The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1906-09-15

| set. Along JnlS mead QlICn dlldlld
got start and while we kept it grub
bed out of the main part of the orch
ard, we allowed it to grow here. 1t
has gained on us considerably in the
past few years and now occupies the
ground for four or five rows along the
north side of our orchard. We have
allowed this chiefly because we intend
to grub out this old peach orchard in
few years. But we are surprised
at the results of our neglect and have
| learned a valuable lesson. The trees
where we have allowed the alfalfa to
grow are more vigorous, bear bigger
peaches, and more of them to the
tree, than we get from the other part
of the orchard. Last spring there was
terribly cold wind that blew for
three days and much fruit was killed
in various parts of the state. AS a
result of this cold snap in March our
Crawfords in our old orchard are
quite light except along the alfalfa
strip referred to above. Here the
trees are loaded with peaches and
will yield three or four times as much
to the tree as the part of the orchard
out of which we have kept the alfalfa.
There were more on the alfalfa strip
last year. The peaches have been
bigger for some years along this strip
There are other evidences on our
fruit ranch that go to show that trees
are more vigorous and the fruit larger
where alfalfa has been allowed to
creep in than where we have clean
culture. I am so impressed with this
fact that l am convinced that it were
better to have alfalfa all over our
orchards and thereby secure the shade
of the soil and the increase of nitro
gen than to keep up clean culture and
allow the soil to burn in the hot sun.
In one part of our orchard there is
quite a growth of what is commonly
called sweet clover (melilOtus alba)
There the trees are very vigorous and
the apples very fine. Now, this sweet
clover is legume and it is claimed
that the same kind of bacteria work
on it as on the alfalfa. The plant
has but little value as forage plant
but is rich in honey. Some of the
bee men do not like the honey made
from the melilotus alba. I am not
very we'll posted in such matters and,
hence. have nothing to say on this
point. But we may feel sure that
where this plant grows our soils are
being replenished with nitrogen.
i
Mr.. Chenaur, in speaking of his
trees that show signs of failure, which
| have mentioned in former issues,
also stated that alfalfa had got in
along some of his head bitches and
there his trees had not lost their
vigor. This and many other facts
that | could mention all point to the
fact that in our volcanic ash soils,
such as we have in the Wenatchee
and Yakima valleys, it does not take
many years to so exhaust the nitrogen
content that we need to build up the
soil by the use of commercial nitrates
or by the growing of legumes. The
other two elements of fertility are
not SO readily exhausted, as I shall
try to show when | come, in these
articles, to treat of potash and phos-
phorus.
If a person should drive along the
road from Zillah to our fruit ranch he
could see abundant evidence of the
benefits of nitrogen restoration. There
at one place on Mr.. Keck's ranch is
field of potatoes on an old alfalfa
| field that shows an enormous growth
Nothing that is grown on the lands OF
Yakima county can or, at least does,
equal alfalfa in fitting ground for
potatoes. 1t is well known that COM
mercial nitrogen has been extensively
used for the growing of potatoes. OF
course nitrogen alone is not used as
rule, but nitrogen is the one indis-
pensable element. Frequently the
other necessary elements are already