Page 14 



BETTER FRUIT 



An Illustrated Magazine Devoted to the Interests 



of Modern Fruit Growing and Marketing. 



Published Monthly 



by 



Better Fruit Publishing Company 



400 Lumber Exchange Building 

 PORTLAND, OREGON 



OFFICERS AND STAFF 



W. H. Walton Editor 



C. I. Moody Advertising Manager 



E. C. Williams. . .San Francisco Representative 

 Hobart Building 



Interplanting in the Orchard. 



An announcement recently made by 

 the United States Agricultural Depart- 

 ment is to the effect that cotton as an 

 interplanted crop is rinding much favor 

 in the San Joaquin Valley of California. 

 It seems to be especially well adapted 

 for use in first-year vineyards or in 

 young orchards. In Department Circu- 

 lar 1C4, issued by the United States De- 

 partment of Agriculture, a representa- 

 tive of the Bureau of Plant Industry 

 reports that a Kern County farmer 

 planted cotton between young apricot 

 trees which were making their third- 

 years' growth. From about two acres 

 of orchard land he harvested nearly 

 $500 worth of cotton in 1918. The cot- 

 ton plants occupied only 1.27 acres of 

 the entire plat. In this instance the 

 farmer was enabled to pay the upkeep 

 costs of his orchard with the proceeds 

 from his cotton and to pocket a good 

 profit in addition. 



Another farmer in the same county 

 set out 12 acres of grapevines and inter- 

 planted with two rows of Pima (long- 

 staple cotton) placed between each two 

 rows of the vines. He obtained a yield 

 of nearly a bale to an acre. At the 

 end of the season his vines were in ex- 

 cellent condition, only one being lost 

 in the entire lot. Specialists say the 

 practice is a profitable one; the cotton 

 is as good as when grown alone, and 

 the young grapevines are equal in every 

 way to those grown without an inter- 

 crop. 



While intercropping has been prac- 

 ticed successfully and beneficially in 

 orchards in many instances with such 

 crops as alfalfa and clover we believe 

 that care should be exercised in plant- 

 ing crops in orchards that are not 

 legumes. The success of orchardists in 

 California in planting cotton as an inter- 

 crop is interesting and proved profit- 

 able. The question, however, is how 

 long will the soil of an orchard stand 

 the extra drain from such a crop as 

 colton which requires a large quantity 

 of plant food to mature properly. It 

 would seem that continued planting of 

 tlii 1 ^ no a similar crop in an orchard 

 must result in affecting the growth or 

 bearing qualities of the trees in a light 

 crop dl' cotton or possible unprofitable 

 returns from both. 



BETTER FRUIT 



telegraphed to state officials by the Fed- 

 eral Horticultural Board, United States 

 Department of Agriculture. 



The board expresses a fear that there 

 has been laxity on the part of the 

 French inspectors and urges careful 

 and consistent examination of all ship- 

 ments of fruit seedlings from France 

 coming under state jurisdiction. The 

 inspectors of the board at ports of first 

 arrival make a superficial inspection of 

 all foreign shipments of nursery stock 

 to determine their agreement with the 

 permit invoice and original certificate 

 of inspection as to quality and kind of 

 nursery slock, and as to compliance of 

 the shipment with other regulations; 

 but owing to lack of facilities and in- 

 spectors it is not possible to make the 

 the port inspection thorough enough to 

 guarantee the exclusion of plant pests. 



The French inspection service has 

 been advised by cable of the condition 

 of stock under their certificate arriving 

 in this country, and a warning has been 

 issued to French exporters and Ameri- 

 can importers. Experiments are under 

 way in Boston to determine the possi- 

 bility of killing hibernating brown-tail 

 larvae by vacuum fumigation. In the 

 meantime steps have been taken to have 

 all French shipments given such fumi- 

 gation as is now required for cotton. If 

 vacuum fumigation will not kill all lar- 

 vae contained in nests it may be neces- 

 sary to cancel all existing permits for 

 French stock. The board strongly rec- 

 ommends the burning of all packing 

 material. 



Inasmuch as there is a possibility of 

 confusing the nests of the brown-tail 

 moth and the white-tree pierid, it is 

 suggested that, if there is any doubt as 

 to the insect killed, it should be for- 

 warded to the Federal Horticultural 

 Board for determination by specialists, 

 after steps have been taken to kill any 

 larvae which may be contained in the 

 nests. 



Just what procedure will be neces- 

 sary to destroy these fruit pests and 

 safeguard the fruit industry of the 

 United States can be safely left to the 

 United States Department of Agricul- 

 ture. One of the most important mat- 

 ters in connection with this work is 

 that i! shall have the cooperation of all 

 interested in the fruit industry in order 

 that this new menace may be effectually 

 stamped out. 



