The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1906-10-01


thorough work and conscientious de-
votion to anything which he under
takes he was called to position in
the department of agriculture. AS will
be seen he is in charge of the depart
ment of agrostology. No man in our
country could, therefore, speak with
higher authority than he when it
comes to the use of legumes. l ask
our orchardists to read and ponder
carefully what he says. We must
study these matters or suffer great
loss. The following is Prof. Piper's
letter:
Dear Mr.. Walden:
was very much interested to read
your recent article advocating Wash
ington orchardists to use legum1nous
crops for the purpose OF building up the
one on which this department., in CO.
operation with the orchardists OF south.
ern California, has done great amount
of work and the results there achieved
are such as to demonstrate beyond any
question the great value of the practice.
The result is that practically every
California plants his orchard in winter
to some 1eguminous crop and a great
many of them are in addition growing
summer legumes as well. Two things
of leguminous crops. First of all, a
large amount of nitrogen is added to
the soil which materially reduces the
bill for fertilizers, and secondly, a large
amount of humus is added to the soil,
thus enabling the soil to retain moisture
very much better and consequently re-
ducing greatly the amount of irrigation
necessary For some years past Cali
fornia orchardists. had been compelled
to spend considerable sums of money
each year to purchase fertilizers for
their orchards in order to secure salts
factory crops. The general culture of
legumes has now resulted in reducing
this fertilizer bill very considerably;
in fact entirely, so far as the purchase
of the nitrogen element of these fertil-
izerS is concerned
Up till now the need of adding fer
tilizers to the rich orchard soils of
Washington has scarcely been felt but
undoubtedly the time will come in the
in California, when the securing of pro-
fitable crops from orchards is going to
depend or keeping up the fertility of the
soil. This, so far as the nitrogen is
of leguminous crops while at the same
time the advantage is gained by adding
large amounts Of humus nus to the soil,
steal condition, both for the retention
of moisture and for easy cultivation:
While comparatively little experimental
Iegumes in the orchard valleys of east
ern Washington there are number of
such crops that we know are we'll adapt
ed to the conditions and certain to su :
coed. In the matter of a summer le-
guminous crop for orchards in irrigated
districts especially where water is
than cow peas. This 1egume is a re-
markab1y vigorous one and always has
it's roots we'll tubercled without which,
to the soil The cowpea delights in
warm weather and in Washington should
not be planted before the middle. of
June. In the Yakima valley this plant
should produce an enormous crop ready
kills it.
It is probable, however, for various
will prove the most desirable to grow
in Washington as they have been in
California. In the latter state the leg
are the .vetches, fenugreek, horse
beans, and Canada peas. Among the
vetches the common vetch has been
vetch as 1T makes a satisfactory growth
during the cool weather of winter,
while the hairy vetch makes but little
growth until the hot weather of late
spring. Inasmuch as it is desirable
to blow under these crops early in the
spring. the desirability of a leguminous
spring, is very evident. While hairy
vetch will Withstand much greater
beeye the eG latter will survive any ord
nary winter in the peach growing val
legs of eastern Washington. Horse
beans and Canada peas cannot be util-
crops, as they will be killed by the
first frost. 1t will be frequently pos
sible in the case of Canada peas to grow
fall before freezing weather destroys
them. Fenugreek will probably not
withstand the winter. in Washington
but this remains to be definitely de-
termined Among some of the other
legumes that will withstand very Sc
we're weather without being destroyed
are yellow trefoil birds foot trefoil
and crimson clover All of these ought
to be carefully tested by Washington
orchardists. Crimson clover especially
ought to succeed admirably on your