Page 6 



BETTER FRUIT 



November, 1920 



Sites and Soils for Small Fruits in the Northwest 



IN CHOOSING the location for a 

 small fruits plantation one has to 

 take many points into considera- 

 tion. First, there are certain climatic 

 conditions which will determine to a 

 large degree whether certain of our 

 small fruits can be grown to advantage. 

 The rainfall or the possibilities of hav- 

 ing an abundance of irrigation water 

 are very important factors. With some 

 of our small fruits the rainfall plays 

 a role which probably even irrigation 

 cannot supplement in all cases owing 

 to the fact that in regions of consider- 

 able rainfall the moisture content of 

 the atmosphere at times is apt to be 

 greater than in some of the arid belts. 

 With certain of the cane fruits and 

 brambles it has been demonstrated that 

 they grow to the greatest degree of suc- 

 cess on a rich soil abundantly supplied 

 with humus and moisture and an at- 

 mosphere which is not too dry. 



The winter temperature will, in some 

 cases, be a determinate. Especially is 

 this true where one is attempting to 

 grow the evergreen types like the Ever- 

 green blackberry, Loganberry, Phenom- 

 enal, etc. Summer heat also has an in- 

 fluence, at times producing a condition 

 which is unsatisfactory to certain forms 

 but being of distinct advantage to others. 

 The fall temperature, that is, the sud- 

 denness with which the growing season 

 terminates, is to be considered where 

 certain more tender forms are grown. 

 The length of the growing season and 

 the altitude also play a very important 

 part. The soil has an important role, 

 especially since some of our cane fruits 

 depend so much upon a cool, moist con- 

 dition of the soil. Most of our small 

 fruits demand very good drainage. It 

 is evident, then, that soils of this type 

 must be chosen, and in most cases the 

 richer the soil the better. 



The response of a plant to natural 

 conditions is shown by an example that 

 we can give of the Evergreen black- 

 berry. Where it is grown wild in West- 

 ern Washington and Western Oregon, 

 the berries are small, hard and sour, 

 but where it is grown wild in our coast 

 and mountain regions, it is very lu- 

 scious and hardly seems like the same 

 fruit. It is only by bringing about 

 good conditions, by following good till- 

 age, pruning and feeding that one can 

 produce the Evergreen blackberry to 

 the highest degree of perfection. 



In addition to the natural surround- 

 ings, I want you to also take into ac- 

 count the possibilities of shipping, and 

 at times the possibilities of using the 

 fruits in the form of by-products. Here 

 on the Pacific Coast we have a tremen- 

 dous range of climatic conditions, ele- 

 vations from sea level to the limit of 

 plant growth. We have rainfalls that 

 sometimes range from over one hun- 

 dred inches to a few inches. Our soils 

 vary from the heaviest of adobe to the 

 lightest of sand, silt, ash and pumice 

 stone. There is such a tremendous 

 range of climate and soil conditions 

 that the problem of small fruit culture 



By C. I. Lewis 



in any one region becomes largely a 

 local one, and in many cases must be 

 solved by local experiments, but after 

 all these tremendous ranges of climatic 

 conditions are of wonderful assistance 

 to us in that they extend our range of 

 crop production and make it possible 

 to grow more types and varieties than 

 would otherwise be possible. 



I will mention first some points in 

 the Northwest which we will divide 

 into areas, largely according to cli- 

 matic conditions. First comes the 

 Western Coast region of Oregon, Wash- 

 ington and British Columbia. This in- 

 cludes the famous Puyallup Valley of 

 Western Washington, in which the 

 Evergreen blackberry and raspberry 

 are grown to the highest degree of per- 

 fection. The islands in the Sound, the 

 lower mainland of British Columbia 

 and such counties in Western Oregon 

 as Clatsop, Tillamook, Lincoln and Coos 

 are all included in this class. This re- 

 gion is subject to a fairly heavy rain- 

 fall, has a long growing season and 

 quite a range of soils, although the pre- 

 dominant soils are clay loams. In this 

 region the brambles. Loganberries, 

 Raspberries and Blackberries grow to 

 a wonderful degree of perfection. There 

 is probably no section in the United 

 States where such fruits will yield more 

 heavily or grow more vigorously and 

 rank than in this section named. The 

 climatic conditions are such that a tre- 

 mendous area of these fruits should be 

 planted. Canning factories, evaporators 

 and similar plants should be established 

 in many quarters, while those that are 

 advantageously located as far as ship- 

 ping points are concerned should ship 

 out large quantities of fruit. 



