Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1897-04-01
THE FRUIT OUTLOOK.
General Survey of Present Conditions
in the Northwest.

A correspondent writing from Salem,
Or, in regard to the fruit outlook ir
the Northwest, says:
All are looking anxiously to see the
fruit trees OF our wide REGION pass
through the ordeal of springtime, fol
that is the critical period with orchards.
1t is not often that any severe injury is
done in the fall and winter, and if fruit
trees are in good condition at the mid.
die of May there is no reason to fear
harm while the fruit is being perfected.
The past fall was exceptional in re-.
spect to damage done, for the heavy
freeze that occurred late in November
was quite disastrous in many localities.
While this is no doubt true, it will not
be possible to trace the extent of the
injury until the growing season comes,
for while in the dormant state it can.
not easily be known how much harm
was done.
1t was said at the time that the Ital.
ian prune was especially affected. which
appears to have been true at The Dalles
region; also at Hood River. Mr.. d. j.
much harm had been done in that dis
trict. He thought it was chiefly due to
Overmuch and too late cultivation and
irrigation, for he says he had noticed
that where there was light cultivation
and irrigation was not continued late,
the wood ripened early and trees are all
right.
Mr.. E. L. Smith, of Hood River, who
is very close observer, says much
harm was done in that country to
young apple trees, and the Spitzenbergs
were especially suffering, the heavy
freeze having in many instances, killed
the tops, rs it occurred when the sap
was flowing. In many cases the bark
had split on the trunk, but he doubted
if the damage would all show until
spring came.
Mr.. Smith thought the excessive rain.
fall in the mountains made it worse
there than out in the open country.
The Hood river valley is in the very
heart of the Cascade range, and when
there were light rains west of the
ranges, there was constant, heavy rain
there last fall, and the effect was to
keep the sap flowing and the trees grow
ing. At the time the freeze came, late
in November, the leaves were all on
and held their dark green color, so the
effect of the cold snap was more disas-
trous than if it had occurred in normal
season, as the sap was frozen, and much
tender young wood was killed. We
expected to hear of harm done wherever
people had plowed or cultivated late,
and so kept sap flowing but condi-
tions at Hood River were exceptional,
and the damage seems to have been
general.
There seems to have been damage
done in many parts of the country.
Clark county, Wash, was said at the
time to have suffered loss in the Italian
prune, which is planted largely there.
AS to orchards in this valley (the Will
lamette), it is not probable that much
harm was done where they had not too
much and too late cultivation. People
had to learn that there can be too
much of good thing. There has been
too much pruning, as we'll as too much
cultivation. What is needed is to as
sist nature, not to take the job too much
out of her hands. Only few days be-
fore that freeze, one of those very en-
thusiastic orchard men told me he had
kept on blowing and cultivating up to
date. 1 asked him where he would be
when freeze came. and thought of him
the first thing when it did come.
l hear of some damage Ito Italian
prunes especially done to orchards near
here on prairie land, and to some ex-
tent in the bills. The Oregon Land
Company has 5000 acres of trees on
high hill land few miles south of Sa-
lem, that they cultivated late, and
hear some harm was done there. The
lesson to frutgrowers is that there is a
time when trees should mature their
wood, as we'll as their fruit, and if we
ignore the laws of nature, we are apt
to pay heavily for it. A gentleman
who is engaged in fruitgrowing reports
the freeze, and young orchards along
Snake river were almost destroyed by
it. They were, no doubt, forcing growth
by irrigation, and overdid it; SO suffer
as Consequence. 1t was warm No.
vember up to the freeze, and the change
came suddenly and was disastrous.
While this must be true of many, it
is safe to say that the older orchards Of
the Pacific Northwest are in good condi-
tion to produce we'll, and that we may
hope for the largest yield for the season
of 1897 that ever was known. The
short crop Of 1896 leaves the trees we'll
rested, and with vigorous growth of
fruit buds. We are almost at the end
of March, and yet the trees are not in
bloom, when they often are in full
bloom before this time. There is more
danger from late spring rains than from
winter freezes. If we have late bloom
time, and no cold rains later, we may
look for an exceptional fruit year all
over this Western Oregon, as we'll as
the midland Empire. We have had so
much to learn that it has been a school
of experience up to date, and henceforth
we should reap some of the practical
results.
The Bill Killed.
Springfield, H., March 29.-The