The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1897-01-09
THE FARM AND ORCHARD
FRUIT GROWING IN THE INLAND
EMPIRE.
Fine Flavor In Butter-Best Prices
Demand More Than Looks
Grain and Sailing.

Fruit growing has now reached such |
proportions throughout the inland empire |
that anything tending TO improve the
yield means thousands of dollars annually |
added to this section. Poultry fanciers |
In this section have for a long time in
sisted that it is positively necessary for
orchardists to keep poultry and give them
the run of the orchards if the greatest
possible profit was to be obtained. Their
claims are amply proven by the follow
ing article clipped from the Feathered
World of London, England, and is of
such Importance that every fruit raiser
will be interested in reading it:
In connection with one of the many ad-
mirable reports from time to time issued
by the Rhode Island agricultural station
Qor copies of which we are indebted to
the director of these interesting expert
ments) we note some practical comments
by Mr.. Tegetmeier in a recent Field. How
beneficial Is the combination of poultry
with fruit culture most fanciers are fully
aware of, and upon the special services Of
fowls to apple orchards Mr.. Tegetmeier
draws from the able Americans report
under discussion the following deduc-
tons:
For many years 1 have advocated the
Introduction of poultry into apple orch
ards, maintaining that they do good ser
vice in two very distinct modes-frst, by
manuring the ground, and, secondly, by
the destruction of the insects and grubs
that hibernate in the soil.
THE apple maggot appears to be ex
tending in America, attacking the favor
lite Baldwin, which is so we'll known as
being imported largely into this country,
and rendering 1t entirely unfit for use
but the spraying the trees with bordeaux
mixture and paris green has appeared to
prevent all serious attacks of this in
sect. In the mature stage this insect is
a fly which deposits Its eggs in the pulp
OF the apple beneath the skin. The young
maggots grow within the fruit, which
they render worthless and when mature
emerge from the apple and go into the
ground lying in the pupa state beneath
the surface soil among the grass roots.
Samples of the earth, six inches square,
were taken, and the number of maggots
under the trees varied according to the
size, from 1900 to more than 1000 under
each tree, the pupae somewhat resembling
kernels of wheat.
Now comes the point which was par
ticularly interesting to me. The expert
ment was tried as to whether poultry, II
confined to a small range and encouraged
to scratch would destroy these pupae
A large movable wire fence was placed
about a tree whose fruit had been de-
stroyed by insects. One side of the fence
was raised and about 80 hens were called
into the enclosure. The fence was LEI
down, and they were confined to the
space around the tree. AS soon as they
had eaten the corn they naturally begar
to scratch for the pupae, and in the
course of three or four days 1t was founC
that the latter had disappeared. AS thes'
insects remain in the pupa state from thu
fall of the apple to the following spring
when they appear 1t may be expected
that next year the number of flies breed
ing the apple maggot will be greatly di
minished in the localities where the plal
is followed From personal experience
extending over many years, can speal
positively of the advantages of ALLOWING
fowls and chickens a free range in tn
apple orchards. They not only manur
the soil and destroy all insects harbor
ing in it, but they find, for some weeks
at least, a considerable proportion of thei
own food-the windfalls, which they de
YOUR greedily, with any grubs they ma
contain. The raising of poultry for sal
may be much more advantageously cal
ried on where the land is made to pre-
duce two crops-namely, apples and egg
than were one only gathered"
Fowls in Orchards.
AS to the income to expect from III
eggs, under intelligent management, TAX
the following instance from an easter
exchange, Farming, the price of eggs b.
ing about the same as here. while IL
cost of feed there would be more:
"Mr. C. H. Wykoff of New York sta
devotes his small farm of 70 acres
raising eggs. The breed he used is viii
leghorns. Here is an account for OF
year:
Hen, average number .......... .............(
Egg each, average ...... ........ ..........l
Price per dozen, average ................1215C
Eggs, net ...... ........ ...'.. ..'..'...SlSOO
Manure, at zoe per bushel .............. go
Total ....... ...... ......... 81, lao
Cost OF feed ........ ......... ...........S obO
Labor II months at sSO..... ............ 800
Interest, per cent on $1,000. ............. so
Net profit ........ .'..'' .'''''.'' LO'O
"A business that pays $50 a month al
1O5 per cent interest on investment c.
not be called a side issue. There is
patent" on the means to success. on
the carefulness, regularity and thong
necessary for success in other branch
are required