The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1908-06-15
HORTICULTURAL DEPARTMENT
Edited by r. Walden

| dnu lAClC dlO oOlhO A1OI oO 6OOu. hOA v
are some people so foolish as to be Of
| Tended if it is so much as limited in
| the papers that their locality is not
as good as others for some particular
kind of fruit More than once I have
been sent for by some real estate men
| for my opinions as to the suitableness
of the lands they have to sell for fruit
raising. l would be frank with them,
and when l would not say that their
particular situation was as good for
certain kinds of fruit as any in the
state, they would get angry. | will
not play into the hands of such men
While I may be mistaken, as any one
may, yet so far as I know l will tell
| the truth, the whole truth and nothing
| but the truth" ask no greater
| tribute than that the horticultural de-
partment of The Ranch be considered
reliable.
AS to locations in Yakima county
largely free from frosts at the bloom
ing time for peaches, apricots and nee
tarines, I would mention Fruitvale,
northwest of North Yakima; Mob Hill,
west and southwest of that city; the
upper part of Park Bottom, and espe-
cially what is known as Parker
Heights. 1t appears to me that there
must be some very good locations un-
der the Teton canal, now building,
where frost drainage is excellent. Now
it must not be understood that
peaches can not be successfully raised
in other parts of that county. l men
ton these locations as the best.
have made money at raising peaches,
and expect to make more, but do not
claim that I have the best location.
AS to the location of Blalock Island
as being free from frosts, / am not
fully informed. The proximity OF
water is a favorable point. OF course
fruit ought to be early there, but there
may be bad frosts at blooming time
I am not fully informed as to the Han
ford Tract so far as frosts at bloom
ing time is concerned. That the land
is rich and the season early, there can
be no question. Mr.. Pratt, the man
aging editor of the Ranch, is now at
Hanford gathering facts for write up
of that section. See what he has to
say in another part of this issue.
I wish to say to Mr.. Worley and all
others who may be interested in such
matters. that cherries are much hard
Ter as to ramage from frost than
peaches. On our ranch we have never
had a failure of cherries. And sour
cherries (prunus cerasus) are very
hardy, while the sweet cherries (prun-
us avium) are not quite so hardy. we
have never had a failure of such cher
ries as the Royal Ann. Gov. Wood,
Black Republican and the Dukes have
never been an entire failure and gen.
orally are very full.
A man who does not wish to have
his name appear, asks the following
question::
According to your invitation, I come
with my questions to wit:
If you had an orchard of hundred
and twenty apple trees transplanted
two years since (this is in Island
county,, being mostly Baldwin, King,
and Gravenstein, and, suppose further,
that among them are ten Stark, ten
Wealthy and five Winter Banana, what
would you do with these three kinds
last named?
Would you advise planting dozen
Delicious apple?
Kindly reply through The Ranch,
shall do Just aohat you sag.
1t seems to me would let the Stark,
Wealthy and Winter Banana continue,
and I would plant a few Delicious
a dozen would not be too many Allow
me to suggest to this friend that the
best way to find out what is adapted to
his locality is to go among the fruit
growers in that county and find out
what succeeds best. If man lives in
Iowa or any of the Mississippi valley
states and could find out what kind
of apples succeed we'll in one part, he
could pretty safely conclude that the