Arizona republican., 1898-05-09
The South Side

Correspondence of The Republican.)- Lee Gray, Mrs. B. B. Gage, Mrs. B. F. Porter, Miss Alice Gray, John Cum: mings and MT. Perry went to Phoenix today
 Senor Navarro and W. L. Pinney came up from Phoenix today.
 J. F. Hendrix is running the engine for flaws & Warehouse.
 The ladies of the Christian church made $41 dollars with their supper last night.
 Two cars of honey cans fer the Ari- zona Bee association came in this morning. There will be honey to fill them and several other such lots There are four cars of hay loading for shipment at the spur and at Kyrene. Many fear that the feed will be all shipped cut of the valley, leaving the stock in precarious condition. It is not likely to be so, however, as stock is being shipped out of ranges which this valley draws On, about as fast as the Arizona's hay and fat cattle, and Arizona will have California cash
 M. G. Hill has a fine specimen Of the date palm in his yard. It is about ten years old, about thirty feet high and the fruit is set on it now. It is pronounced by horticulturists to be as fine as grows
 At the Baptist church, Sunday school was held as usual at 10 o'clock. The attendance was fifty and the collec- tion s1.05. Chaplain Scott preached from the text, Ephesians 6:10: Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might" Some time was spent ill addressing the children especially. Children should obey and respect ia -hsr and mother. Boys and girls that are loyal to. their parents will think they have the best father and mother in this world Strong in the Lord means strong in purity, hoiiness and right eousness. strong in the power of His might.
 Dr. Charles H. Jones has, perhaps, the finest bit of growing white clover in the valley It is the only white clover seen in this country by many old timers It forms the green on his lawn and is pretty enough fo- any country.
 HORTICULTURE.
 The following is the third of a, seriss of articles being written by MT. Bet- tier, who is endeavoring to thor- oucghly establish and make known the fact that the Salt River vallsy is fruit country. He has brought through the March frosts crop Of twenty-five tons of almonds which is sufficient evidence that he knows whereof he speaks:
 Before discussing further the vari ous fruits it is well to say 6 f5w words in reference to the disease that has entrenched itself in our orchards and leaves ruin in it's pathway. Nelther fruit nor nut is exempt from its blight ing influence. Nearly all deaths are traceable to this blight There is no desire to enter into any scientific theorizing as to it's classification. l. is all sufficient to know that it is here, and here it will remain until i1 IS stamped out by vigorous labor on the part of the hcrticulturist. In 1892 the writer sounded the alarm, but no attention was paid, and the result you know it without being told ThH prime cause may be traceable to cramp-culture, but be that as it may, this much can be safely asserted: That improper use of water and poor culti- vation quickly develop the knct. If it were possible at all times to have the proper moisture and sufficient porosity of soil, cur trees would be able to resist the disease. So cur aim must be bo approach this condition as nearly as possible. Check growth and the knot are very closely allied. Anything that affects the natural growth is a check and this check may arise from various causes, viz: ShaI- low irrigation, allowing soil to bake pressure of soil about the crown or base. poor cultivation in general.
 :.I 4r. h this is the reason such emphatic ut terance Is made in reference to the care of the spade fork at the base of the tree. Alkali acts as cement and if our soils are left undisturbed even for a brief period, harden, shutting i out the necessities of plant life. On many Of cur orchards one can tell the i number of irrigations during the season, as they are recorded in the new growth. The more pronounced 1 the evidences, the more knot you will i find. The aim should be to have one continuous growth. No rule can he laid down to guide in the use of water It is necessary that you un- derstand the nature of your soil and i apply the water accordingly. AS ! rule too much water Is used. Simply | to run water down furrow is not 1r- rigation. It is the most difficult sub ject for the orchardist to understand. ] Severe pruning, especially in summer, and not followed by proper care, places the tree in condition suscep- tible to disease. It is said that some years the knot is more prevalent than i others. Simply, conditions are more l favcrable to it's development. We have been imposed upon to large extent by dealers in trees, both here and in California. Many of our or chards were started with diseased tre es. Is it surprising then that many i have lost faith? But we are on the eve of a new era and in the near future it will be thoroughly demonstrated that there are no better fruit lands | than those of much abused Arizona
 'In my last letter was given trial | lxEE 4Icl lzran I6Q EQDdQNal Qf