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THE IKRIGATION AGE. 



A TEN THOUSAND ACRE APPLE ORCHARD 



Located twenty-two miles north from the city of 

 Spokane, Washington, in a valley surrounded by moun- 

 tains, lies the property of Arcadia Orchards Company. 

 The land lies beautifully with a slight slope to the south- 

 east. 



The company is now developing in this valley one of 

 the largest, if not the largest, commercial orchard in the 

 entire west. Water for irrigation is supplied by gravity, 

 and is taken from Deer and Loon Lakes, located about 

 twelve miles north and covering 2,700 acres of land. The 

 elevation of these lakes is about 300 feet above the land 

 owned by the company, and by tapping the south end the 

 process of diverting the water is very simple, as it can be 

 conducted the greater part of the way through a creek bed 

 which runs directly through the land of the Arcadia 

 Orchards Company. The water is delivered upon the land 

 in open ditches, thus avoiding the expense of a pumping 

 plant. 



The soil is a sandy loam, and good crops are raised 

 even without irrigation. The company is developing its 

 tracts into one vast orchard, and the land is being sold in 

 five and ten acre tracts to homeseekers and investors. 



The company has rather a novel proposition, as it 

 plants the land to orchard, irrigates and cares for it for 

 four years, and turns over to the purchaser a bearing or- 

 chard at the expiration of that time. 



The company makes no charge for water, and pays 

 taxes for five years from date of contract. Under this 

 plan non-residents and persons engaged in other occu- 

 pations are able to secure an irrigated orchard, and have 

 it brought to bearing by the company. 



It is estimated that by the fall of 1910, over 2,000 acres 

 of this land will be planted to orchard and the entire tract 

 under irrigation. The land is about 2,000 feet above 

 sea level, and surrounding orchards indicate the splen- 

 did adaptability for orchard-raising. 



Deer Park, a city of one thousand inhabitants, is 

 located about the center of the company's property on 

 the Spokane Falls & Northern Railroad. 



The head office of the company is in the Hyde 

 Block, Spokane, Wash. 



THE LIME-SULPHUR WASH. 



For controlling the San Jose scale there is no solu- 

 tion that can approach the Lime-Sulphur wash. In fact, 

 it is the only sure remedy for this orchard destroyer. 

 While it may not absolutely exterminate the San Jose 

 scale, it is so effective that one thorough treatment 

 late each winter is sufficient to keep the trees in good 

 condition. And again, it has the advantage of being 

 a very cheap solution. 



Treatment can be made in the fall after the leaves 

 are off, when trees are very badly infested, at first dis- 

 covery of the scale. The Lime-Sulphur wash is mainly 

 a winter remedy and the later it is applied, the better 

 it is, just so the treatment is given before the buds 

 open, as it at that time would be very injurious to the 

 foliage. If delays necessitated its use after the buds 

 are open, care should be taken to see that the wash is 

 directed to the branches and trunk only, leaving the 

 twigs and blossoms untouched. 



When trees have been sprayed with the Lime-Sul- 

 phur wash in late winter, there is no need to spray 

 with' Bordeaux mixture until after the blossoms fall. 

 In other words, a late application of Lime-Sulphur 

 wash takes the place of the late winter application of 

 Bordeaux mixture. 



It is a very good practice to spray with Lime- 

 Sulphur every two or three years, even if there be no 

 scale present, as it has an excellent general effect on 

 the tree in removing moss, dead bark, etc. This would 

 also check the scale if it should get started and would 

 entirely prevent it from killing hundred of trees before 

 its discovery, as is so often the case. 



The Lime-Sulphur wash, like everything else in the 

 spray mixture class, has its disadvantages. It is dis- 



agreeable to prepare, destructive to spray pumps and very 

 difficult to store, but its advantages are sufficient to war- 

 rant its use time and time again. No spray pump with- 

 out brass working parts should be used in its application. 

 For preparing one barrel of the wash, the following 

 formula is cosidered as a standard: 



Stone lime 15 Ibs. 



Sulphur (flowers) 15 Ibs. 



Water to make 50 gallons. 



Heat from four to six gallons of water to boiling over 

 fire in large iron or brass kettle. Mix the sulphur with 

 enough hot water to make a thin paste and pour it into 

 the kettle with the hot water. Then add the lime and as 

 it slakes, dash in a little cold water as needed, to keep it 

 from boiling over or becoming dry. As the slaking ceases, 

 keep it boiling from the fire for half an hour longer, then 

 dilute with water (cold is all right) to make the 50 gal- 

 lons; strain through a fine wire screen or cloth to remove 

 all sediment, and spray. 



The Lime-Sulphur wash not only kills the scales with 

 which it actually comes in contact, but it forms a thin firm 

 coating over the twigs upon which the young insects seem 

 to find difficulty in settling down to feed and grow. As 

 this coating gradually wears off by rains or by growth of 

 the tree, it is important that the wash be applied as late in 

 the winter as possible, so that the coating shall be present 

 when the insects begin to breed in the spring. 



The best time to treat the trees therefore, is in the 

 late winter as late as possible so the work is completed 

 before the buds have opened. Trees that are badly in- 

 fested may be given two treatments; the first in late No- 

 vember or December, and the second as late as possible 

 (usually in March) but once the scale is subdued, one ap- 

 plication late each winter is sufficient. 



INTERIOR SECTIONAL VIEW 



A First-Class Pump for Applying Lime-Sulphur Wash. Made by the 

 Deming Company, Salem. Oh.io. 



