, 1872-01-22

The Farmers Club.

4 period OF about nineteen years. Com
nencing with nursery and orchard on
piece of wet land, springy with rich
black soil from four to ten inches deep,
underlaid with heavy tenacious sub
soil of clay, the result was, of course, a
vigorous growth while the trees were
young, succeeded by blight that ruined
both nursery and otchard; teaching me
that fruit trees were not adapted to wet
land, although our summers were dry
and the ground tolerably well drained.
Our upland gravelly rprairies, are not
much better. most orchards proving a
failure; while our high sandy praifies
are much worse. AS general thing,
orchards on such soils run out as soon
after coming into bearing. notwithstand-
ing the most thorough culture. A clay
soil, or one more or less mixed with
clay, is essential to success in fruit cul-
ture in this climate. Some kinds, how
ever, as the Red June and Spitzenburg.
do succeed well on heavy clay, but for
most kinds of fruit our white clay lands
around the Sound seem well adapted to
fruit, if well manured and cultivated.
I have raised an orchard of 1000 trees
on high bluff land. adjoining the Sound; I;
has been in bearing Is years; soil, clay
and gravel, some spots tolerably sandy.
This orchard while manured and cult
waited. was remunerative. The past five
years it has been neglected, and OF
course but little fruit, except where clay
predominates in the soil, is realized.
A few trees that were set out adjoining
wet, cold, springy ground, and which
failed to make any return for number
of years, now, in their neglected state,
yield tolerable crops of fair fruit. To
sum up my experience and observation
I should say that our best soils for fruit
growing west of the Cascades, are the
brown clay lands back from the Sound.
Being farther back, their extent is not
generally comprehended. They have
been estimated to cover half the area
west of the Cascades.
Our river bottoms composed mainly
Of this brown clay sediment, are admir-
ably adopted to fruit. Having resided
on them for several years, can speak
from observation. While the quality of
the fruit may be somewhat inferior, the
the rapid growth Of the trees, exemp-
ton from disease. and productiveness,
even without manuring or cultivation,
much exceeds the product of orchards
near the Sound. There are orchards
in the Dwamish Bottoms, Is years old,
healthy and productive, though long
since seeded down to grass.
C. A. Huntington opened the talk of
the session in q very interesting and
highly culogistic account of the tide-hat
lands in Whatcom county, about the
mouth of the Snohomish and the Skagt
rivers and that vicinity. His attention
was called to the marvellous productive
ness of these tide-fat lands on recent
visit to the tide-land farm of E. L.
Dodge, Esq, who was pioneer in the
culture of these lands, having settled
there some three years ago. Mr..
Dodce's farm was under water every
high tide from foot to eighteen inches.
The dikes are usually from two to four
feet, seldom more. The land is mostly
covered by claimants, most of whom
can be bought out at fair prices. not be-
ing held by farming men. Mr.. D. has
100 acres under cultivation and his pro-
ductions are truly wonderful: 2,S5s
measured bushels barley, ia of oats,
20 tons carrots-short horn variety-15
tons ruta bagas, 21 tons potatoes, ton
parsnips, 2 tons onions, 1,50O lbs but
ter, A hogs and horses. Fruit has
not had time to mature, and could give
no information about it. This reeicn
will be the garden spot of our Territory.
In ten years it will be covered by some
of the best and most profitable and pro
duc,ive farms on earth. Mr.. H. had
experience on this subject-was well
acquainted with some of the richest
bottom land in Illinois and the west;
had farmed there and he never saw lands
that could equal them in fertility and
productiveness.
Mr.. Huntington's remarks were lis
tened to with marked attention, and
much valuable information was brought
out in the discussion that followed.
In answer to call for information
about draining, Mr.. S. Hines said:
''I find drained land to stand the
drouth much better, and it is much
more productive and reliable for crop.
I put my drains down four feet deep,
using cedar boards one inch thick, one
sawed six and the other fiveinches wide,
mailing in V shape, and fastening the
joints with cedar shingles. Such drains
well made last long time. I took up
one that had lain twelve years and it
was as sound as ever. My drain has
two inches fall to the rod, and has been
of great benefit to me. will give the
Club full account of costs, etc., ETC.,
at next meeting. - a ~
Cow FEED.-Mr. Hines had fed COWS