The bench lands of this region pro- 

 duce very good strawberries, and the 

 strawberry under these conditions 

 tends to bear for a longer season, bear- 

 ing two or three crops. I have picked 

 them abundantly as late as the middle 

 of September. The clay loams, and 

 even some of the tide lands, seem to 

 grow Loganberries and blackberries 

 very nicely. The sandy and silt loams 

 are splendidly adapted to raspberries. 

 Red raspberries, under such conditions, 

 grow very vigorously. I have seen 

 canes ten feet long that have borne 

 fruit to the very ends of the canes and 

 the yields are unusually high. Reports 

 of yields as high as 500 and 000 crates 

 per acre of red raspberries have come 

 from the Puyallup district. 



Between the Coast Range and the 

 Cascades there are a number of val- 

 leys, especially in Western Oregon, 

 such as the Rogue, Umpqua, and Willa- 

 mette. The famous Bear Creek bottoms 

 of the Rogue River are ideal for dew- 

 berries, raspberries, loganberries, etc. 

 In fact, any class of small fruit thrives 

 well along the river and its tributaries, 

 and a much greater industry should be 

 built up than now exists. Strawberries, 

 of course, can be grown all over the 

 Northwest. In the Umpqua Valley all 

 classes of small fruits succeed. The 



region is becoming famous for its very 

 early strawberries, being one of the 

 very earliest regions in the entire Pa- 

 cific Northwest. The low altitude and 

 the shelter obtained from the moun- 

 tains result in early maturing. This sec- 

 tion should devote more time and en- 

 ergy to early produce of all kinds. In 

 the Willamette Valley certain large sec- 

 tions are developing small fruits. In 

 the Newberg district, on the red hill 

 soils, raspberries, strawberries, black- 

 caps and loganberries are all thriv- 

 ing. There is a tremendous area of 

 land in the Willamette Valley adapted 

 to small fruits. The sandy and silt soils 

 of the river bottom lands, such as the 

 Mission bottoms at Salem, will produce 

 small fruits of all classes. The yields 

 are very high. At Russellville and 

 vicinity quite a small fruit development 

 has taken place, and in the sandy loams 

 of that region the raspberry thrives es- 

 pecially well. Then we have the in- 

 land mountain regions, like Hood River 

 and White Salmon, that have become 

 famous for their strawberries, and 

 while many other small fruits could be 

 successfully grown, the reason they are 

 not grown is that the growers have not 

 attempted to grow them. The straw- 

 berry has been the pioneer crop and 

 has been grown until the orchards come 

 into bearing. 



In the inland valleys of the Inland 

 Empire small fruit cuiture at times be- 

 comes very profitable. Such regions as 

 Kennewick are early and the stony 

 soils of the Walla Walla Valley are ex- 

 tremely early. They warm up very 

 rapidly in the spring. All along the 

 Columbia River fine strawberry lands 

 can be obtained. In the Payette Valley 

 of Idaho one finds the blackcap being 

 grown successfully under irrigation. 

 There is not a valley in all that won- 

 derful territory but what can grow 

 some form of small fruit to the highest 

 degree of perfection. Gooseberries and 

 currants will be the least successful 

 owing to the fact that both these crops 

 like cool weather and a cool, moist soil. 

 Where dry soils are found and com- 

 bined with rather dry weather condi- 

 tions it will be advisable to plant the 

 gooseberry and currant in close prox- 

 imity to a building, generally on the 

 north side, or, if this is impossible, you 

 could plant them among the fruit trees, 

 where they get some coolness and shade 

 from the trees. 



The strawberry has the widest range 

 of adaptability of any fruit we are 

 growing in America. It is being grown 

 from Alaska to Southern California and 

 from Maine to Florida. While it is true 

 that in some of these regions it is neces- 

 sary to ship the plants in, it being im- 

 possible to produce the voung plants 

 that will fruit successfully in the re- 

 gion, nevertheless a profitable business 

 is carried on in all these states. In the 

 Pacific Northwest, as far as the straw- 

 berry is concerned, it becomes very 

 largely a local problem. There are 



Continued on page 17. 



