The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1905-10-19
BEST METHODS
APPLE CULTURE
SHEPARD GIVES VALUABLE ADVICE
Various Processes Which Have
Brought Success to Hood
River Growers.

Hood River, Or, Oct. lT.-Editor
Glacier As there are great many
new people engaging in the fruit in
dustry in the valley, it occurs to me
that few suggestions may be of val
ue to them. While our growers very
generally know not only ali | may say
In this article and many of them a
great deal more, nevertheless there
are quite Il few who, with little care
could improve their work and save
themselves Il great many dollars.
Of course everyone who knows any
thing about the fruit business knows
that thorough culture and spraying
are absolutely necessary. | asked
Professor NanDeman, for a long time
the government pOmOlogist, this ques-
tion: "Nou have been all over the
valley and have seen our spraying,
thinning, pruning and cultivation;
in which do we do the best and in
which are we the most deiicient?"
lie replied as follows: "l our cultiva-
tion is excellent; your spraying good;
your thinning and your pruning are
your two weakest points. "
There are but few of us who prop
cry thin, According to experienced
people who have made practical tests
and according to expert opinion of
our experimental station men who
make tins business study, apples
should be thoroughly thinned. Tho
general rule may be covered in one
sentence; Apples should be thinned
so that they do not hang closer to-
gether than four to six inches, and no
two apples should touch.
In reference to spraying, | think |
may be justified in saying that all
those who have used the arsenate of
lead, otherwise known as disparene,
this year have secured better results
than they had in the past with either
the Paris green or the white arsenic;
and, furthermore, think am justi-
fled in saying that those who have
used the disparono have cleaner crops
of apples than their neighbors who
have used white arsenic this season.
While do not assume to be author
ity on spraying, it is my opinion
from the practical tests made by
Chris Detman that five splayings, If
properly applied and at the right time,
are all that are necessary. However,
the man who sprays every two weeks
isscertainly playing safe game.
The most important spraying is
when the blossoms Just begin to fall,
which should be followed with another
spraying in about 10 days to two
weeks, At this time it is necessary TO
apply IA very high pressure in order
that the poison may be forced into
the blossom end of the apple for the
reason that this is the point where the
first brood begins its attack Some
people suggest the Bordeaux nozzle or
Valmoree for this spraying, as you can
secure moro force than with nozzle
making the mist spray. For the latter
spraying when the apples attain size
1t is necessary to thoroughly coat the
apple, and the mist spray does this
most perfectly.
There is one point to which |
should have called the growers atten-
tion, and that is the general rule that
some peope follow Of spraying tree
until it drips. AS | understand it,
the proper idea is to spray tree
until the apples are thoroughly coated
and to avoid the dripping. If too
much spray is applied it collects in
drops and the drops in forming rull
the spray off from the surface of The
apple surrounding the drop, leaving
part of the surface Of the apple eX-
posed. There is another feature in
connection with spraying so as to
form drops, and that is in reference
to the red apple. This is especially
true where considerable lime is used
in the white arsenic spray. These
drops form a thick chunk of spray
matral which prevents the sun frGm
reaching the surface of the red apl le,
making the apple when wiped show
light spots whore drop of spray has
collected. Endeavor to thoroughly
cover the apple, forming as few
drops as possible.
There are three general styles of
pruning, the vase shape, the crotch,
and training to central shoot, all
of which have advocates. The yrse
shape certainly makes very pretty
tree and | do not know of a prettier
looking nine year old orchard than A.
|. Mason =. The crotch shape does not
seem to mo to be very desirable
method for the reason that it neCes 81
tates props, and if man does not get
his props up when tree is thor
oughly loaded one-third or one-half
of his tree may split down and spoil
the tree. If you prune to "A single
shoot, running the braChes out so as
to hang down all around when you
have a crop, should limb break you
will not lose half Of your tree. The
tree can be built up into what is
known sometimes AS the two and
three story tree. A tree should be
branched as near tho ground as Ios-
sible and so as to permit cultivation.
The best part Of "A tree Oh which
to grow apples is down near the grOnd
for two reasons. In the first place
you will have letter apple. and larg-
or, and in the second place they viii
be easier to pick; and | might add "A
third reason and say that your trees
are less likely TO break down from the
weight of the crop.
In reference to cultivation there is
little to be said with regard to i'm
proving our condition, as we already
do excellent work along this line.
Usually our best cultiTators use disk
or Cutaway in the spring, keeping
up dust mulch later in the season
with either Kimball or an Acme.
BY this method man can conserve
| moisture so that it will not be necos-
sary to irrigate until sometime later
in July or possibly the first Of AuBr st.
am firm believer in irrigation,
at the same time ! believe in as little
irrigation as possible and am an earn
| est advocate of conserving moisture
by cultivation. By this method a II AN
will accomplish two things; he will
force the roots down into the ground
so that thay will tap more soil and
root his tree more firmly so that it is