2258 NORTH AMERICAN STATES 



NORTH AMERICAN STATES 



timbered territory of northern Idaho and especially the 

 country around Coeur d'Alene, Hayden Lake, Pend 

 Oreille Lake, Sandpoint, Bonners Ferry, Clarks Fork, 

 Rathdrum, and Post Falls. It includes all of Bonner 

 County and parts of Kootenai, Shoshone, Latah, 

 Clearwater and Idaho counties. It is a large district 

 and there is considerable variation in the conditions in 

 different parts of it. 



The soils of the northern part of the state vary in 

 texture from silt loams to sandy loams and in color 

 from red to black. The climate is mild in summer and 

 not severe in winter. The elevation varies from 1,500 

 to 2,500 feet. The annual precipitation is from 20 



2525. Idaho, with most important horticultural parts. 



to 25 inches and is sufficient to mature horticul- 

 tural crops although irrigation is practised in several 

 localities. 



While a large number of varieties of apples are grown 

 in this district, the Wagener is apparently the leader. 

 Northern Idaho is, however, much more of a natural 

 pear than apple district. The growers have less trouble 

 with blight than in some other sections of the state. 

 This is not a peach nor a grape district and practically 

 none of these fruits is grown. In favored localities, a 

 few early peaches, such as Hale Early, and early 

 grapes such as Moore Early, might be grown. All 

 sour cherries do well, and in parts of the district ex- 

 cellent sweet cherries are raised. All the other small- 

 and tree-fruits are grown successfully. Some growers 

 report that loganberries cannot be raised, while others 

 state that they do very well. 



The local conditions, such as soil, air-drainage, ele- 

 vation and slope are important considerations in the 

 establishment of an orchard in this district. 



The Palouse district includes all of the typical rolling 

 wheat-growing region, known as the "Palouse country." 

 The commercial orchards are mostly located around the 

 towns of Viola, Moscow, Potlatch, Genesee and Prince- 



ton. As conditions are very similar on the "Camas 

 prairie" which lies in Idaho, Lewis, Clearwater, and 

 Nez Perce counties, it is also included in the Palouse 

 district. The larger plantings of fruit on "Camas 

 prairie" are found in the vicinity of the towns of Grange- 

 ville, Cottonwood, and Nez Perce. 



Irrigation is not necessary in this district, the rainfall 

 being from 20 to 25 inches, which is sufficient to grow 

 crops successfully, although a good dust-mulch is 

 essential in order to obtain size of fruit. The deep, 

 friable soils are of basalitic formation, very fine in tex- 

 ture, and hold moisture remarkably well. The elevation 

 varies from 2,000 to 3,500 feet. 



The proper choice of a site is very essential to 

 successful orcharding. The orchard should be located 

 on a slope and the lower side should be at a somewhat 

 greater elevation than the bottom of the valley. This 

 insures air- as well as good soil-drainage. As cold air 

 settles to the lower levels, low places are subject to frost 

 and for that reason low-lying basins or pockets should 

 be avoided for orchard purposes. 



Experiments have shown that greater color may be 

 secured on apples in this district by summer pruning. 



Pear-growing is rapidly gaining prominence in 

 certain parts of the Palouse district. All sweet cherries 

 do exceptionally well. The Bing is the leader, although 

 the Royal Ann and Lambert are excellent. The sour 

 cherries also find here soil and climate congenial to their 

 growth. The Italian prune does not attain the size 

 which it reaches in some of the the irrigated sections of 

 the state, but the quality is excellent. Peaches are 

 nearly always killed by frost and practically none is 

 raised in the district; the same is true of grapes. 



The strawberry is one of the most popular fruits 

 grown. It thrives well in practically all parts of the 

 district. The Clarks Seedling is a favorite on account 

 of its superior shipping qualities, its flavor and its 

 yield. Very few loganberries are raised although they 

 apparently do very well. All other small-fruits grow 

 well when cared for in a proper manner. 



The Lewiston district includes the territory around 

 the town of Lewiston in the Lewiston Valley. It extends 

 up the Clearwater Valley to Stites; up the Potlatch 

 Creek Valley to Kendrick; and south from Lewiston 

 along the Snake River. The average elevation is low. 

 It varies from 700 feet to about 2,000 feet at the upper 

 end of the Potlatch Creek Valley. The annual precipi- 

 tation ranges from 12 to 20 inches. Irrigation is 

 practised in the Lewiston orchards as well as in parts 

 of the Clearwater and Snake River valleys. Practically 

 all kinds of fruits of excellent quality are raised here. 

 In a few favored localities, European grapes, such as 

 Flame Tokay, Muscat, and the like are grown success- 

 fully. A large percentage of the fruit in this district is 

 grown on a bench about 3 miles southeast of Lewis- 

 ton at an approximate elevation of 1,500 feet, known as 

 the "Lewiston orchards." In these tracts there are 

 about 6,000 acres. A few varieties of fruit are grown in 

 this locality that do not do well in other parts of the 

 state, among them being the Spitzenberg and Yellow 

 Newton varieties of apples. 



The Payette district includes the territory along the 

 Payette River from its mouth to the Horseshoe Bend 

 and Brown Lee country; along the Snake River from 

 Weiser to Payette; and along the Weiser River from 

 Weiser to the Council Valley. A large percentage of the 

 fruit is planted around the towns of Payette, Fruitland, 

 New Plymouth, Emmett, Woods Spur, Jonathan and 

 Weiser. This is the largest fruit district of Idaho, 

 calculated on the basis of the acreage planted to fruit. 

 The soils are volcanic ash and vary in texture from light 

 sandy loams on the uplands to heavy dark loams in the 

 valleys. The annual precipitation ranges from 10 to 

 15 inches. Irrigation is necessary. 



The Council Valley section is located along the upper 

 Weiser and Council rivers. Its elevation varies from 



