The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1906-06-15
HORTICULTURE
CONTINUED from Page Five)

higher as a pomologist than II. e
Van Deman. He organized and was al
tne head of the department of pc
mology at Washington d. c., for eight
years. He judged the fruit at the
Pan-American fair at Buffalo and die
the same thing for the Lewis and
Clark Centennial fair at Portland. He
was with us during the entire fair
We met him daily and learned to love
him as a brother. His hearty laugh
would have driven the blues from the
most gloomy breast His friends in
the northwest are legion and | know
will be glad to hear from him. The
horticultural editor of The Ranch has
Just received a good letter from Prof
Van Deman and takes pleasure in
giving it to our readers. While we
are not raising nuts to any great ex
tent and cannot raise some of the
other fruits in which he is engaged
| know that others will be pleased, as
| was, to learn what our friend is do
ing The following is his letter:
my dear friend Walden: The last
time we met was on the street in
North Yakima. My acquaintance has
been very pleasant with you and
should do my part to continue it, al
though we are far apart and may never
meet again. If | have the chance tC
come to your coast again will try tC
have more time to spend in your
section, and see you at your own home
place.
81 want you to send me your paper
for | always prize what you write
| will soon go to our summer home
in New York to get ready for wife
and Ruth, when her school is out in
September. We are all well and hope
you and your wife are, too.
"Since coming east last fall | have
been very busy with my work, espe
cially on the Louisiana farm. l plant
ed 10000 grated pecan trees on $50
acres of the richest land in America
during February and March, and they
are starting to grow nicely. This is
only about one-third of what we pro
pose to plant there, but will not like
ly have as much to plant in one spring
again. had inexperienced hands tC
train Gall negroes) but they worked
we'll and we got the trees planted
quicker and better than | expected
| was in the field all the time with
the hands and knew how things were
done from start to finish. We have
the foundation laid for great nu'
orchard that will be in bearing at the
close of this century and probably al
the close of the next one. The pecan
is at home in those rich Mississippi
river bottoms, and has been for ages
past.
81 also planted ten barrels OF pecans
in nursery form this spring, and We
already had $4,000 seedlings from the
nuts | planted there last year.
"In addition to the pecan trees
planted 80 acres of fig trees this
spring, as an inter-planting between
them, for early returns. The fig trees
will begin to bear in two years ano
continue as long as we want them tC
remain. Our purpose is to preserve
the fruit in a cannery OF our own.
"About the middle of April | went
to our tropical fruit farm near Miami
Fla. where | found things in fine
shape. We have planted $500 pomelc
trees within the past year and there
are not 10 dead ones among them
Our orange trees planted but little
more than a year are beginning tt
bear and our pineapple crop will be
good this year on the older planting
and we are planting more every year
The culture of this fruit l like ex
ceedingly, to say nothing OF having
ripe pineapples to eat.
1--WE are also planting the mango
avocado, guava and other troplca
fruits in orchard blocks, for they have
a promising future in our fancy fruit
markets. We are getting the very
choicest grated varieties of the man