108 HORTICULTURE, FORESTRY, FLORICULTURE 



thence it is conveyed in a main canal to the orchard lands and dis- 

 tributed to the groves in cement and vitrified clay pipes. The owner 

 of a tract, whether it be 10, 20, 30, or 40 acres in extent, receives his 

 supply at the highest corner through a hydrant box. Each hydrant 

 box not only allows the water to pass from the end of a lateral pipe 

 to the head flume of the tract to be irrigated, but also measures the 

 amount in miner's inches under a 4-inch pressure head as it passes 

 through. 



On the Gage Canal System in Riverside County, Cal., the water 

 supply for the tiers of 40-acre tracts is taken from the canal in riveted 

 steel pipes varying from 6 to 10 inches in diameter. These larger 

 mains are connected with 4, 5, and 6 inch lateral pipes of the same 

 material, which convey the water to the highest point of each 10-acre 

 tract. 



The ditches conducting water from gravity canals to orchard 

 tracts do not differ from the supply ditches for other crops. 



Clearing and Grading Land for Fruit. As a rule fruit trees are 

 planted on land previously cultivated and cropped. One of the best 

 preparatory crops for orchards is alfalfa. This vigorous plant breaks 

 up the soil and subsoil by its roots, collects and stores valuable plant 

 foods, and when it is turned under at the end of the second or third 

 year leaves the soil in much better condition for the retention of 

 moisture and the growth of young trees. 



In the Bitter Root Valley, Montana, new land is first plowed 8 

 to 12 inches deep, then carefully graded and smoothed and seeded to 

 red clover for one or two seasons. On the west side of this valley 

 pine trees and pine stumps are encountered. These can best be re- 

 moved by burning. A hole l 1 /^ inches in diameter is bored through 

 the base of the stump or tree in a slanting direction. It is near the 

 surface of the ground on the windward side and about 18 inches 

 above the surface on the leeward side. A fire is then built in the 

 hole, using small twigs to start it. As the fire burns the opening is 

 increased and larger limbs are inserted. In two or three days the 

 stump will have burned out, the fire burning down into the roots to 

 a depth of 12 to 14 inches. The cost of such clearing varies with the 

 character of the land and the density of the growth. From $10 to 

 $15 an acre will clear the land of stumps and it then costs $5 to $10 

 to get the unburnt roots plowed out and the land ready for planting. 



In recent years large areas of wooded lands in both the Hood 

 River and Rogue River valleys of Oregon have been cleared in order 

 to plant apple trees. One of the methods employed in the Hood 

 River district to rid the land of its growth of fir, pine, scrub oak, and 

 laurel is similar to that just described. Another method consists in 

 splitting open the stumps with giant powder and then pulling out 

 the roots with a stump puller. Stump pullers of various kinds are 

 used in California for a like purpose. The most powerful of these 

 consists of a portable engine, windlass, and cable similar to an ordi- 

 nary hoisting plant. A heavy chain is fastened to the tree at the 

 proper height from the ground. To this chain the pulling cable is 



