The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1908-08-01

put III Cn0 Bean pump. l. u0 OH Uohno
Morse engine is good one, but in
some respects we prefer the Olds en-
CINE. No doubt there are other good
makes of both engines and pumps, but
I am giving our experience. We have
no financial interest in any outfit and
could not be hired to favor one in pref
erence to another unless our expert
ence corroborated the claims made for
it.
The crimson clover reseeded itself
last summer and produced a perfect
mat in the fall, but to our surprise
and disappointment the entire crop
winter killed, and nothing was left
this spring Whether this was the re-
suit of bare ground the past winter,
or whether it was the result Of the
fact that the self-seeding was earlier
in the season than we sowed the year
before, we are unable to say. We
shall have to try the experiment over
again. Seed is too expensive to buy
from year to year. so we are trying to
determine which legumes will reseed
themselves. We know that sweet clO-
yer (melilotus alba) will, but some peo-
pie object to this plant as trouble
some weed. 1t is a fine legume and
will enrich the soil, but is not valua-
BILE as forage plant.
AS l have stated before, would not
SOW alfalfa in newly set orchard. My
experience confirms me in the belief
that after an orchard is well estab-
lished alfalfa may be grown profitably
among the trees, provided the water
supply is good. Any plant growing
will
water than the trees will if the soil
is cultivated and the surface kept pull
verified. These plants will rob the
trees of the needed moisture unless
supplied by copious rains or irrigation.
If the alfalfa grown in an orchard is
cut and placed around under the trees,
it will help to-, retain the moisture,
and when it rots will supply humus,
which is always beneficial to growing
plants If you NOW the alfalfa and
take it away in the shape of hay you
will be robbing the soil of it's potash
and phosphorus, even if you do in
crease the supply of nitrogen, which
you certainly will. A soil is not rich,
however much nitrogen it contains, if
it lacks potash and phosphorus. l
would never tax the soil in bearing
orchard with the growing of any other
crop to be taken away, but would leave
anything that may be grown besides
the fruit to rot and thus keep up the
fertility and right texture of the soil.
The question relating to what vari-
cites of the apple to plant near Pasco
will be fully discussed in later issues
of The Ranch. Before time to plant
T will q
custom is, go over the matter. DR..
Wallace does not say whether he
seeks information relative to home
orchard or one for commercial pur-
poses. I take it for granted that he
means the latter. l think that anyone
can see that the answers must differ
according to whether we mean the
orchard for home use or the orchard
for mOney-making. In planting COM
mercial orchard 1 would not exceed
six varieties, viz: the Winesap, JOna-
than, Rome Beauty. Arkansas Black,
Spitzenburg and Newtown Pippin, and
would value them in the order here
named. Do not for moment under
stand me as saying that there are only
six good apples. Our nurserymen cat
alogue some 1000 varieties of the ap-
pie, not including the many seedlings
that have not yet come into favorable
notice. 1t would be exceedingly
strange if there were not many very
good varieties not included in the
above named six. But after very
careful study of the matter, coupled
with my own experience in growing
apples in Washington, I put these
down as the money getters. Be on
your guard with reference to the fell
low who comes around with some new
and wonderful apples in jar and tells
you that if you do not give him a