The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1908-05-15

it would furnish not only the nitrogen
needed but by this green stuff rotting
in the soil the condition would be
greatly improved.
Now if new land that has never been
cropped is to be planted to orchard,
it will be found in nearly all cases to
be rich enough. So | would practice
clean culture for few years and then
SOW to some legume if the water sup
ply is sufficient to furnish water for
the use of the trees as we'll as the
plants growing in the orchard. In
this way a better growth will be Sc
cured. See in a recent issue of The
Ranch what | said in answering lead.
ing fruit grower in Oregon as to the
best way to proceed where we can not
use irrigation.
G. d. Stevens, Everett, Wash, asks ::
Il would like to ask you if any injury
or benefit would occur from putting
clear urine on and around young
fruit trees?" / think not unless the
application should be excessive. Urine
is heavily freighted with nitrogen,
that is, ammonia, which is one form in
which nitrogen can be applied to the
growth of plants. My judgment is it
would be better to have the urine
mixed with litter with which we bed
our horses or cattle, but | do not con.
slider this absolutely essential. There
| is great waste on nearly all farms by
allowing the urine to run away and be
lost. l once visited the dairy barn OF
w. H. PaulhamuS near Sumner, Wash
His entire cow barn has cement floor
and not drop of the urine is lost
by running off to the ground 1t is
conducted to a tank and from that
hauled to the fields. Senator Paulha-
mus is engaged in berry growing as
well as in dairying. These berry plan
tations are enriched from the dairy
barn by using both the urine and the
excreta from the COWS. Finer and
more vigorous berry plants | never
saw. In new country like this there
has been but little need of saving all
forms of manure, but it will not al
ways be so. Urine will add vigor to
all growing trees and plants and |
should not be afraid to apply it. 1t
makes no material difference whence
it is derived or how it is applied, it
will almost invariably prove to be
beneficial.
When | was on our fruit ranch a
few days ago one of my sons informed
me that he recently received a letter
from a nurseryman in Tennessee say
ing that he had bought a box of our
apples in the market there. 1t was a
box of Mammoth Black Twig (Arkan-
sas). From Mr.. Gilbert of Toppenish
who bought our apple crop last fall, |
learned that the firm of Richey and
Gilbert shipped carload of apples
last fall to Nashville, Tenn. No doubt
this nurseryman got a box of our
apples from this carload Now, there
was nothing remarkable about this but
thereby hangs a tale" The reason
this nurseryman wrote us was he
wanted to know how we managed to
get such high color on those Black
Twigs He was under the impression
that we had done something in the
way OF fertilizing to bring this high
color
This nurseryman was informed that
nothing of the kind was done and
that no magic was used to secure
such high color He was informed,
however, that the climatic conditions
where our apples grow are such that
they produce such color. There is an
idea very prevalent that the color of
fruit, especially apples, is the result
of iron in the soil This is a mistake
chat no we'll informed man will make.
1T is true that iron is an indispensable
factor in plant growth and without
it's presence no fruit at all could be
grown, but it is equally true and well
known to all we'll informed soil chem
lists, that there is always enough of
this element in any soil to accomplish
the end desired. One of the best books
eXtant on the soil is that by Professor