Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1908-03-20
HOT SPRINGS SOUTH DAKOTA, FRIDAY, MARCH 20 1905.
BLACK HILLS FRUIT GROWING,

BLACK HILLS FRUIT GROWING.
Excerpts From a Discussion Of this
Subject by ]. II. Wilkinson.
j. II. Wilkinson, Of Butte county,
has an article in arecent issue Of the
Dakota Farmer on the subject Of Fruit
Growing in the Black Hills," from
which the STAR takes pleasure in ex.
traoting portion. Mr.. Wilkinson
says: In the first place, fruits are so
local in their environment that it re.
quired long experience to determine
those best adapted to this locality
Then again, you must study your own
soil as to friability, drainage and ca
pacity to furnish nutriment for growth
of trees. Impressions gained from ex.
animation of hundreds of orchards
are that shelter or windbreaks are q
prime factor in insuring growth and
fruitfulnes; that good drainage is
necessary, and that more orchards are
damaged by irrigation than by drouths;
or in other words, orchards without
irrigation, taken as whole, have
given better returns than those under
irrigation. Trees will grow in any
kind of soil and any kind of location,
with proper care. Taken in the aggre-
gate, the best of shelter and perfect
drainage we're most conclusive to
healthy trees and heavy fruitage.
While our experiment station has
not yet been able to assign US lists of
varieties adapted as whole to the
two hundred miles north and south, it
has done great work in furnishing
us with lists of hardy varieties of fruits
from which we must select those
adapted to our particular locality.
While some orchardists have succeed
ed with the most haphazard methods
and others have failed with the most
careful tilage, it is better on the whole
to follow approved methods and leave
the experimenting to those who are
paid for doing that kind of work
Approved methods as applied to
present conditions, suggest that we
should secure good trees at any price,
hardy stock and the best type of the
variety selected. Have your ground
in perfect condition. Dig holes large
and deep and set trees as soon as
possible after arriving, with as little
exposure of roots to air as possible.
Set trees two to six inches deeper than
when taken up, cutting off all broken
or bruised roots and cutting back top
to compare with root. Make the fill
ing with top soil and damp dirt firmly
around tree. Give thorough cutliya-
tion for three or four years and mulch
trees in winter. After this, the orchard
may be seeded down to timothy and
clover or alfalfa, which, when cut,
should be left on the ground as mulch.
Trees are voracious feeders and some
thing must be done to supply them
with nutriment. One of the very best
things which all can use is wood
ashes.
To show by illustration from which
the above conclusions were drawn, l
cite few of the many orchards visited.
The Newlands ranch five miles east of
Belle Fourche has two acre orchard
protected on north and west by a
heavy growth of cottonwood trees.
Here in the strictest of gumbc, land
almost level, year after year have been
growing apples and pears weighing
more than pound. Here best results
were secured by clean cultivation. On
the ranches of William Ure and Mrs.
Thompson, on Redwater, where irriga-
tion is very light and not used in the
past two years, apples and pears are
an annual crop. Last year when the
Spearfish valley, orchards under con-
stant irrigation, failed to produce q
crop, Mrs. Thompson sold over $500
worth Of apples from five acres.
Mrs. Thompson says the trees best
sheltered are always the heaviest yield
ers. Mr.. Ure says irrigation is the
bane of fruit growers and that many
ruin their trees with water,. All along
the Redwater where the largest speci-
ments and most perfect fruit in the
s:Ellls" is grown, the soil is red loan
light of tilth and perfectly drained.
Capt. Pratt, located on hillside
bordering the west valley of the Spear
fish, has not failed to grow an annual
crop for twenty years past. His apple
orchard has q good slope to the north
east, is irrigated, but thoroughly drain
ed. Timothy and clover are grown in
the orchard and this is moved and left
on the ground for mulch. Below
Mr.. Pratt's orchard, the Spearflsh
valley lies fat, with very rich soil pro-
ducing wonderful crops of grain,
vegetables and alfalfa; and is rapidly
being set to fruit trees. Here are many
instances of nom bearing trees or total
failure of apple crop, and pear trees