THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
FRUIT GROWING IN WASHINGTON. 
W. S. Thornber, Professor of Horticulture in the Wash¬ 
ington State college at Pullman, makes the following state¬ 
ments in a review of the fruit-growing in Washington: 
“The state has nearly 100,000 acres or orchard fruits, 
and enough trees have been sold to plant 20,000 acres this 
spring, and if half of the land is planted to orchard crops 
during the next five years that is being prepared for that 
purpose, Washington will more than double its present 
acreage. 
“Practically every section of the state is adapted to the 
production of one or more kinds of fruit to a degree of 
perfection rarely found elsewhere. The composition of our 
soils, the amount and intensity of our sunshine, the cool 
nights, the warm days, and the marked variation of the 
altitudes in the state, all aid in making Washington the 
most cosmopolitan fruit state in the union. 
“These conditions extend the possibilities of the horti¬ 
cultural crops, from the semi-tropical fruits and nuts to 
the hardiest vegetables, nuts, and long-keeping winter 
apples and pears. The attractive color and superior 
quality of Washington fruits permit them to enter the 
most critical markets of the world. Improved methods 
of packing and marketing have yielded the highest prices 
to our growers. 
“The -state is naturally divided into three great horti¬ 
cultural regions—the coast, the inland valleys and the 
inland uplands. Each of these has its own peculiar horti¬ 
culture. The coast region, west of the Cascade mountains, 
is characterized by a heavy rainfall, a rich productive soil, 
a humid atmosphere and very mild winters. It is especially 
adapted to the culture of small fruits, nuts and to a greater 
or less degree, apples and pears. 
“It is truly the home of the red raspberry and the black¬ 
berry. The red raspberry frequently produced canes from 
10 to 12 feet high and yields from 400 to 800 crates the acre. 
The vine-producing blackberry will produce canes from 
18 to 40 feet in length and yield from 800 to 1,200 crates 
the acre. 
“The sweet cherry is extensively grown in this region, 
where it produces large crops of firm fruit which can be 
shipped to all parts of the United States and Mexico. The 
tree attains large size and often yields from 800 to 1,000 
pounds a tree, bringing from 4 to 10 cents a pound. 
“The southern portion of this region is extensively 
devoted to the production of prunes, and, while there is no 
longer a prune-growfing boom, yet many growers are re¬ 
ceiving creditable returns from their orchards. 
“Apples and pears are successfully grown in practically 
all parts of the region and while they have not become 
commercial factors to any extent, yet there is no reason 
why they should not. 
“The inland valleys are characterized by their rich soil, 
warm', days, cool nights, mild winters, altitude of from 
300 to 1,000 feet, and an average annual rainfall of from 
four to seven inches. With irrigation these valleys at 
once become the most important commercial peach dis¬ 
tricts of the United States, as well as very important pear- 
and apple-producing sections. 
163 
WHERE SHALL THE CONVENTION OF 1909 BE HELD? 
Nurserymen of the Northwest are prepared to come to the 
annual convention not only with enthusiasm but also with 
arguments. They are loaded with arguments because 
they have as a favorite and pet idea the holding of the 
Convention of 1909 in Seattle. They will fight for the 
idea with all their splendid, enthusiasm and vigor. The 
land from which they come is a glorious one, where im¬ 
mensity and grandeur are on every hand and where fertile 
lands abound. They say that the nurserymen of the East, 
South and Southwest may well visit this country and see 
its marvellous fertility, its tremendous orchards and wide- 
extending fields. 
Directly opposed to the North westerners are the Nursery¬ 
men of the East who declare that the next convention 
should be held in the extreme East. For a number of years 
now they have not had the convention in this section of the 
country. They believe that in all fairness they should 
have it next year. The convention city for a number of 
years has been a compromise between the extreme sections. 
Nurserymen from parts of the country other than the 
two named above may also have their ideas as to where 
the Convention of 1909 should be held. To all appearances 
at present, however, it seems that the great struggle will 
be between the men from the extremes, the East and the 
far Northwest. 
AUSTRIANS AS LABORERS. 
The immigrant colony at the P. J. Berekmans Co., nur¬ 
series, near Augusta, Ga., has been increased to nineteen, and 
Mr. Berekmans says they are giving him such intelligent and 
faithful service that he would not part with them under any 
consideration. 
When twelve Austrians, comprising a part of the crowd 
brought to Georgia by the steamer Eugenia, came to Augusta 
last Christmas, they were taken at the Berekmans nurseries 
as an experiment; and the experiment proved altogether 
satisfactory for employers and employed. 
Six of the same boatload went to Bainbridge, Ga., and 
have been at work there on tobacco farms, but they were 
not so well pleased as the party on the Berekmans nurseries, 
and as the result of an interchange of letters among them¬ 
selves, the six men moved over from Bainbridge and have 
gone to work with the others. The nineteenth was a stray 
immigrant who landed in Augusta without employment, but 
who has proven himself one of the most efficient and intelli¬ 
gent men of the gang.— Horticulture. 
A FROST ALARM CLOCK. 
An inventor at Kennewick, Wash., has produced what is 
termed a “frost killer” for orchardists. The device is a 
combination of an alarm clock and a thermometer. On the 
approach of frost the thermometer registers and sets off the 
alarm, which is placed in the house. Tanks of crude oil are 
kept in the orchard, 40 to 60 small cans being required to 
the acre. When the alarm is given the orehardist goes to 
his oil cans and starts them burning and the temperature of 
the atmosphere surrounding the trees is raised from two to 
six degrees, making the threatened danger nothing to be 
feared. 
