75 2 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
Champion, Carmen and Belle, or other kinds of their 
period, and practically closed with Elberta. 
Of apples, Jonathan leads all others in popularity. It 
is followed in order of importance by Winesap, Grimes, 
Gano, Rome Beauty and Arkansas Black. These growers 
aim to produce a product of great uniformity and beauty. 
The bright sunshine and cool nights develop handsome 
color tints and good keeping quality. The Colorado 
apple is sold on its appearance. 
ORCHARD MANAGEMENT 
In the early plantings the trees stand much too close. 
Some of these fifteen year old apple trees are not more 
than a rod apart and already the faint-hearted have begun 
to prune or trim up each tree instead of thinning by cutting 
out about half of the trees in order that the remainder 
might develop normally. The more experienced realize 
the situation, and where peach trees have been used as 
fillers these are coming out, but in cases where the orchards 
are of apples throughout, 
the reformation is taking 
place much too slowly for 
the good of the perma¬ 
nent trees. Later plant¬ 
ings are being set at thirty 
feet apart for the perma¬ 
nent trees, but it is a ques¬ 
tion whether this is ade¬ 
quate. Certainly not if 
the trees live as long under 
irrigation as they do under 
natural conditions in New 
England and New York. 
Both Mr. J. F. Moore, pres¬ 
ident, and H. G. Fletcher, 
secretary of the Grand Junction Fruit Growers’ Associa¬ 
tion, are keenly alive to the importance of this question 
as affecting the quality of the product and are urging 
growers to set trees farther apart and to thin without 
delay orchards now beginning to crowd. 
PRUNING 
Peaches are uniformly vase-shaped and headed back 
in many cases to a flat top. The system is a transplant 
of that in vogue in Michigan a number of years ago, but 
very much modified in recent years. The trees are headed 
low but on account of close planting the heads are creeping 
up. 
Apple trees are also headed low, but usually carry too 
many scaffold or framework branches. Signs of these 
heads now rising rapidly are not wanting in the older 
orchards for the side branches are shaded to the dis¬ 
advantage of well colored fruit. 
Reforms are bound to come. The pioneers, paradoxi¬ 
cally as it may sound, often make the mistakes while 
reaping the rewards. Of course close tops are needed in 
that region of hot sunshine, but it may be overdone by 
growing seven or eight scaffold branches when four or five 
will serve the purpose better. 
TILLAGE 
Thus far the orchards are either tilled clean throughout 
the season, or a secondary crop, such as potatoes or sugar 
beets, is grown. Cover cropping has not taken hold as a 
practice. With such fertile soil as Grand Valley possesses 
and abundance of water, cover cropping is not likely to 
appear as a pressing question until it is forced upon the 
attention of the grower by economic considerations or pos¬ 
sibly physiological disorders affecting the trees. At 
present tillage is directed, as in most irrigated sections, 
mainly toff;he conservation of soil moisture. 
IRRIGATION 
With an abundant supply to draw upon, water is freely 
used. The past spring has been unusually dry and on 
every side rivulets of water were slaking the thirsty soil. 
So liberal is the application that “navigation” even on 
foot through the orchards at this time is a trifle precarious. 
I could not help thinking that too much water was being 
given in some instances. 
Of course this hinges fin¬ 
ally upon the character of 
the soil. If natural drain¬ 
age is good it follows that 
water may be applied with 
an amount of abandon 
quite dangerous to the 
health of the trees where 
the subsoil is retentive. 
It is a fact, however, that 
there is a tendency in ir¬ 
rigated sections to rely too 
completely upon irrigation 
and not enough upon con¬ 
serving the moisture by 
frequent surface tillage. The Grand Junction region is 
soon to receive another large addition to its cultivable 
area by the opening of an extensive irrigating ditch upon 
an elevated mesa. 
ENEMIES 
Undoubtedly the most serious enemy is the belated 
spring frost, which has in the .past on occasion reduced 
or wiped out the crop. Unquestionably, however, the 
topography of the Valley, favoring air drainage as it does, 
in many places palliates this natural difficulty very ma¬ 
terially. On the other hand in certain seasons, that just 
experienced for instance, the cold factor decides the 
question of crop or no crop when no extraordinary means 
are taken to prevent it. 
SMUDGING 
Most growers credit what crop they have in the Grand 
Junction section this year to the good offices of the smudge 
or fire pot. One grower used 22,000 gallons of oil on his 
twenty-five-acre apple and pear orchard and felt thoroughly 
satisfied with the result. His trees were carrying a mod¬ 
erate crop of apples and pears, though the latter bore 
frost marks. The Hamilton oil heater seems to be popular 
Intensive Cropping Means Copious Watering 
