The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1905-10-01

f1OOu hlN6T, UOW Ou6 Vi lHG IlOSl Id
nous fruit growing sections in the
world. No doubt but there are some
very favorable conditions at Hood
River, but | am perfectly satisfied that
the men at Hood River have more to
do in the production of their fine fruit
than anything else. e. l.. Smith and
men like him can raise fine fruit in
many other sections of Oregon. The
dwell brothers, in southern Oregon,
have made wonderful success of
fruit growing. If the people at Hood
River and in other parts of Oregon
where very fine fruit is now being
grown, neglect their trees and let them
grow so that they have a long trunk
and a bunch of limbs at the top then
their glory will depart The idea that
prevails to large extent that tree
ought to live and grow good fruit for
hundred years or more is doing much
harm with inexperienced horticulture
lists. l don't want long-lived trees. If
a tree will grow good fruit for me ten
or fifteen years after it comes into
bearing | am satisfied and am willing
to dig it up and plan; a new one. |
repeat what I said above, that l am
fully persuaded that both Oregon and
WdSuluSIOu Gall ldlOS JuoC SOOu
fruit now as they ever did. | have
no sympathy with these doleful tales
of the glory of departed days. No set
of men ever lived in better days than
we now enjoy. Get out of the ruts
and give your trees the very best
treatment possible and you can wear
smiles and diamOncs.
One of the very fine fruit exhibits
at the Lewis and Clark fair is from
Chelan county, Wash, and is in charge
of H. A. Graham and wife. They are
near neighbors of our IN the Washing
ton building and we enjoy their COM
pary. l have often spoken of the sue
cess of fruit growing IN the Wenatchee
valley, which is located in the south
ern part of Chelan county. Here is
an ideal locality for the growing of
deciduOus fruits. Here are rich soil
and abundant sunshine. Here is irri
CATION, which is one of the chief fac
tors in growing fruit successfully By
this it is not meant that good fruit
may not be grown without irrigation.
In fact, so far as water is concerned
it makes not a particle OF difference
whether the water thai is necessary
to the successful growth OF fruit trees
and the development OF their fruit
comes to the roots of the trees in an
irrigating ditch or falls out of the skies
in the form of rain. The water in the
irrigation ditch fell from the skies in
the form of rain or snow some time
previous to reaching the trees in the
ditch. Rain water and ditch water are
essentially the same in their compost
ton. One of them contains no essen
tial element not found in the other.
Some men talk and write as il there
was something in rain water that at
fects fruit differently from irrigation
water. They proclaim their ignorance
by such statements. By either system
the highest types of fruit in size, col
or and quality are raised. The only
difference is in favor of irrigation,
for by that system neither too much
nor too little water is given to the
trees, and this is not always the case
where rainfall is depended upon. But
to return to Wenatchee: BY having
rich soil, much sunshine and neither
too much nor too little water, the
locality is ideal for growing as fine
fruit as can be grown in the world.
The Yakima valley claims no superior
lCy over Iue WeHdICIeS valley III ldlo
ing fine fruit. The only point of SUI
periority that Yakima valley claims
is that it is many times larger than
it's successful neighbor
There is one evil in exhibitions such
as the Lewis and Clark fair, and for
that matter all fairs into which we
all fall more or less. That is what
we may style the showing of mon
strosities in the fruit line. Very nat
urally there will be keen and harm
less rivalry in showing the biggest
pumpkin, water melon, squash, turnip,