HORTICULTURE BY IRRIGATION. 



33 



Defective nourishment influences the wood growth 

 and also especially the fruit crop. An excess of nitro- 

 gen with a rich supply of potash increases the tend- 

 ency of wood growth but decreases fruitfulness. The 

 latter influence is least with young trees. Potash and 

 phosphoric acid alone can make a large fruit crop, 

 the wood growth on the contrary remaining weak ; 

 but the fruit cannot reach full development in case 

 of continued nitrogen hunger. Under all these con- 

 ditions, however, much depends on the condition of 

 the soil and the water supply. 



NEW MEXICO EXPERIMENT STATION. 



HILLSIDE ORCHARDS. 



Other things being equal orchards should be 

 planted upon gently sloping hillsides, and always 

 upon land that is well drained. Few if any varieties 

 of fruit trees will thrive with " wet feet," and standing 

 water in an orchard should never be allowed. It has 

 been often found that a north slope is best for 

 peaches and some other of the less hardy fruits, by 

 preventing the too early blooming of the trees and 

 consequent injury by late spring frosts. 



"Another advantage of having the orchard on the 

 higher lands is that it is much less liable to damage 

 by frost than when located in the lower valley lands. 

 " Frost drainage '' is well understood by many orch- 

 ardists. That is, frost, like water, follows the lower 

 channels and also like water, cold air may be drained 

 away from the higher to the lower levels leaving the 

 high land orchards entact while often destroying 

 those on low, level land. Except as limited by the 

 convenience of cultivation or irrigation, an orchard 

 may be successfully grown upon steep hillsides 

 whose fertility has not been washed away, leaving 

 the rock too near the surface. 



California has the largest prune orchards in the 

 world. A new one, taking three thousand acres, will 

 be started next spring. There is room for a greatly 

 increased supply of prunes, as they are not an article 

 of common consumption in the average family, and 

 the possibilities of this fruit in the cookery line have 

 not been half learned yet. Prunes are healthful and 

 cheap, these being two attributes desirable for articles 

 to be common in the family. The prune orchards 

 have a chance to increase the supply, and the demand 

 will come up to it, even if that is a reversal of the old 

 way of putting the saying. 



The Alessandro Orange Grove Company are plan- 

 ning to plant about 200 acres of their Moreno prop- 

 . erty to oranges. 



The following note on insect pests is taken from the 

 New Mexico Entomologist: 



A new pest of apple was discovered at Mesilla 

 lately. It is a small beetle boring in the bark; likely 

 to be decidedly troublesome should it become numer- 

 ous. It is hoped to make it the subject of a special 

 investigation hereafter. 



Some peach orchards in Kern county are said to be 

 damaged considerably by late frosts while most of 

 the apricots have fallen off the trees. Pears are not 

 hurt. 



RASPBERRY RUST. 



Raspberry rust is a great drawback to the pro- 

 duction of that toothsome berry, and growers should 

 look well to the spraying of the canes with the 

 Bordeaux mixture at the first appearance of rust. It 

 is alleged that in some parts of the country certain 

 varieties have proven to be rust proof; among these 

 may be mentioned the " Kansas " berry. 



BLACK ROT IN GRAPE. 



This disease is caused by the growth of a very small 

 plant, which can only be seen with a microscope, 

 belonging to the group of plants classed as fungi. Its 

 growth starts from a spore, corresponding to seed in 

 higher plants, germinating early in the spring and 

 usually makes its first appearance on the leaves, in 

 small brownish spots afterward upon the fruit. 



It can be prevented by spraying early with the 

 Bordeaux mixture. 



A full discussion of the life history of black rot in 

 the grape, methods of preparing and applying the 

 Bordeaux mixture are given in illustrated bulletin 

 No. 23 of the Texas Experiment Station. 



Judge Virden, of Mono county, California, has de- 

 cided that sheep may not be watered in a creek which 

 had been used for irrigating purposes by a rancher 

 near Bridgeport. His decision was sustained by the 

 Supreme Court. The injunction against the sheep 

 men was made perpetual. Rural Press. 



Dr. N. G. Blalock lately received an order for 

 ten thousand fruit trees to be transplanted on lands 

 reclaimed from the desert in the Yakima valley by 

 irrigation. 



Two-thirds of the fruit of the world is grown on 

 irrigated land. 



