The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1905-05-15

~. H1lihcul LILO JOo w III ioAA' II SAAS
alkali is white, you can wash it out of
the soil. But if it is black then you
will have to use gypsum and thorough
~ work it into the soil. Just how
much gypsum will be needed will de-
pend on the amount of carbonate of
soda in the soil. The rule laid down
by our soil chemists is five parts of
gypsum to three parts of carbonate of
trying. The department of agriculture
at Washington, has been having this
alkali question studied by experts.
There may be some reports published
on this matter but | have not seen
any In due time, no doubt a great
deal of light will be thrown on this
question and people will learn how to
cure their alkali soils. 1t is folly to
give up and let thousands of acres of
the best land in the world go to waste
because it has alkali.
The question has been asked of the
editor of this department il the
Okanogan country will be good fruit
country. I have not doubt but it
will be. | have never visited that part
of Washington but have good grounds
for making such a statement. | have
been in Chelan and Douglas counties
and lectured there at farmers 1nst1-
tutes on fruit growing. Finer displays
of apples | never saw than at We
natchee, Waterville and Chelan. These
counties form the southern boundary
of Okanogan country. [ can see NO
reason why just as good apples should
not be raised in the county just to
the north where the conditions must
be substantially the same. But We
have more proof that this is the cor
rect view. There is an Okanagan
country in British Columbia just
across the line from Okanogan county
in Washington. There is an Okanagan
lake and a fine country around it.
Here fruit growing is carried on with
marked success. | have lying before
me the holiday edition of the Okla
nagan Farm Journal, published at
Vernon, B. C. | copy the following
from this paper: "The recent syste-
matte attention to fruit-groWing has
already reached large proportions.
Over 1926 tons of fruit were shipped
last year from Vernon, Enderby, Re
lowna and Armstrong alone, in adj
dition to large shipments by express
of which we cannot give authentic
HguroS. his uOoS uOL illClioc lhC
local consumption, which is very large.
The Coldstream Ranch alone, owned
by Lord Aberdeen, contains over ZOO
acres of orchard and they are still
increasing every year. While this is
the largest orchard in the valley at
present, there are several others that
are close seconds, and carloads of
trees are being planted this spring
Apples are by far the best and most
profitable crop, but plums, prunes.
pears. peaches and all kinds of small
fruits are grown successfully in the
district at handsome profit.
| was surprised to find that fruit
growing had reached such proper
tons as here indicated. That the quail
itv of the fruit grown there is first
class is evidenced by the fact that
some of the apples grown in that sec
ton of British Columbia were sent
to London and were awarded the
highest prize, the gold medal, by the
ROYAL Horticultural Society. Now 1t
is safe to reason that if the finest fruit
in the world can be raised just south
and Just north Of Okanogan county,
then there is no better fruit country in
the world.