The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-12-31
SALT LAKE COUNTY FRUIT.
County Inspector Sorensen Says Lo-
cal Conditions Are Improving.

cal conditions Are Improving.
In answer to your request for a state
ment of the fruit and nursery interest
in Salt Lake county, the following few
items may be of interest:
The fruit crop this year was the
smallest We have had for over ten
years, though in some instances and To-
cahties from a quarter to half crop
was produced In berries it was bet
ter Our leading berry raiser gathered
and sold over 1.200 worth with his own
and family's work. though nearly all
his other fruit was failure, this was
only sample of the general average
In regard to whether it pays or not
to raise fruit. will quote the words of
one or our early and most persevering
fruit raisers, Mr.. Marion Brady of
Union. counselor to Bishop Phillips,
He says:
Il have only about three acres in fruit
trees. and they bring me in more than
all the rest of my farm"
His farm contains thirty-six acres,
showing that three acres in fruit is
worth more for living than thirty
three acres in general farming and
wood land His trees are nothing ex-
ira, only common fall and winter APP
pies, but the trees and fruit are taken
proper care of, and that is the great
point
Now in regard to tree planting. A lot
OF young orchards have been set out the
past few years, especially west of the
river, and also on the east bench, and
more care has been taken to avoid
former plumbers. The Instructions is
sued from time TO time by the state
board and by horticultural societies.
supplemented with personal visits and
instructions from county and deputy
inspectors, has commenced to bear a
little fruit in opening the eyes of the
general public TO the fact that if they
pant peach or cherry orchard in
swamp. where surface water is within
six inches to two or three feet from
the surface, and no under drainage, or
on a clay bank they will only have their
labor and expense as reward for their
work. or, on the other hand. if an ap-
pie orchard is set out on a heap of
gravel or stones or L sand dune, merely
covered over with an inch of dead
leaves or SAGE brush. the success as
apple raisers is a long way off, and they
may be grey haired waiting for it. and
still il does not come. Now these ex-
traordinary mistakes are getting less
and less every year, which is a bless
ing.
In regard to what will pay to plant
and what will not pay, the knowledge
is also spreading, and men instead of
orcering trees as formerly under the
duicet tones of the glib-tongued tree
peddler from the east, are either now
consulting the state board of horticul-
tural reports or some successful fruit
raising neighbor who can be relied on,
and as a result when his trees start to
bear he will have joy and satisfaction
instead of disappointment.
In regard to spraying and cleaning Of
trees and orchards, that knowledge is
getting more and more spread among
hEl IL
spray the wholly aphis or red spider
with paris green or london purple, and
many also who spray when the worms
are already in the apple, and then Won
der why it did not do any good, and in
many instances they will stand up and
swear that they have tried spraying
and know it does no good: still that
class of people are getting less, and if
We wait long enough / suppose they
will all in time find out their error. In
this regard permit me to say, knowI-
edge as to how to spray, when TO spray,
what to spray for. and what to spray
with. is as absolutely necessary as
knowledge in any other line of business.
Practically all our pests come under
the heading of three different groups
Each group requires a different treat
ment and a different remedy, and at the
proper time. What would be thought
of quack ordering medicine suitable
for scarlet fever or smallpox to be ap-
piled to a broken leg, and vet a lot Of
our spraying is done in a way that
would be just as absurd as that would
be-
1t may be asked, what is the remedy?
will answer. Come to the fruit rails
ers' and horticultural meetings. espec-
tally the one held the first Saturday in
each month at 2 p. M at the city and
county buildina and learn how. It does
not cost anything, and perhaps that
is the trouble.
In regard to nurseries: There are
nineteen in this county, large and
small, and the larger ones have their
offices in Salt Lake City. Three of
them are very large, sending out each
from $4,000 to 10000 trees per year, and
a small army of men and
boys, with statesmen travelling all over
the western country. They are send
ing their stock west as far as Califor-
mia and east as far as Illinois. Two
others are moderate in size, sending out
from $4,000 to 40 900 trees per year. The
are smaller. sending out from
900, 1000. 1900. 5000, 5000 and 10000
trees per year each.
They have all since the horticultural
law went into effect done their best to
comply with it, and il can be honestly
said that trees grown in Salt Lake
nurseries are far cleaner and healthier
and stronger, as s-n average. than any
trees that have been shipped into the
state. Where anything of disease has
shown itself, strong and active meas
lres have been taken to stamp it out,
even to the burning, root and branch,
Of over 10000 trees, which were only
affected with woohy aphis, and which
would no doubt have counted for little
in any nursery outside of this state.
The proprietors here were honest
enough to say: Yes, these trees are
no good, they must go in The brush
pile and be burned" The result has
been that orders have tome into our
nurseries for trees thick and fast, and
m the season it is all You can do to
get them to fill orders that were not in
md on their books before the season
opened. JOHN p. SORENSEN,
County Fruit Tree Inspector.