Page 68 



BETTER FRUIT 



June 



lower strata and the presence of more 

 liumiis. It increases the number of roots 

 that a plant will throw out. It allows 

 plants to root deeper and find perma- 

 nent moisture. It largely obviates the 

 necessity of terracing, because it holds 

 so much water in suspension that heavy 

 rainfalls will go to the bottom and be 

 held by the drier earth above until they 

 can be absorbed by the sub-soil. Humus 

 enables the soil to store more moisture, 

 increases its temperature, makes it more 

 porous, furnishes plant food, stimulates 

 chemical action and fosters bacterial life. 



Exceptions to general rules for deep 

 fall plowing: Never plow below the line 

 of standing water in the soil, because the 

 sub-soil cannot be pulverized in water. 

 The water level must first be lowered by 

 drainage. Do no deep fall plowing on 

 light, sandy land or dry, semi-arid plains, 

 and this especially applies to elevated 

 sandy table lands and most of the deep 

 sandy lands of the South. Such lands 

 can be helped by adding humus and 

 using a winter cover crop. The object 

 of deep fall plowing is mainly to increase 

 the supply of plant food and the storage 

 of moisture in the soil. While this 

 preparation is of great value on rolling 

 lands and nearly all fields so long in cul- 

 tivation that plant growth is medium or 

 less, there are some soils that for the 

 production of cotton better not be deep 

 fall broken, such as very rich and moist 

 river bottoms and the virgin black land 

 prairies of the Gulf States, for the evi- 

 dent reason that there is too much plant 

 food for cotton already available in the 

 soil, with abundant moisture — conditions 

 that make for an excessive growth of the 

 cotton stalks and a consequent decrease 

 in fruitage — even under ordinary condi- 

 tions. For the cotton crop upon such 

 lands it is better to plow very shallow 

 in the spring and bed upon the firm soil. 

 Do not plow deeply or sub-soil in the 

 spring. The sub-soil is generally too full 

 of water, and it is too late for much 

 efifective action of the air upon the soil 

 and for the winter rains to firm the sub- 

 soil before planting for cotton. Thin 

 gray soils, underlaid with yellow or stiff 

 clay near the surface, most of the post 

 oak flats and the comparatively level 

 coast lands should be broken in ridges 

 (back-furrowed) five, six or seven feet 

 wide, according to the crop to be planted. 

 Cotton and corn may be left thicker in 

 the row to offset the wider space 

 between the rows. The dead furrow 

 between the rows should be double 

 plowed and made as deep as practicable, 

 with a good outlet for the water. This 

 method will gradually deepen the soil, 

 increase drainage, reduce washing and 

 give a larger and deeper body of loose, 

 aired earth for the roots. This plan is 

 excellent when surface drainage is neces- 

 sary. Soil to be live and friable must be 

 kept out of standing water winter and 

 summer. 



The sugar planters of Louisiana all 

 use the ridge method (generally seven 

 feet wide) for both sugar cane and corn. 

 The dead furrow is as deep as a plow 

 drawn by four or six heavy mules can 

 perTctrate at the last breaking. This 



gives an average depth of tillage of 

 twelve or fifteen inches. The adoption 

 of the ridge method on demonstration 

 fields in the Yazoo Delta in 1906 

 increased the yield of corn from four- 

 teen bushels per acre to seventy bushels. 

 No fertilizer was used. 



In case no winter cover crop is used 

 the soil should be disked or harrowed 

 two or three times during the winter, 

 provided it is dry enough. Give good 

 drainage to all parts of the field. Any 

 cultivation done after the deep fall 

 breaking should be shallow — not more 

 than three or four inches deep. 



^ <«> ^ 



HKATING ORCHARDS to protect buds, flow- 

 ers and young fruit from late spring frosts 

 has proven to be practicable. There are three 

 ways of generating lieat in the orchard — by burn- 

 ing oil, by burning coal and by burning wood or 

 brush. Heat is what is wanted, and not smoke. 

 Smoke will help at times, but cannot often be 

 depended upon, especially in the hilly or rolling 

 lands of Missouri. In a deep valley the smudge 

 value of smoke would be the greatest. If smoke 

 can be made to hang over the orchard it serves 

 tlie purpose of preventing the escape of a great 

 deal of natural heat which radiates from the earth. 



In Missouri it will rarely be necessary to raise 

 the temperature more than two or three degrees in 

 order to save the crop. Swelling buds, full blown 

 flowers, and even young fruit, can stand more cold 

 than is generally supposed. The degree of cold 

 that will be fatal will depend upon the stage of 

 development of bud, flower or fruit. The danger 

 points for peaches are as follows: Buds appre- 

 ciably swollen, zero; buds showing pink, 15 above 

 zero; almost open, 2.5 above zero; flowers newlv 

 opened, 26 above zero; petals beginning to fall. 28 

 above zero; all petals off, 30 above zero; "shucks" 

 (calyx tubes) beginning to shed off, 32 above zero. 

 It should be added that the farther along the 

 young fruit is in its development the less cold it 

 can stand. The most tender stage is not when 

 trees are in full bloom. The danger points for 

 apples would correspond pretty closely to the 

 different stages enumerated lOr peaches. 



