The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1906-12-01


under the trees will answer a good
purpose. Some of our leading horti-
culturists are advocating what they
call "the mulch method" of treating
their orchards. 1t has much to COM
mend it to the thoughtful considera-
ton of fruit growers. Where this
method is followed it is best to SOW
clover or some other legume in the
orchard and then to NOW this and pile
the product around the trees as far
as the limbs extend. This mulch will
rot in time and in this way return to
the soil the fertility used in its
growth, but besides this the soil under
the trees will be kept cool and moist.
1t will be found upon examination that
the soil under the trees where the
mulch has been placed is full of angle
worms and no better indication of
good condition of soil can be found
than this. I am satisfied the custom
of keeping the surface of our soils
bare and baking them in the hot sun
is a bad practice. This will not be
the case where we practice the mulch
method
Another way to mulch the orchard
to conserve moisture is to haul out
wet straw. coarse manure or almost
any kind of rubbish and place around
our trees as far out as the limbs eX-
tend. This must be done when there
is abundant moisture in the soil. Ii
there are some heavy rains after the
mulch has been spread around the
trees so much the better. Let me IL
lustrate this by giving my personal
experience Some twenty-five years
ago, when l lived in Iowa, I had very
fine blackberry patch. The soil was
rich and / kept my berry patch we'll
cultivated and clean. | raised enorm-
GUS crops of blackberries. Sometimes,
however, the crop was cut short very
much by a spell of dry weather near
the time of ripening. I had some idea
of the value of mulch as conserver
of moisture, so one year after the
berries were we'll set and the patch
well cultivated, I had my hired man
haul out a lot of wet straw from the
feed yard and covered the ground all
through my berry patch at least foot
deep. Soon after there came heavy
rain and thoroughly wet the ground
under this mulch. Then succeeded
very dry spell and the most of the
berry patches in that neighborhood
dried up and were Improbable My
mulched berry patch did not dry out
during this dry spell and | sold one
of the finest crops of berries | ever
raised.
Now, suppose that Mr.. Floss should
mulch his orchard while the ground is
still wet from winter rains or before
the spring rains have ceased, and
then should thin his Spitzenbergs as
they should be, is it not reasonably
certain that his apples would be large
enough to pack four tier? Of course
where my orchards are situated we
irrigate and can control the moisture
at will, but it, for any reason, there
is a single tree where the moisture is
insufficient the result will be seen at
picking time, by having some apples
under size. I have told some of the
farmers at Farmers Institutes that
where irrigation is not practiced or
cannot be they must cultivate or
mulch, or do both.
G. A. Leedy, of Wenatchee Wash,
contributes something to the bird
question" under date of Nov 7, as
follows: 81 have been reading in The
Ranch with much interest the discus
sion of the English sparrow. I am
we'll acquainted with this bird. !
knew him in the east before | moved
here. I think the strongest argument
against him is that he drives all other
birds out of the country. | have the
first sparrow to see in this vicinity.
| hope | will never see one here. What
can you tell me about the maybe? Do
l. craod If find tI.,t