The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1907-05-01


function of water is to conduct the
fertilzing materials taken in through
the roots to the leaves and there 1t Is
eyaporated and passes out into the air
through the stomata (mouths) of the
leaves, except so much as Is needed
in conducting the elaborated sap back
into the body and limbs of the tree.
The water does not fertilize the tree
but merely acts as the medium OF
conduction of the fertilizers and then
it passes off into the air. The tree will
use as much water as it needs for this
conduction and no more. The lack OF
sufficient water at the roots of the
free will retard this conduction and
the tree suffers.
+
Resides the Willow Twig the Wine
sap is another long keeping apple. the
Seattle markets are reported bare OF
| almost all apples, except Winesap ana
Ben Davis. car Of Ben Davis came
in April 16 and sold at $3.50 to $l.oo
nor hox. Winesaps are worth from
1925 to $3.50 per box. These apples
were probably kept in cold storage.
We must look to the holding of apples
for the spring markets. There Is
money in such a course. But ASIDE
from cold storage it Is important to
grow apples that will keep till spring
n ordinary storage Besides the three
aprles named above, viz, Willow Tw1g'
Ben Davis and Winesap, there are
others. I opened, about the middle OF
April. a box of Genitons, called also
Rails. Rails Geniton, etc. They were
sound and in every way in good con-
dition. People from the east would
not know this we'll known apple as 1t IS
grown in our irrigated valleys ANS
hoy of Genitons were red, not solid red
but somewhat striped, but so complete
lv covered with red as to De ciasseu
as a red apple Why this d1Herence!
The almost continuous sunshine great
ly helps the process Of coloring. ihere
is a reason for this not rar TO seeA'
Sunshine is indispensable to the elaOor-
alton of sap, hence, the more sunshine
the more elaborated sap TO assist IL
the growth as we'll as the quai1ty anu
color of the fruit. But there 10 a
other factor that Is as lhoispehe"o
as sunshine, and that Is water a' ene
right time in autumn Wnen the iioi.
is maturing Sometimes we nho Tia
a tree in our irrigated orcharos 10
elected in August and ooes no' So
enough water. In such case the liui'
will not only fail to properly oeveiop
-, siza hut it will decidedly lack In
oo,or WE had two Willow Twig trees
tho mast season that were not properly
irrigated in the autumn. Inc resu,,
was that the fruit on them was small
and almost green.
4
Hero is the great advantage In lrrl-
cation We can supply the water tnat
is needed just at the right time Where
we cannot irrigate this end can be at
tanned by mulching or by surface pull
that is only another way |
Of ,,u1ching. But no method or mulch-
tho can ever be equal to the control
of the water supply that we have IN
irrieation. For this reason some OF |
our leading fruit growers In the
limited States, in those parts wnere the
rainfall is large, are advocating some
kind of irrigation so as to supply Inc
needed moisture in the dry spells that
occur in the autumn.
\.
Can YOU irrigate too much? Certain
Nv IF a tree stands in water 1t Will
use only what it needs. Then what
harm can come from over-1rr1gatlon
THAT is not a hard question to answer.
Soil filed with water prevents the CIR
culation Of the air about the roots.
Sorauer, in his admirable work en-.
titled "a Treatise on Plant PHYSIOLOGY
page 81, has this to say about the CIR
culation of air in the soil: 1T is not
onlv because the soil contains an ex-
traordinarily large quantity of the nu-
tritive solutions in it's pores that we
have compared the ideal soil with
sponge. but also on account or It's
nermeability for air. The roots must