Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1901-05-22
FARM AND GARDEN.
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO
AoRICULTURISTS.
Some Up-to-Date Hints About Cuitiva-
t,on OF the Soil and Yields Thereof
Horticulture. yitiouiturs and Fiorieui-
ture.
Hortienl.aral ob.eryatlon..

We have heard about the benefits OF
keeping poultry in plum orchards, but
the practice should not be too much
relied on. Other means must be used
to hold in check the insects. Certain
ly IL the fowls are to be depended on
TO any extent for this work they must
be assisted by having the trees shaken
for them. Even then the birds have
to be educated to pick up the insects,
and IL man shakes down the eurcu-
lios without having first given the
chicks proper instruction he may be
disappointed in seeing the insects re-
main on the ground untouched. At a
meeting of the Ohio Horticultural So
ciety, Professor Green said: Il know a
great many think that the mere pres
ence of chickens in the plum orchard
may save the plums, but don't know
how they can get the cureulio unless
they climb the trees. and they won't
do that. You have got to teach the
chickens to pick up the curculio, by
throwing little grain around first,
! and when you shake the trees they
soon learn what they are and pick
them up"
Market peculiarities have to be met
and their demands satisfied. The man
that sells apples should always sort
them, for he will find reader market
for the different sizes If sorted than II
sold together. No one appears to fan
cy lot of little and big apples in the
same lot. Buyers are governed by diff
ferent motives in their purchases.
Some well-to-do buyers want a uni
form lot Of large apples Of good color.
and will pay an advanced price for
them. But many people prefer apples
of medium size or below providing
they are well-colored. This is espe-
cially true Of the heads of families of
children, where apples are purchased
In quantities Of peck at time.
peck Of big apples is soon used up,
while peck Of medium-sized or small
apples will last longer and give the
children more satisfaction. The pur-
chasers of these apples prefer them
even at the same price they might
have to pay, for the large ones. An
other very large class Of people pur-
chase small apples. They are the
keepers OF boarding houses and hotels,
and the purchases by these people are
very large in quantity. The boarding
house keeper knows that, as general
thing, each guest will eat only one
apple whether large or small, and as
matter of economy the small fruit
Is purchased. These things show the
necessity for sorting all fruit like
apples.
The work Of originating new vari-
cites Of apples goes on. and the eradi-
cation Of the poor ones Is parallel
process. New apples are constantly
being imported and some are proving
good. The constant revision of o.
fruit lists is work that is bound to
have very beneficial result. On this
point Professor Lazenby says: 'It is
interesting to note that during past
years the list Of apples worthy of cul-
tivation first increased and then de-
creased. In 1891 1t comprised 339 va
rietfes. In 1899 IL had decreased to
300 Quite number OF varieties have
been stricken on, and of course some
new ones have been added. There Ia
another thing that is of some interest,
that is the varieties that originated in
foreign countries, have increased pro-
portionally. In 1891. out Of the 339
varieties that were recommended, %
originated in foreign countries. In
other words, all but % originated in
this country. Now in 1899, of the 300
that are recommended, 40 Of them were
of foreign origin. OF these. % are from
Russia, z from France, from Eng
land, 3 from Germany, / from Holland.
2 are simply marked as Europe, the
country not being known, and from
Canada, making 49,