March, 1921 



comfort from this comparison, and 

 agree, each one to do his "bit" by talk- 

 ing optimism, doing a full day's work, 

 and determining to make the 1921 fruit 

 crop at least the cleanest we have ever 

 raised. 



The Importation of Fruit Pests. 



Discovery of heavj infestations of 

 brown-tail moth nests on fruit seedlings 

 ami of ncsis of the white-tree pierid on 

 other shipments received from France 

 have caused a general warning to be 



Optimism and a Clean Crop. 

 Misery loves company, especially 

 when the company is more miserable 

 than we are. A few quotations of pre- 

 vailing prices in Havana may tend to 

 make us more contented with our lot. 

 Grapefruit sells at New York prices, 

 though a few miles from the city they 

 are left to go to waste. A good pair 

 of men's low shoes are priced as high 

 as $28; flannel trousers at $:r>; silk 

 shirts al $30, and $8 for a cotton um- 

 brella is considered cheap. Cigarettes 

 which cost us 20 cents sell for (in .nils 

 there, ami for a *2 box of American 

 candj they ask $7. For a fairly good suil 

 of clothes, out of stock, the Havana 

 merchant charges $100; for women's 

 wear it is even higher. Let us take 



Fruit Trees for the Farm. 



Every farmer where it is possible to 

 grow them should have a few fruit trees 

 in a fenced orchard or yard. An acre is 

 little enough, but at least any farm 

 should have ten apple, five peach and 

 five cherry trees. These cost but a 

 trifle, but if cared for properly will 

 supply a family with fruit in some form 

 for the entire year. Then a row of 

 raspberries, blackberries, currants and 

 gooseberries and a square row of straw- 

 berries will add much to the happiness 

 of the family. 



What the Papers Interested in 

 Fruit Are Saying 



The establishment of a frozen fruit industry 

 would furnish another outlet for fruits that 

 otherwise might be wasted or at best find only 

 a sluggish market. That the .well-known 

 methods of preserving fish, meat, poultry, eggs 

 and butter by freezing should be extended 

 more generally to small fruits and tomatoes, 

 thus in effect making fresh fruit of these 

 kinds available throughout the year. — Canadian 

 Horticulturist. 



Very much more needs to be done before the 

 mass of farm women will have even the mod- 

 erate advantages enjoyed by a limited number, 

 the Secretary of Agriculture points out. 



The States Relations Service has published 

 the results of a survey through home demon- 

 stration agents of 10,000 farm homes in north- 

 ern and western states. 



Wherever it has been in operation the system 

 of county home demonstration agents has 

 proved to be the most helpful agency for the 

 benefit of farm women, and it should be ex- 

 panded, the Secretary asserts. He also urges 

 increased appropriations for the research work 

 of the Office of Home Economics of the depart- 

 ment. — New York State Fruitgrower. 



On the Pacific Coast there are four separate 

 power farming and implement associations. 

 They are the Northwest Power Farming Asso- 

 ciation of Spokane, the Portland Tractor and 

 Implement Association, Portland, Oregon; the 

 Traction Engine and Implement Dealers' As- 

 sociation, Los Angeles, and the California 

 Tractor and Implement Association, San Fran- 

 cisco. These four associations united and or- 

 ganized the Pacific Coast Tractor Associations 

 early in 1920. Members of this Coast associa- 

 tion have now made arrangements by which 

 there will be affiliation, even closest coopera- 

 tion, with the National Implement and Vehicle 

 Association, a large national association which 

 has had more to do with advancing power 

 farming than any other. — The Sunsweet Stand- 

 ard. 



In the growing of each fruit there are prob- 

 lems which stand out bright above others. The 

 three that we would mention in pear growing 

 are the small pear, fire blight and pear scab. 

 The small pear must go. The time is at hand 

 when our canneries are (;"inK to demand the 

 '_>'.. inch nail In I. Formerly tiny would take 

 pears as smalt as two inch, but they are grad- 

 ually increasing their demands and will do so 

 more and more as the tonnage increases. It is 

 doubtful if Bartletts as small as 1811 and 

 smallei should he classed as Extra Fancy. 



Large Bartletts can be produced by nivinn 

 the trees more pruning, more rigid thinning, 

 better tillage and irrigation when necessary. 



Fire blighl has been ably handled in this 

 edition by Messrs. (ale ami Hrimcr. and we 

 urge all growers to read their articles. Pear 

 scab is treated in this Dumber and can be 

 nicely controlled if tile grower will make up 

 his mind to follow thorough spraying as rec- 

 ommended by the Oregon Experiment station. 



There are a few minor troubles such as the 

 large fruit worm, canker worm and the 

 blister mite. This last is on the increase, but 

 there is im excuse for its presence as it can 

 be easily controlled. — Oregon Grower. 



