May 4, 1907 



HORTICULTURE. 



591 



PROSPECTS FOR FRUIT CROP. 



The following reports from the hor- 

 ticultural inspectors have been re- 

 ceived by Secretary M. A. Shute of 

 the Colorado State Board of Horticul- 

 ture in reply to letters sent out April 

 nth. 



Boulder County — From L. H. Stan- 

 ton, Boulder: 



"The oichards iu Boulder county are 

 generally In good condition having been 

 better cared for during the past season 

 than heretofore. The fruit buds have not 

 been injured to any great extent and the 

 prospect for a fruit crop this year Is good. 

 The greatest danger is from late freezing, 

 a-S the buds are a month earlier than 

 usual." 



Garfield County — From J. F. Myser, 

 Rifle: 



"AH fruit buds In Garfield County up 

 to the present time are in perfect condi- 

 tion, with a favorable outlook for the fu- 

 ture. The danger period for pcai-s ho%v- 

 ever, has not arrived yet as tJiey are not 

 In bloom. The frost may catch them 

 later when in bloom or about that time 

 and we all know the result." 



Pueblo County — Prom J. N. Bartels, 

 Pueblo: 



"Our fruit in this county is somewhat 

 injured from the late cold weather the 

 latter part of March. We are still hope- 

 ful that it Is not as badly damaged as 

 reports would Indicate. One man said 

 to day 40 per cent, of his peaches were 

 left, Ben Davis apples are neaily all 

 killed. The Yellow Transparent are all 

 safe, as are some other varieties. We 

 are still hopeful. The prospects were 

 never better for a heavy crop until the 

 freeze came, and people were becoming 

 enthusiastic over fruit growing in Pueblo 

 County. The largest acreage of trees will 

 be planted this year in Pueblo County 

 than has ever been planted, perhaps double 

 that of any former years. Most of the 

 trees that have been shipped in are of a 

 superior quality. People are dealing di- 

 rectly with reputable nurseries which is 

 better for both parties." 



Montroso County — From Edward 

 Silva, Montrose; 



"The fruit crop in this section is so far 

 O. K. The apricots and Japanese plums 

 are badly injured, but the peaches and 

 apples are not hurt at all. The outlook 

 is tine for a large crop of peaches and 

 apples if nothing happens." 



Larimer County — ^From F. Y. Mose- 

 ley, I^Kjvelanrt: 



"The peach and peach-plum have been 

 frosted a little but there are only a few of 

 these in Larimer County and ei-orything 

 else is in line shape. The prospect for 

 a full crop of fruit is good except thar 

 the extreme eailiness of the season and 

 consequent extraordinary advancenier.t of 

 fruit buds places most all fruit in greac 

 danger for almost a month to come." 



Montezuraa County — From P. S. 

 Taylor, Dolores: 



"No Injuiy to fruit buds. Prospect for 

 the largest fruit crop ever had in Monte- 

 zuma Ccuut.v. The peoi)le are setting out 

 an unusual number of fruit tre.-.s." 



Denver County — From C. F. Thomp- 

 son, Denver: 



'■I find upon investigation Ihat frost in 

 this Ocunty up to date has done no dam- 

 age. The outlook for a good crop of the 

 small fruits is good." 



Fremont County — From Thurston 

 White, Canon City: 



"I think the fruit prospects ai-e gooil 

 yet. Doubtless many of the earlier blooms 

 of peaches, plums and apples are killed. 

 I think however there is plenty left for 

 a full crop. Trees are coming in very 

 rapidly for sprimr planting." 



Morgan County — From A. W. Har- 

 court, Ft. Morgan: 



"Early blooming plum.s are about halt 

 killed by frosts, otherwise the prospects is 

 good for all kinds of fruit." 



Otero County — Prom J. J. Brown, 

 Fowler: 



"The cold snap that we had here just 

 after Easter did a great deal of damage 

 to tae fruit buds, killing practically all of 

 the peaches, about 75 per cent, of the 

 early cherries and frira ten to twenty per 

 cent, of the later cheiTles. I notice that 

 the damage done varies with the orchards, 

 those having been irrigate Just before 



IRRIGATION OF GARDEN CROPS. 



