Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1897-07-23

~ As question OF the
greatest ! m po T.
ance The kind Of soil 20 be Sc
'ected viii naturally depend on
the crop 20 be- grown. For the
home garden almost any OF the soils of
ne state can be made 10 answer very
good purpose. An essential require
ment for both fruits and vegetables is
good drainage, either natural or arti-
ficial- This r. especially necessary
where earliness IL question OF inn
portance. for wet sodden soils are al
ways cold and backward Ia the spring.
SOILS with certain amount OF sand are
easier to cultivate. and will be more
suitable for most vegetables than heavy
Gay soils. They can be planted ear
Her In the spring and viii mature crops
earlier. Most fruits, on the other hand.
VIII, IN this latitude. thrive better and
ne freer from disease on rather stin
clay land than on very sandy soils Per-
maps the most notable exception to this
statement Is tho case of the Oriental
pears (Le Conte, Keffer, etc.). which
seem especially adapted to the moist
sandy soils OF the coast region. The
IDEAL truck soil Is a moist but not wet,
black sandy loan. containing abundant
vegetable matter; and preferably rest
ing on not too impervious red clay
subsoil. IL should be nearly level. or
with gentle southern exposure. OF
course tho greater the natural fertility
tho better. but after all this is not a
vital question. for there are no soils so
rich that they viii stand continuous
trucking Without frequent and heavy
applications OF fertilizing material. The
mechanical condition. and moisture
holding capacity OF the soil is really of
greater Importance to the truck farm
err than its chemical composition; and
these must be maintained by continu-
ally adding to It's supply of vegetable |
matter, either by applications of sta
ole manure, or by blowing under green
crops. Only comparatively level lands |
should be planted to truck crops On
steep broken hillsides too much fertil-
ity Is lost by washing and there is too
much extra labor In cultivation. All
stumps. rocks or other distractions
should be carefully removed In order
10 admit the use of modern cultiyating
machinery. Very broken hillsldes are
sometimes utilized by planting them to
fruit trees and especially to grape
vines. Fine fruit can be grown In such
locations, and in some cases II may be
The best way of using such lands. IL
IS. however, usually unwise to plant
commercial orchards on land so rolling
as to prevent rowing the trees and cul-
tiyatlng both ways. on account of the
added labor In oultivating and harvest
ing where the rows have to circle the 1,
Only high lying lands should !
be selected for orchards. especially OF
The stone fruits. not only on account of
he better drainage. but because of the
greater freedom from spring frost, and
! less liability to loss from rot. High Il
and fruit Is finer colOred and more at n
ractiye than that grown on low lands. =
fiat-topped hin with the land sion n
ng away In all directions Is an ideal n
ocation for an orchard. especially II "a
here is good red clay subsou. The a
haracter OF the top soil Is not so inn a
'ortant. II may be a little sandy. in h
which case the fruit will be a few DAYS N
arlier; but a stlff red clay throughout. n
nth only small amount of vegetable :,
natter viii give fruit of the highest ~
avor. best color and best shipping n
uality. AS stated before these re- 10
larks do not apply 10 the Oriental 70
ears and only partially to apples. "
arts OF the mountain country of North NJ
labama are admirably adapted TO APP N
les, but IN the central and southern n,
arts OF the state they are little out Of
their latitude, and the trees are like a,
TO be short lived in dry and exposed or
cations They will be longer lived le
nd more fruitful In lower and molster or
nds, though in such locations the al
uit Is always duller in color and more
able TO rot r. S. Earle. Ala Exp.
alton. sa