Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1889-05-31
Compiled by II. G. Stuart for the OLYMrIAy.
Prune Culture.
Abstracts from an article by s. A.
Clnrke, published i'm the Oregonian
OF January IL, 1889.

Abstracts from an article by 8. A,
Clarke, published i'm the Oregonian
Of January II, 1889.
SELECTION OF LAND AND PLANTING.
Hill land for fruit, but location be-
side water to have benefit OF cvapor-
alton is advisable. Find land that has
a good sub-soil that il, warm and
not heavy soil. Italian prunes and
Yellow Newton pippins both require
soils that water can go through. and
cannot thrive on heavy clay. There is
hardly hillside, and no level land but
Il sandy loan that will not be benefited
by drainage Trees standing with the
roots i'll cold water will not send up
/ sap and the fruit Will blight. Drainage
insures against heat and cold; against
too much water in winter and spring,
and drouth III summer; agains; sun
and frost. 1t l. hardly possible to cN-
aggcrate IL importance.
Drainage and deep tillaee will do
wonders for III orchard, ~ for all farm
ing land. Plow your land go that the
dead burrows will come where the trees
need To stand, then stir the ground and
make il mellow and fine where the
tree is to be planted, and plant the tree
Il little higher than it stood in the nur-
scry. 1t will soon settle an inca or 50
and be Just right. When YOU pillow the
ground towards the trees it will he level,
and two-thirds Of the cost OF planting
is thus saved.
If you plant fifteen feet apart there
will be nearly 2Oi Ia the acre. If the
trees are well headed in, that will be a
good distance. Set them Il rod apart
ii YOU have land in abundance.
Prune your trees back and have them
in such shape that they will be stout
enough TO carry all the fruit they
should bear.
Cultivate Your orchard all through
the growing season, until your trees
are hundred years old. OF course do
not plow deep, but stir the surface
about four inches, so ~ to keep the
earth moist. Ii you do this, and every
season thin off all the fruit above what
will be of good size, you will have large
fine fruit, and will have healthy and
productive trees. If you prepare the
soil Alright, and get good trees and
plant them Alright, prune and cultivate
them well, your orchard will be a
source OF supreme pleasure and COM
Portable income. If YOU don't. the
chances are that much land and trees,
time, money and results will be thrown
away.
SELECTION OF TREES TO PLANT.
Plant so as to have successive varie-
ties occupy all the time from the
earliest to the latest of plums and
prunes. At Salem, Oregon, the peach
plum comes, usually, August | and
lasts to August TO- A variety origi- |
mated here ION Mr.. Clarke's place..
large as the Golden Drop, good in [.
color and very fine flavor; comes in to |
occupy the time from August 10 to
August 20. August 30 the Columbia
comes in, and from that time to Sep
TENDER 10 we have the Petite or
French prunc, the Washington and
the Italian. Through later Septem-
Der there are the Refine, Claude de |
Bavay and Golden Drop or Silver
prune. These keep the evaporator
busy for about ten weeks, when the |
prunc season is over
Now, as to prunes as individuals. !
there is much to he said. The true
prunes are the Petite dAngcn. or
French, and the Fallenberg and Italian. /
They are dark colored and dry best of
pittcd-so the merchants sav-but
their true use is to be- eaten as fresh
fruit, and may be shipped to Chicago
and other places. They will not pay
to dry. All other varieties will drv
with the pits in and pay better. The
Peach plum is II tender tree and paws
only to be planted rs coming earlier
and interfering with no other. The
soundest trees and safest bearers of all
are the Petites and Italians. They
are exceptionally vigorous and handle
well, not breaking down easily, though
they bear the heaviest crops of all.
The Silver prunes or Golden Drops are
apt to break down when loaded.
THE PROFITS.
The following figures are obtained
from MIR. Clarke's personal experience
on his own place.
He says, this fall / made a careful
estimate of the yield of the different
varieties and was surprised at the re-
suit, for l found that the fruit that
sold for the least money by the pound
paid the most income for the acre.
One acre of Petites must have Welded
5000 pounds and at cents brought
1920 per acre; the Italians at 8 cents
brought 800 per acre; the Golden Drops
at ii cents per pound brought $3.50;
the Riene Claudes at 10 cents $500;
Columbia and Washington ut s cents
$500. There are many reasons why the
Petites and Italians, in good locations,
should be preferred to most other
trees, and the general. demand for
those two prunes is supported fully by
my own experience" What Others
tell me OF their experience comedies
with mine
On rich warm soil. prunes, we'll cared
for, will make fair showing in four
years and begin to pay something in
five years. If poor soil and poor cult
vation have fallen to their lot, they
may have some in six years, if still
alive. II the land has been we'll I'M
derdrained and the trees have received
good care and attention, they will do
something for the owner the fourth
year. If people only knew how much
will result from thorough work and
proper care, they would not plant
tree that was not in every sense we'll
prepared for the battle of life