The necessity for iiTigatiou is be- 

 ginnin.g to be felt in the truck gardens 

 of western New York, and especially 

 in the garden lands of Irondequoit 

 where, on account of a good city mar- 

 ket, it is advisable to force early 

 vegetables and great interest has been 

 manifested in the subject of irrigation. 



The gardeners have become alarmed, 

 in recent years, at the drought, es- 

 pecially at critical periods in the life 

 of certain crops, and they are giving 

 their attention to the means whereby 

 the land can be moistened and the 

 thought of drought have no fear for 

 them. 



The gardeners who have piped their 

 land for irrigation and can throw a 

 good spray, as shown in the picture, 

 are well pleased with the results ob- 

 tained. The subject illustrated is 



celery. The picture shows how it is 

 planted, the rows one and one-half 

 feet apart, and the plants in the row 

 four inches. The celery watered last 

 year, grew well and did not rust. The 

 sprayers are placed so that there is 

 an equal distribution of the water, and 

 the plan is economical. The gardener 

 can, when the celery is ready for mar- 

 ket, take up the pipes, and use them, 

 if desired, for winter heating purposes. 

 The wells from which the water is 

 obtained are usually 12x12 and 20 feet 

 deep, and have so far given an 

 abundant supply of water. The water 

 is forced with a gasoline engine. 

 Celery is not the only crop sprayed. 

 It is done also with spinach, carrots, 

 parsley, beets, musk-melons, and in 

 fact all kinds of vegetables. 



H. R. PEACHEY. 



the frost came not being hurt as badly 

 as those where the soil was dry. The 

 last frost came on the night after the 

 rain that we had on the morning of April 

 4th and did very little damage (except 

 that it killed what few peaches that were 

 left) on account of everything being wet. 

 I have not made a very thorough inspec- 

 tion of the orchards yet, as I have been 

 very busy looking after nurseiy stock, a 

 great deal of which is being shipped into 

 our county this year. The prospect for 

 the apple crop is lirst class at the present 

 time, there not being such an exhaustive 

 amount of bloom buds, but plenty to give 

 a full crop, and they are well distributed 

 over the trees, thus distributing the drain 

 of sap equally among the branches. The 

 early plums were nearly all in bloom when 

 the freeze came and of course all of the 

 tender ones were killed. The late plums, 

 such as the Lombard, Green Gage, Ger- 

 man Prune, etc., are still all right." 



Delta County— From H. A. Richard- 

 son, Delta: 



"The fruit buds are injured some, but 

 the trees were so heavily loaded it was 

 more of a benefit than an injury. The 

 prospects for fruit generally, excepting the 

 apricots, is very promising, and if we have 

 no late frost you will hear from Delta 

 County the coming fall." 



SPRING FRUIT PROTECTION. 



Replying io ^n American inquiry, 

 Consul-General A. W. Thackara, of 

 Berlin, makes the following report 

 relative to the German use of smudges 

 in the protection of fruit trees, vines, 

 etc.,. from frosts: 



It is the opinion of all those from 

 whom I have heard that the protection 



of trees from damage which may be 

 caused by late frosts, at least in Ger- 

 many, is by no means in general use, 

 and the method may still be considered 

 in the experimental stage. For in- 

 stance: In Werder, about 25 miles 

 from Berlin, the center of a large 

 fruit-growing industry, the president 

 of the fruit growers" association 

 writes me that the method is very 

 little employed. In isolated cases the 

 growers have used dried leaves, weeds, 

 sawdust, or some other cheap material 

 which will produce smoke, with more 

 or less favorable results. In the vine 

 district of the Rhine and among the 

 fruit growers of Wurttemberg when a 

 number of the neighboring owners 

 unite together and make a concerted 

 movement to use the smudge method 

 a certain degree of success has been 

 obtained, but the method is not in 

 general use in Germany. It is not 

 intended to give the impression that 

 the question of the protection of fruit 

 trees and vines from frost by means 

 of smudges is not of interest to the 

 agriculturists of this country — far from 

 it. Many exhaustive experiments have 

 been made by experts and others and 

 are still being made, and while the 

 results have not yet been as favor- 

 able as were wished for, a satisfac- 

 tory solution, which wotild mean mil- 

 lions of dollars probably to those in- 

 terested, is still hoped for. 



