East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1906-02-21

The following article from F.. H.
Shepard, of Hood River, gives clear
insight into the methods of fruit
growing practiced in the Hood River
district, and which have made Hood
River apples famous around the
world. Mr.. Shepard says:
Nature has favored Hood River
with soil full of potash, phosphates
and other minerals necessary to pro-
duce high quality fruit, of good size,
fine color eXcellency of flavor and
No. l shipping qualities; an ideal cli-
mate for perfect development, warm
days and cool nights; the ever-sh shining
sun kissing our fruit by day, giving it
color, while Mt. Hood and Mt
Adams, 11.0aO feet high with their
snow-capped peaks, cool our atmos-
phere at night.
| will now tell you as best | can
how we have done our part BY in
vestigation some years ago we ascer-
tanned that Spitzenburgs and New
| towns We're not only high quality
| fruit, but always in demand. We
| found by experiment that they grew
to perfection in Hood River soil and
climate. We observed that these two
varieties could be grown successfully
in few districts and these compare
! lively small. We then decided to
plant and grow them and have been
continuing so to do ever since.
The point l wish to bring out here
for the benefit of everyone is, that
each individual, each locality is par
! ticularly adapted to some one thing.
To DO that one thing well and better
than anyone else will surely bring
success and a rich harvest.
To illustrate, Los Angeles and vi
cinity is famous for oranges and lem
ons. Fresno for grapes, Vacavile for
apricotS. Sacramento river for
peaches. In Colorado, Grand June
tion and Paonia are celebrated for
apples Rocky Ford FOR canteloupes.
Parts of Missouri beat the world on
our old friend. Ben Davis, and, by
the way, don't forget ii is grand
state and supplies the government
with more and better mules than any
other state in the Union.
But to return to our subject.
would say. DO as Hood River and
other districts have done, find out
something you can grow to perfec-
tion for which there is a good de-
mand, and give it every care and at
tention. Nurse it. eat with it. sleep
with it. We began at the beginning
by buying the best trees, the price
being no object. We buy them from
reliable nurserymen who we know
select their scions from parent trees
known to be bearers and producing
fruit of fine color and excellent quail
ity.
We cultivate with unceasing care
and in our orchards you will always
find the moisture dust mulch and no
weeds
We prune and shape the trees with
the came care and fondness we would
prune our child of bad habits and
shape its character.
We spray thoroughly ror every dis
ease or insect pest our orchards have
/ or may have. Spraying now is praC-
! tically a definite science, and by un-
| firing energy and eternal vigilance
| every orchardist can grow a clean
| crop of apples. From the success
achieved last year with five and six
| sprayngs with arsenate of lead, we
| are convinced that this number of
| sprayngs is sufficient, If properly
! done at the following times. to in
sure a clean crop: Once before the
! blossoms have fallen; next 10 days
late, and two weeks after for the first
| brood.
Two sprayings two weeks apart are
sufficient for the second brood, the
! time to be determined by brooding
cages. Should there be third or
| partial brood, give one spraying and
determine the time in the same man
ner.
| do not mean to say that a less
number of sprayings would not be
sufficient, but l do mean to say that
spraying as / have outlined it will
give and has given US practically
clean apples with less than two per
cent of worms.