Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1907-03-29
FRUIT POINTERS FOR
ROGUE RIVER GROWERS
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Continued from page One.
Kerr received a storm of applause as
she resumed her seat.
j. A. Wilson said that he had
helped plant the Struck orchard 90
years ago and that it had been cult.
waited and borne a crop of appl every
year. Water" said he sis the life.
blood of the land and everything it
touches turns to gold"
A. c. Staten said that Mr.. Mason q
statement in regard to his explicit
taste was, he thought. rather wide OF
the mark. He didn't believe it posi-
BILE for any one to tell the difference
between irrigated and non irrigated
fruit by the taste and that the fisy or
OF the apple depended more on the
climate and soil than it did on the
matter Of irrigation.
F. L. Smith, who said he had
shipped an exhibit of apples to the
Trans Mississippi exposition at Oms.
ha, on which he had received 6rst
prize for quality and texture. also
stated that the fruit had never been
i,rigated and that he thought fruit of
finer quality could be grown without
water than with it. Hood River had
rainfall of 81 inches which he
thought was sufficient moisture
President Sproat remarked that he
would like to say word in regard to
Mr.. Mssou's statement that there
would never be drop of water put
on his orchard The orchard of Sears
& Porter had borne a crop of apples
for the past six years, the bulk OF
which were 1855 and zoos and had
averaged eight boxes to the tree. TIC
do this the trees had to be irrigated.
Mr.. Mason had been in the orchard
business about 10 years. His trees
we're but nine years old and until this
year had borne few apples. He was
willing to ACCEPT Mr.. Mason's state
ment about not irrigating his trees
until they got TO be IL or IA years old,
after that he was quite sure the gen.
tlemsn would change his tune.
Mr.. Mason, in answer to Mr..
Sproat, calculated that his trees were
growing all the apples at present that
he wanted them to. He didn't want
his orchard to look as il it was com
posed of weeping willows bowed down
with fruit. He thought anyone who
grew apples in this way was greedy.
As to g'owing strawberries without
irrigation he had grown very fine
berries without water, but admitted
that it was necessary to irrigate in
order to make commercial success OF
the berry business.
]. L. Carter found that irrigation
improved the fruit. Had noticed this
in the Grand Ronde valley before he
came to Hood River. There was
every reason to think that the moder'
ate use Of water was beneficial and
grew better apples. He did not think
Mr. Mason had had time enough tC
make thorough test.
The next topic for discussion wa,
cover cultivation, on which E. L.
Smith was asked to speak. Mr.
Smith opened his remarks by sayinl
tnat he had been informed tina
several members of the society wer,
present who had said they woulC
tear any argument on this subject t.
pieces, so he was prepared but no
afraid. His dissertation was alonl
the line that by constant cultiva
tion aud agitation of the soil, with
out planting cover crop at certai
] ItTlOue, II btNdLho tAuhhsNth VI w
natural elements necessary TO retail
its sustaining qualities. That i
other words the humus or propagatin
properties Of the soil gradually becom
lost, making it necessary to us
artificial fertilizers. 1t had bee
found that in Maine where exhaustiN
tests had been made that 10 oontiI
uous crops Of apples without tertilizi
iton depleted an acre of soil to Il
extent of 1900 pounds of potash, l6,
pounds Of nitrogen and 300 poun,
of PHOSPHORUS, which latter we
the life giving elements to SUGGEST
apple culture. The chemistry Of Il
soil were constantly at war with ca,
other seeking 10 make the combinatit
that nature calls for. 1t was natur
fot the ground to be covered wi
vegetation which retained, ind
those circumstances, the potash, {
nitrogen and the phosphoric aci
BY planting cover crop that wou
ramain for five or siv mouths in :