The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-01-16
TELLS OF FARMS
WORK FOR UTAH
]. n. Parry Describes Orchard
Experiments.
MANY FRUITS BEING TESTED
AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE MAY
TAKE SUPERVISION.


Periments for the Promotion of Fruit
Glowing in Southern Utah.' Secretary
Joseph II Parry of the board of horti-
culture deals ia an interesting manner
with the CXI eIIH-ents thus far conduct
ed at st. George. and tells in detail the
aims and neeCs OF the farm
The bulletin has JaSt been issued and
Is divided IN chapters dealing with the
following SUBJECTS: The Nalue of EX-
DerimenJei W orh, List of Fruits on
Trial" Int oduction of Resistant
Vines irrigation and Cultural
Work, Pruning Experiment, Peach
Growing in Southern Utah." Semi
tropical and Otner Fruit Expert
ments, Frost Disaster and It's Les
son." and Need of More Extensive
Fruit Planting"
The twenty pages of the pamphlet
are Illustrated with half-tones OF the
experiment farm and OF grated vines.
Under the head The Value of Elk
perimental Work" Secretary Parry
says, in part:
As the climate, soil and other con-
ditions of southern Utah are especially
adapted to the growing of vinifera
srapes. figs. almonds, pomegranates
and other semi-tropicaI fruits, and as
this industry is the chief agricultural
I dependence of the people of Washing
ton county. the need and value of large
experimental work has long been felt
Aims of Experiment Farm.
THE work of the farm is intended to
save orchard and vineyard growers
years of costly experiment, and from
expensive mistak es In a former buIie-
tin CNo. l. Grape Growing and Raisin-
making in Southern Utah'D, issued in
January, 1904, is shown the value of the
, work done at this experiment farm in
developing and promoting the grape
( and raisin industry in southern Utah
Five years ago this industry was an
! Insignificant factor in the economic
conditions of this region, but through
the influence of the experiment farm
! the growth of the grape industry lis al
! ready very marked, and the viticultural
future of Dixie seems assured
The farm has illustrated, year after
/ year, the economical and proper use
and application of water when used in
H1lgatinG soils heavily charged with
alkali salts. 1t has demonstrated the
value Of clean and thorough orchard
culture, which has not only kept the
mineral in check, but has also con-
served the moisture and kept the
trees and vines healthy and thrifty
with the use of less than half the wa
ter used on adjacent irrigated farms.
AS the southern Utah experiment
farm has now arrived at that stage
where eNneTt technical work is needed
to accomplish the object in view at its
establishment, it is proposed to trans
fer the direct supervision OF the farm
TO the Agricultural college experiment
station, associated with the state board
of horticulture for advisory purposes
The board holds that for considera-
tons Of efficiency as wen as of econo-
my, all experimental work in hortirlII-
, ture and other lines of agriculture
should be conducted under one direc-
torate. There would then be no dupIi-
I 90 frocr 3
sub-station would have the benefit of
all professional. engineering and me-
chanical advantages enjoyed at the
central station
List of Fruits on Trial.
The list of fruits and trees planted
! and now on trial a the Southern Utah
Experiment farm includes apples. april
cots, figs, nectarineS, pOmegranates
peaches, pears, plums. prunes. ounces
almonds. pecanS. WalnutS and grapes.
/ There are twenty-three varieties of
peaches alone and nearly double this
number of grapes.
In regard to irrigation and cultural
experiments in grape culture at the
farm, Secretary Parry says in his bull
!etin that il is justified in the fact that
4 the climate and other conditions Of
4 Dixie warrant the presumption that
Viticulture viii become the chief hCTti-
Z cultural industry of this entire region
and when il is established on a perma-
; net and intelligent basis it will become
/ a source Cf untold wealth TO this sec
I ton Of the state Early fruits of the
peach and apple viii also soon become
important economic factors in this dis
trict. as sO5n as shipping facilities IA
vOr this branch OF the industry.
The introduction of new varieties of
grapes, more profitable and of better
quality than the old kinds formerly
grown in this c0ngenfaI cline, has been
of inestima bic value to the people The
. following varieties have been thorough
" tested and are confidently recon-
mended for extensive planting. Black
COrnichCn. Flame T-kay, Purple Da-
mascus and. Back Ferrara, all noted
for their fine table and shipping quail
ties"
In RECORD TO irrigation and cultural
work the bulletin SAYS: Modern meas
/ uTing WeiTS are now under COnstrUc-
/ ton, and hereafter il is intended to de-
| ceTmine the exact amount of water
| needed 10 mature the various kinds OF
! fruit grown in this semi-tropical eli
mate.
This line of experiment will be of in
J calculable value to this entire region.
| where irrigating water is so limited
| Every inch of water saved means an
increased area of cultivated SOIL as
] there is in southern Utah tens of thou
sands of acres of ideal graPS- and fruit
! land now lying idle and worthless be-
cause there is no water for it"
Great Peach Outlook.
! In speaking of peach growing in Dix
/ lie. the writer says that this fruit will
/ come next in Importance TO the grape
! industry. The bulletin states that with
| the railroad once within reasonable
! shipping distance. the southern peach
! will be put on the salt Lake and north
| ern markets and viii rival the Califor-
/ MIA product. Peach trees thirty and
! forty years old are still bearing heavy
| crops in the vicinity of St George.
! The bulletin offers valuable suggeS-
/ tions for protection of trees from frost.
/ The farm was a heavy loser by the
| spring frosts of 1904. but precautions
viii be taken this season to ensure
! against a repetition. Utah farmers are
advised to splant extensively one par
! ticular kind of fruit. The state expert
! ment farm intends to recommend the
| planting of certain trees and vines AND
! 10 give instructions in regard to then
| cat an 1TtfTTrF