Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1895-12-13

IRRIGATION OF THE FREts
Treatment of Some Women as to Money
Matters in the Copartnership
of Marriage.

writers upon the subject of the dis
tances at which fruit trees should be
planted never seem to take into consid-
GRAFTON that it makes great deal of
difference whether the trees are to be
irrigated or not, says F. c. Barker in
the Irrigation Age. Take for instance
the case of peach trees, which 1t is
usually recommended to plant at a
distance of 81 feet, or 100 trees to the
acre. Now have no hesitation in say
ing, that to set out peach trees on the
square at 81 feet from tree to tree will
be found most inconvenient method
where the trees are to be irrigated. The
system may do very well for an or
chard not under irrigation, as it gives
an equal opportunity for cultivation
both ways, that is along the rows and
crossways; but in the case of irriga-
ton much greater space will be re-
CURED between the rows along which
the irrigation takes place. Not only is
additional space required in which to
open the irrigating burrows, but also for
the subsequent cultivation, and on land
sufficiently strong to make a 6year-old
peach tree spread q feet, or even Is
feet, the alleys between the rows will
not be found sufficiently wide to per-
nit the various operations of irriga-
ton and cultivation to be carried on
efficiently. Or on the other hand, if,
on account of the weaker growth of
the trees, 81 feet be found sufficient for
I the alleys along which the irrigating
burrows run, then the distance of q
feet is too wide the other way, and it
would have been more economical to
have set the trees out II feet by 16, or
say 125 trees to the acre.
do not propose to lay down a rule
for the proper distance at which fruit
trees should be planted, as this will
depend entirely upon the size to which
they may be expected to grow under
the varying circumstances of climate,
soil, etc. I merely wish to point out
that in order to give space for irriga-
ton and cultivation, the distance be-
tween the rows along which the water
runs should be at least six feet wider
than the distances at which the trees
are set in rows. AS I have already re-
marked, 81 feet on the square will not
be sufficiently wide if the trees grow
4 to distance Of Is feet, but exactly the
same number of trees can be set out to
81 the acre If the rows are made 241a
y feet wide and the trees Is feet apart in
e the rows.
n The water should not be allowed to
4 come up to the trunks of the trees,
and there will be a strip of land on each
& side of the rows varying from three to
B six feet, according to the age of the
s trees, which will never receive water.
y On this strip the want of water, and,
as the trees grow larger, the heavy
Shade will prevent any rampant growth
&of weeds and it can easily be kept
clear by an occasional hand-hoeing,
while the wider alleys will give ample
e room for horse cultivation.
In the collection of the fruit these
alleys will also be found a great con-
yenience.
Moreover, a much larger number of
trees may be successfully grown upon
the same space by planting somewhat
thickly in the rows, provided the rows
hre wide enough apart to allow sunlight
and air on two sides of the trees. For
instance, trees at IS feet apart each
way may form a perfect thicket in a
few years and exclude the sunlight and
air to such an extent that they will all
Become weakened. The same trees set
In rows 21R feet wide and the trees
IS feet apart in the rows will do much
Better, although there will be exactly
the same number on the ground, but
the wider rows will admit current
of air and light, without which no tree
will thrive in any climate.
There is yet another advantage in
q favor of the alley system and it is this
suppose you are setting out some new
variety and don't know exactly how
4 large it may ultimately grow. You are
not sure it will grow to more than IL
leet in diameter, and on the other hand
@t may grow to 80 feet. If you were
adopting the old square system you
Would probably venture to put them
Dat at 20 feet, or ITO to the acre. Should
he trees be found to need only Is feet
H you are wasting the ground, while il
hey ultimately need 80 feet, you car
Qnly meet the emergency by cutting
pat every other row and every other
me in the rows left, which would re.
nee the number per acre to only %
But on the alley system you would
liant out your ITO trees per acre 2!
{eet by Is, and if you found the tree:
E feally grew to q diameter of 80 feet
hat is, a spread of branches 80 feet il
diameter-you could meet the difficulty
by cutting out every other tree in tn,
<ows and so have the orchard 80 fee
BY rs, or about So to the acre.
In planting slow growing but Ions
WE'D trees, this alley system offers tn,
Advantage of gathering several crop
rom a larger number of trees befor'
hey need additional space. Pear tree
vii often bear several crops befor
heir branches extend over IL feet, ant
Iet the tree may ultimately grow t.
n feet in diameter of spread. To Sc
out the orchard in the first place a
"a feet entails great waste of land an,
I4bor for many years, while to put then
out at IL feet will soon make irrigation
md cultivation extremely difficult, blu
q you set out your trees "a feet by 1;
fou can go on for many years befor
0ou need to cut out every other tire
ID order to leave them "a feet apart
Ii the meantime you can grow cor
81 Vegetables in the wider alleys an
ecpnomize space. By the by, perhap
one of the greatest advantages of tn
LEY system is that it gives more spac
tor growing crops between the rows G
lees until the latter come into bear
LAIN TALK ABOUT WIFE'S SHAR
INV n Woman Can Give Points