The danger points mentioned are conservative, 

 as in each case a little lower temperature would 

 not kill, but heaters should be lighted as these 

 lines are approached. This applies to oil burners. 

 When coal is used the heaters will have to be 

 started from thirty to sixty minutes earlier, as 

 they are slower in warming up. The same thing 

 is true of bin-ning wood. When the temperature 

 is falling rapidly, in all cases, heaters should be 

 started decidedly earlier than when it is going 

 down gradually. Complete preparations for the 

 heating should be made well in advance. The 

 heaters may have to be filled and left in the 

 orchard two or three weeks before they are needed. 

 In the meantime they must be carefully covered, 

 as rains may occur and wet coal, or water in oil, 

 will cause very inefficient fires. 



The number of heaters per acre will vary some- 

 what, depending upon their size and heat-giving 

 powers. No heater holding less than two gallons 

 of oil should be used, as it is not practicable to 

 refill them during the night if used on a large 

 scale. Coal burners also should be large enough to 

 burn from five to seven hours. Used as a pro- 

 tection against spring frosts it will rarely be neces- 

 sary to keep the fires going longer than four 

 hours — from two o'clock in the morning until six — 

 but in extreme cases they may have to be started 

 as early as eleven o'clock. Always prepare for 

 the worst. I'or apple and peach orchards it is 

 not safe to use less than sixty or seventy of the 

 larger types of heaters per acre. For the mod- 

 erate sizes of both oil and coal burners eighty to 

 one hundred per acre should insure absolute pro- 

 tection. In open strawberry fields at least 125 

 heaters per acre should be used to insure safety 

 in time of very low temperature. The same is 

 true of vineyards. 



There are fifteen or more kinds of orchard heat- 

 ers on the market, and prices vary all the way 

 from $20 to $45 per hundred. The average price 

 would be about $30 per hundred, regardless of 

 make, as the larger the heater used the fewer will 

 be reqviired per acre, and vice versa. Of course, 

 these figures are only approximate. Oil in lots of 

 less than a tank car (6,000 to 10,000 gallons) costs 

 about five cents ner gallon. In car lots the cost is 

 two and one-half cents per gallon. Use nothing 

 but fuel oil of thirty degrees specific gravity. This 

 can be purchased through oil dealers everywhere. 

 Oil may be stored in galvanized iron tanks or in 

 cemented cisterns, where the walls have been 

 coated over with a layer of asphalt paint to pre- 

 vent leakage. Tanks holding 1,200 gallons cost 

 about $38 each. Where fuel and other things arc 

 purchased in large quantities the cost per acre is 

 relatively less. Small orchardists should combine 

 wlien jjurchasing supplies. 



The cost of heating a fifteen-acre orchard, or 

 larger, the first year would approximate $45 to 



$50 per acre. Less than fifteen acres, wlierc the 

 owner purchased alone, the cost would be about 

 $55 to $60 per acre. These estimates inckide 

 heaters, fuel, storage, tanks and labor. Tank 

 wagons would cost extra. After the first year the 

 cost for heating would not be more than $10 to 

 $20 per acre. These figures refer to oil heaters. 

 We do not have the data for coal burners, but 

 they would be no more, and probably less. Where 

 a large block (10 acres or more) is heated the 

 number of heaters per acre will be reduced, as 

 fewer will be needed in the interior of the orchard. 

 W. L. Howard, University of Missouri, Colum- 

 bia, Missouri. 



Fruit Ranch 



We can sell all or half of a fine eighty-acre 

 ranch, located in the famous White Salmon Val- 

 ley, Washington, and only one and one-half miles 

 from railway and steamer landing. 



This place will pay nice income and make beau- 

 tiful home in ideal country and climate. 



Six-room house, with large living room and fire- 

 place, bathroom, hot and cold water, etc.; about 

 twenty-five acres cleared and in fruit, consisting 

 of strawberries, apples, pears, peaches, etc. 



Immediate possession can be given and price is 

 right. 



I'or further particulars address 



INLAND EMPIRE COMPANY 



212-14 Railway Exchange Building 

 Portland, Oregon. 



TOO LATE! 



Is the answer many a man has had 

 to take during this last month, 

 because he waited until the last 

 moment to place his order, only to 

 find stocks depleted and assortments 

 broken. 



It is time now to lay your plans 

 for next season. If you are going to 

 be on the market for nursery stock, 

 drop us a line. We have splendid, 

 clean, thrifty, guaranteed stock, on 

 which we want to quote you. Qual- 

 ity comes first, with us, and we have 

 what you want. 



Our 1911 catalog is ready for your 

 inspection, and we want to mail one 

 to your address. 



We need more salesmen, and if 

 you can sell trees let us show you 

 our proposition. 



Toppenish Nursery 

 Company 



Toppenish, Washington 



WHY GO WEST? 



Virginia offers this opportunity: 



70-acre bearing apple orchard for 

 sale. Trees vigorous, 12 to 20 years 

 old. Ideal soil and location; no 

 frost: elevation 1.500 feet; low freight 

 rates. Pleasant home; fine neighbor- 

 hood. This orchard, together with 

 all crops, extra land, horses and 

 machinery, $26,500. 



GEO. C. CATCHPOLE 



R. D. 3 Troutville, Virginia 



WHEN WRITING .\DVERTISERS MENTION BETTER FRUIT 



