50 TENTH BIENNIAL REPORT 



plot which received clean cultivation gave the lowest yield of fruit, 

 while the plots which were seeded to clover and to peas and all growth 

 plowed under gave the highest yields. There was also a great differ- 

 ence in the appearance of the bearing trees. The trees in the clover and 

 pea plots showed a normal, healthy growth, while in the cultivated 

 plot some of the trees had limbs entirely bare of foliage. A soil test 

 in the various plots showed 1,505 pounds more per acre of nitrogen 

 in the upper two feet of soil of the plot with the clover cover crops 

 plowed under than in the plot which received clean cultivation. To 

 bring the nitrogen content of the plot receiving continuous clean culti- 

 vation up to that of the clover plot approximately 9,406 pounds of 

 commercial nitrate of soda per acre would have to be applied. It 

 might not be entirely necessary to plow all of the growth of clover un- 

 der, one or even two crops of hay might be cut and then the clover 

 plowed under. 



The prices received for apples this year were better than for many 

 years and some of the farmers who have hitherto neglected their 

 trees, encouraged by the satisfactory prices, will next year take 

 more interest and put more work in the orchards. According to some 

 who have the orchard only as a side issue, the apples were the best 

 paying crop on the ranch. 



The apple crop compared very favorably with those of other years. 

 The frosts in the spring did not do near the damage expected and the 

 crop was much larger than estimated. The grade of the apples and 

 the color seemed to be better than usual. Although there was some hail 

 it was not of material consequence except in a few locations. The ap- 

 ples do not appear to have the keeping quality of other years. This' 

 is due probably to the exceedingly hot and dry season, the apples ma- 

 turing earlier than usual. 



While sweet cherries are almost a failure here, sour cherries can 

 be grown to perfection in the valley. It would be hard to beat the 

 Morello and Montmorency grown the past season. From one young 

 orchard alone eight hundred and ninety two crates of cherries were 

 picked and shipped. 



There was very little nursery stock shipped into the valley the 

 past year. There wore practically no new plantings of orchards and 

 the trees that were shipped in were used to replace dead or diseased 

 trees and in some cases blocks of undesirable varieties were pulled 



