The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1905-10-17
CLIMATE AS A FACTOR
The Great Basic Fact Upon Which
All Fruit Growing Rests.-SoiIs,
Climate, Irrigation and Other Mat
ters of Importance.

"a paper read before the American
Pathological Society at Kansas Ci-
ty, Mo-, Sept. 81, 1905, by Parker
Earle, of Roswell, n. M
In discussing apple and pear cul-
ture in New Mexico which the title
of my paper calls for, !, would by no
means intimate that the other fruits
of temperate climates do not sue
ceed as well as the two which 1 have
named For they do. There is no coun
try of the world where finer peaches
are grown than in our mountain ter
ritory, and their future commercial
Importance is possibly very large. IT
is equally true of the European class
of plums, and of the European grapes.
But the limits of this paper forbid
my considering these delightful fruits
the true story of which must wait
for some future occasion.
Orchards fruits are grown in New
Mexico mostly in small orchards, be-
tween the attitudes of little over
three thousand feet, to a little over
seven thousand feet above the sea.
Here, in the neigh borhood of Ros-
we'll are many apple orchards of mod
est size-from five to forty acres
but only one planned on the ambi-
tfous scale sometimes seen in the
central states. The oldest orchard
here is twenty five years planted. The
pear orchards are all small-the old.
est trees being less than twenty years
But enough has been done TO IS.
tablish the possible commercial inn
portance of both of these fruits This
possible Importance appears not be-
cause there is an added million OF
acres to the vast area in America
where apples-and sometimes pears
can be grown. but because of new
and better conditions here than can
be found in any of the old states.
l am not speaking of soils. We
have soils for orchards in all of the
states The mountain soils of the east;
the bluffs soils of ali the great riv-
ers; and many of the broad plains
furnish ideal locations for apples and
for pears
But 1 am speaking OF climate. Climate
is the one imperial factor in fruit
growing. You may have all knowledge
and the best of al the soils of the
earth, and possess every energy, If
you have not climate, you are want
ing. and will never achieve the best
results in fruit growing.
Nearly or quite all of the diseases,
and many Of the Insects which injure
or destroy fruit trees, or the fruits
themselves, are born of climatic condi
toned In the humid climates all
these pests reach their maximum de-
yelopment As we leave the humid
atmospheres of the old states and
rise to the great upland plateau al
the foot of the Rocky mountains, we
ind a semi-arid climate, where the
air is almost always dry. where there
are more than three hundred days
of sunshine in every year, and we
find we have left behind the most
serious difficulties which attend fruit
growing in lower attitudes We are
: at once emancipated from that lona
train pf ineradicahle evils that swarm
in all moisture laden air.
1 am stating the one great basic
fact upon which ali fruit growing
rests. 1t is a question of climate
Where humidity prevails, all kinds o
fungi which attack trees and fruit.
will always be found. These fungi ar,
the moulds, mildews. rots, scabs. AIT
blights which are constantly presen