The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1908-09-01

to feed dogs and in some cases starv-
ing men. 1t is not best to freeze ap-
pies, but they can be kept near the
freezing point without damage. When
we cannot have cold storage, then we
must have as cool cellar as we can
secure without ice. Be careful about
having your cellar too dry, for the ap-
plies will shrivel from evaporation.
1 have just returned from my fruit
ranch in the Yakima valley. While
there | made study of the effect of
healthy foliage on the development of
fruit. How many people there are who
look upon the leaves on the tree as
mere ornaments. No greater mistake
could be made. The leaves are just
as essential to the health and develop
ment of tree as the roots are. Keep
the leaves off a tree during the sum-
mer and it will die as certainly as a
man would die if his head was cut
off, or Ito make the comparison a lit
tie more in harmony with facts in the
case) as certainly as a man would
die if his stomach was cut out. A
mans stomach is where his food is
digested so that it may nourish the
body, and the leaves are where the
food for the growth and development
of the tree is worked over into the
proper condition, and without this
working over, commonly called elab-
grafton, the tree will starve to DEATH
The leaves constitute the workshop
where the crude sap is converted into
the elaborated sap A tree in order
to grow must have sugar, starch and
other allied substances. But none
Of these things ever enters the tree
from the ground through the roots or
from the air through the leaves. Then
whence come they? They are manu-
featured in the leaves. These things
| have explained before, but they are
referred to again "lest we forget"
In my recent observations l Occa-
siOnally found a tree on which the
leaves seemed to be in an unhealthy
condition. In one case two trees stand
ing 25 feet apart in the same row had
leaves not at all alike in appearance,
| although the trees were both Shows
On the tree having large, healthy, dark
green leaXes, the apples were twice
as large as on the other tree, whose
foliage had sickly appearance. The
new growth was twice as much on
the tree with vigorous leaves as on
the other. This lesson we learn from
such observations, viz: if we want
good growth of new wood and large
fine fruit, we must, if we can. keep
the foliage in a healthy condition We
must not think we have done all we
can for our trees when we keep the
soil in proper condition. We must
look into our trees as well as under
them, in order that we may secure
good crops.
What are the causes that produce
an unhealthy condition of leaves? They
are many. One of the chief causes
is the presence of fungi on the leaves.
The fungi are vegetable growths in
living trees and plants as we'll as on
decaying animal and vegetable matter.
These fungi on our fruit trees do not
produce any food but steal it from
their hosts on which they live. They
are parasites. Thus, by drawing their
nourishment from the leaves they rob
them and make them sickly. These
fungous growths show in the form of
mildew, leaf mold and in other forms.
They must be killed if We want our
trees to do their best work. How
can we kill them? By spraying with
some fungicide. AS have frequently
said in these columns, the best fungi
eide known is sulphate of copper, com
monty called bluestone or blue vitriol.
If we want real healthy foliage it is
well to use some bluestone in our
spray mixtures when we are fighting
the codling moth. The lime-sulphur
wash which we use in killing the scale
insects is also a fungicide and helps
the foliage of our trees.
Another cause of unhealthy leaves
is the aphis. These are not fungi.
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