, together with 26 varieties 

 of small fruits.^ The unusually severe weather of the ^vinte^ of 

 1911-12 mjured many of the trees, especially apples and cherries, 

 and it was necessary to replant about half the trees in the spring 

 of 1912. All trees made good growth during the season. Small 

 fruits came through the winter in good condition. 



RECLAMATION OF THE WORDEN TRACT. 



Some of the land in the Huntley Project is heavy clay, carrying 

 more salt than is tolerated by most crop plants. This salty condi- 

 tion is due chiefly to the impervious character of the soil and the 



Fig. 5.— Cultivating plats in field 11. AVorden tract, in the test of alternate irrigation and cultivation. The 

 salt content of the surface 12 inches of soil has been reduced in one year from an average of 0.52 per cent 

 to 0.2S per cent. 



consequent lack of leachmg by the rains. The subsoil at a depth 

 of about 6 feet is a porous gravel, and the chief problem is to get 

 the surface soil opened up and supersaturated with water to bring 

 about artificial leaching. 



In 1910, 12 acres of a 40-acre tract of typical heavy land near 

 the Worden town site were broken up, and experiments have been 

 carried on there to determine the best means of reducmg the salt 

 content and bringing the land into production. 



One method employed was to level the ground m plats of about 

 one-fourth of an acre each, around which a border was made, and to 

 practice on these plats a system of alternate Ught irrigation and 

 cultivation (fig. 5). This work has been carried on but one full 



1 These varieties were selected upon the advice of Mr. H. P. (lould, of the OfTice of Field Investigations 

 in Pomology. 



[Cir. 121] 



