The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1907-02-14
Apple Culture.
BY G. r. ('astner.


In the spring of 1894 l landed In
Hood River, on the 18th day OF
March, having ssen the aprles on dis
play at the Columbian Worlds Fair
at Chicago In the fall Of 1899. 4 Quit
railroad work and came to Oregon to
engage in fruit growing. After look
ing about the valley for two weeks
decided on my present location, there
being six acres Of clay loan hat had
been lately cleared, having had one
cro1 OF corn, followed the same fall
by crop Of winter barley, leaving
the ground In rerfect shape for set
ting trees. | made my selection OF
trees as follows: Three hundred and
forty Newtowns, 80 Spitzenbergs, so
Ben Davis, eli ven King OF Lompkins
County, and few other home varie.
ties. The trees arrived and set them
the last week In April, and have
lear ned since that they we're watched
closly by my neiehbors, az they ex-
pected to see me lose Q great portion
Of them by setting 20 late, hut
strange to say, did not lose one,
and found only one at tearing time
not true to name. used care in set.
ting, digging the holes nearly three
feet acI oss and two feet deep, carry
Ing q large tobacco pail of water and
dipping the roots Of every tree before
setting. set them % feet apart each
way, but now wish | had made them
rs feet. | planted corn between the
rows for five years, raising plenty Of
corn to fatten hogs and feed stock ;
since then have grown nothing In
the orchard, but practiced clean culti-
yation. The trees we're good yearling
I 'ees, and headed them down TO
three feet, having set them about
three inches deeper than they we're
set In the nursery. The following
winter we had quite deep snow, and
many OF the lower limbs were stripped
by snow settling, SO was obliged to
make the head OF the tree from
branches that were left near the top.
would prefer to commence head
about 20 inches or two feet from The
ground. | beaded back all trees the
second year, but since then have
pruned to balance trees aga ust the
wind only aud to take out CROSSES. |
had some fruit the fourth year, more
the fifth, and the sixth year had a
good crop, and have had an increase
each year since, selling the Newtowns
last year for about 81, 600. Y
In setting the orchard l set the
Newtowns on the west, the Spitzen.
bergs next, and the Ben Davis next.
In the winter OF 1867 lost % New.
towns from the November freeze. and
replaced them with Baldwins and
SpiizenDergs, and since then / have
replaced until have only 306 Of the
original Newtown setting left OF tbi,
number 200 bear each year, those
bearing heavily the previous yesl
resting the succeeding year, and vic,
versa. The Spitzenbefgs have neye]
borne heavily, as the location is some
what exposed to the wind, ana nv ex
perience is that Spitzen bergs should
be well protected from the wind e
get the best results.
The Ben Davis have borne eacl
year since the fourth year, and onI,
one year has their yield been a IichI
one. The location of the orchard /,
west Of the Phelps creek on a north
east slope and well drained naturally
The sub soil is clay and undertake
with volcanic rock which slacks a
soon as exposed to the air. / spra,
once q year with lime and suIpbuj
and bordeaux for protection from
scale aud fungus and Eve times eacl
year for Goblin moth, the first spray
as soon as the bloom has nearly al
fallen; the second ten days later. anf
the other three thirty days apart, us
ing the arsenate Of lead spray, whicl
has proven the best spray for protec
tion against the Goblin moth of an,
ever used In this valley. Since usinI
1t have only about one per cen
wormy fiuit.