The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1896-01-17

the many pests infesting the Eastern orch
ards should not relieve us from taking all
precautionary steps, both in the way Of
legislation and in the enforcement of our
laws. For us to assume that we would al
ways be free from pests would be to imi-
tate the ostrich. which puts its head under
its wing in the presence of danger, and
then imagineS it is safe.
Experience of Eastern hortfcultur.sts
has taught us that the most effective meth
cd for externlinating pests is to spray with
certain solutions. For example, the wormy
apple Is nearly always caused by the cod
ding moth depositing an egg in the calyx
or blossom end of the fruit after the bios
som has dropped off. When this egg is
Matched the worm eats its way into the
center of the apple To spray with a weak
solution Of paris green or arsenic puts
drop containing an infinitesimal quantity
Of poison just in the place where the cod
ding moth when Matched out begins to
eat, then the first bite it takes kills it.
In an Irrigated country, where every
day is sunshine and every night is dry,
one spraying answers for the whole sea-
son, as the little poison is not washed away
by falling moisture; while in a rainfall
country there is practically no end to this
labor, for it must be repeated as often as
you get a radn. It requires but little dis
cernment, then, to see that the greatest
burden of the horticultural is practically
lifted from his shoulders by our dry cli-
mate.
A great bugaboo is sometimes made-by
those who know nothing about it-of the
labor required to irrigate lands. AS
matter of fact, one man can
1rrigate from forty to 160 acres
of land depending upon the crops
to be watered the lay Of the land-that
is, whether smooth or uneyen-and the
1icvNo -
Charge up that extra expense to the irri-
gated crop; but you must also credit the
irrigated land with enormous YIELDS and
no crop failures, at least seven tons Of
alfalfa hay each season, at three cuttings,
besides four to six weeks pasture in the
fall; not quite as much red clover and on
~ about four or five tons of timothy at two
cuttings. We think the extra labor for ir-
rigating pays well. Not only is the guam
tity, but the quality Of the hay, like other
irrigated crops, is superior for it has a
plenty Of both water and sunshine to grow
in, and perfect weather in which to be
cured.
The idea of fattening cattle or sheep on
hay alone is something unheard of by East
ern stockmen. In all Central states winter
feeding Of cattle for the purpose Of fat
tening them requires corn or other grain.
The same is true Of dairy cattle, if any
returns are expected during the winter
months. With us no one ever pretends to
feed pound of grain, to either beef or
dairy stock, at any time in the year.
Either the common red clover or alfalfa
variety of clover-answers with us every
purpose. These facts are proven by the
experience of every stockman or dairyman
in the West.
We don't make all this claim of superior
fly for our irrigated crop alone, as a part
of these advantages can be credited to our
milder climate.
Alfalfa is the king Of all forage plants;
nothing has yet been found that will yield
such quantity Of fodder and produce
such results. One Of the largest dealers
and consumers of beef cattle has expert
mented in the matter of feeding for the
past three years, and, taking cattle at the
same time and under the same conditions
from the ranges, and putting them up to
feed for beef. they have fed one portion
Of the herd on grain, with wild hay as
roughness, and the other part on alfalfa
hay alone AS a result Of the experiment,
the cattle which were fed on alfalfa hay
dressed out larger percentage Of net
weight and turned off 20 per cent. more
tallow than those which were fed upon
grain and wild hay, and the cost of the all
falfa feeding was % per cent. less Both
lots were put on feed at the same time,
and slaughtered at the same time.
The limit Of time allowed for this article
prevents further examples as to fattening
sheep and feeding hogs on alfalfa hay
alone. But no person not familiar with
the results will ever imagine the real
value of it. Alfalfa is not grown SUCCESS
fully anywhere except on irrigated land.
It may be produced in non-irrigated dis
tricts, but it grows tough and woody, and
as compared with the genuine article is
pra ctically worthless, and the yield is not
one-third as much.
In view of the extraordinary dairy1ng
advantages of the irrigated regions in this
state, and in view Of the fact that the
Chinese as q people are developing a great
taste for condensed milk and are import
ing it into China from Switzerland, Den
mark and America, we think that in the
near future condensed milk factories on a
most extensive scale will be in operation
in our dairy districts.
Just a word as to hops For the past
two seasons this business has become very
unpopular the world over, owing to the
low price of hops The fortunes that were
made a few years ago in this business
give it speculative interest. There are |
about 5000 acres Of fully equipped hop |
yards in Yakima county alone, all irri- |
gated, of course. We do not advise any
one to engage in the business, but should |
a person desire to do SO, he can buy yards |
for the cost Of the equipment alone, land |
thrown in. If a hop yard is valuable in |
any part Of the world it is in this state |
on the irrigated lands, for the dry, warm |
season prevents the hop louise from dam |
aging the blossom and creating amy mill |
dew The growers do not have to spray or |
spend any money or time on that pest. |
The hot weather just cooks the hop louise |
and it drops off the vines like the dust.
Farming by irrigation is scientific agri- |
culture. AS compared with non-irrigated |
districts the farms are smaller and neigh |
bors are nearer together, school districts |
JISnQilU
for, the roads are more improved, the !
lands are higher in price, but as rule a |
more intelligent class Of people occupies |
it and the general social atmosphere is
much more like a village or suburban |
town. Twenty acres is enough for any
average family, for, well cultivated, it will
produce a wonderful amount of crops, and |
it is far better to work that amount well |
than to attempt too much.
Celery egg pant, and particularly as
paragus are crops to be grown with good
profit by the new settler while his orch
ard is coming into bearing. Corn ma
lures in all the irrigated valleys of this
state, the yield running from twenty to
fifty bushels per acre. While it can hardly
be considered as a commercial crop, yet
it is a great help to the small farmer.
Sorghum and broom corn both do remark
ably we'll and should be raised in COM
meIcial quantities.
Assuming now that the great desirable
ity of irrigated lands for homes is undis-
puted, the most important questions for
this convention are: How much of such
lands have we in the state of Washing
ton? Have our irrigated lands been farmed
long enough to fully demonstrate their
character and ascertain the climatic con-
diticns surrounding them? Some Of the
earliest settlements of the Northwest were
upon these irrigated lands. The bars or
LOW hoy,o oil