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

mana OF kDOCk1HS III On Will o poiO'
But this question is often asked me by
inexperienced persons. 1t must be
done by hand. This looks appalling to
one who has never done any thinning.
1t looked that way to me before
lever had any thinning done but We
have gotten over that feeling now. In
a good many cases you must thin your
fruit or not sell it at all. | knew a
case once where a man rented small
orchard for cash rent. When they
were told that they must thin the
peaches his wife said: 90, no, we can't
do that, we have had too much anxiety
with the peaches for fear the frost
would kill rheln and now we can't al
ford to pull them off," That fall at
picking time the ground under these
peach trees was covered with little
worthless peaches that could not be
sold at all, and the crop was failure.
For every dollar spent in thinning
fruit. if it is done judiciously, five dol
lars will come back at selling time to
replace it. 1t pays and it pays enorm
ously This is not guess work but is
what we know by experience.
+
In a recent issue of this paper / call
eQ dJIpnlIOI W Jllc OCil w
narius which is the technical name
for the new parasite for the destruc-
ton of the cooling moth The CalifOr-
MIA fruit journals are giving accounts
of the liberation of these insects in the
orchards. In one case storm follow
ed and when the insects were looked
for could not be found but three out
of forty-eight were found in an adj
-; orI oil
were destroyed or more widely scat
tered, is not known. In other cases
the report is made that these ichneU
mon flies or moths went Immediately
to work on the larvae of the codling
moth and were prominently success
full in their destruction. 1t is believed
by our California scientists that this
insect will live and abide in California
aud prove to be a great help in con-
trolling the cooling moth. Whether it
will be able to live through the winter
in our colder sections remains to be
seen. The ones in California were
brought from southern Spain and it is
not yet known whether it can be
found in colder climates of Europe,
We must not build our hopes on the
success of this "wasp" till we know
more about it.
I have read the preliminary bulletin
on the habits of the codling moth by
Eldred Jenne, of Pullman College. 1t
is good. 1t shows careful and pains
taking research. I am in no way sur
prised at this for I have the original
draft of his notes and have read them
over carefully several times. AS point
ed out in these columns some time
since, he upsets some of the notions
prevalent regarding the codling moth.
Even our scientific men sometimes
guess at some things. 1t is so much
easier to guess than to investigate.
Jenne is spending another summer in
the Yakima valley, as shown by Presi-
dent Bryan's letter in our last issue.
When he completes his work and with
it is coupled the Investigations carried
on in that valley by Professors Melan-
der and MacKay in spraying for the
codling moth, the college will be able
to issue the best bulletin on that
question ever given to the public. The
Washington college under the able
leadership of President Bryan is pur-
suing the right course to get at the
essential facts with reference to this
destructive insect. Work right in the
orchards is what is needed Theory