The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1908-07-01

but in the case of our own AnjOus l
can say that they are disappointing.
They bore pretty well last year, but l
was looking them over a few days
since and they are destitute of fruit
this year, while the Bartlett, Flemish
Beauty, Clapp's Favorite, Winter Mel
lis, Keifer and Idaho near by are very
full. l would prefer the Bartlett to
Winter Nellis if l were top-grafting
those seedlings. The Nellis is a most
excellent pear in quality but is small
and does not, on an average, bear half
as many boxes as the Bartlett If
those seedlings were mine l would not
bud them, but top-graft them. That
should be done in the spring. If we
get new top on a tree and it heals
up we'll, it matters not how it is put
on-the results are the same. AS a
rule l would bud the stone fruits
peaches, cherries, etc.-and graft the
pomaceous fruits such as apples, pears
and ounces. If 1 were to bud those
pears | would use what is called the
shield bud. If | budded as late as Au-
gust | would not cut the tops off till
next spring Treat them then as any
other young trees.
L COulu lOG dSlSS Will lOl. w lChoOh
that the Bartlett pear is "perfectIy'
self-fertile-doubt if any tree fruit is.
The Government Experiment Stations
have shown cOnclusively that while
Bartlett pears are self-fertile, the pears
are larger and in every way more per-
feet when s-pOllinated. II the
blocks are near each other that may
furnish all the cross fertilization nee
essary. Insects do more in carrying
the pollen from one tree to another
than the wind.
I have the Jeniton apple growing on
my ranch in the Yakima valley. We
have about thirty trees. They have
been set in the orchard thirteen and
fourteen years. They have been bear
ing good crops for eight or ten years.
They bear better crops every other
year. Two years ago they were very
full and had. to be thinned; last year
they bore a somewhat light crop and
now this year they are enormously
full and will be heavily thinned. The
Jeniton sells about with the Rome
Beauty in price The Rome Beauty
does not bloom quite as late as the
IGNITION, but it has the habit of string
ing it's blooming season along and
thus part of it's bloom is at the same
time as the blooming of the IGNITION.
1t is claimed that the Ingram, which
is a Seeding of the IGNITION, blooms
as late, keeps even longer and has a
better color, being almost red all over.
1t originated with Martin Ingram near
Springfield, Mo-, about 1850. 1t is ex-
tensively raised as commercial apple
in the Ozark region and is good sell
er 1t should be tried in Washington
and Oregon. We have two top-worked
trees and will have some apples this
year. The Black Annette is a late
boomer We have two top-worked
trees.
Yes, | have tried vetch and am try
ing it now. In the spring of 1907 l re-
ceived seeds from the Agricultural De-
partment in order to determine which
legumes are best adapted to the reno
walton of our orchard soils in the
Yakima valley Among these seeds
were 25 pounds of hairy vetch (vicia
villosa) and 25 pounds of common
vetch (vicia sativa). These seeds were
sown in May. The hairy vetch made a
stupendOus growth and covered the
ground all over with vines several
inches deep. We did not plOw this
patch of vines under in the fall, for
we were not trying that experiment,
but had we done so they would have
furnished a large amount of humus.
1t must be remembered that the le-
gumes will fill the soil with available
nitates without blowing under the tops.
The work of the bacteria on the roots
consists in taking the free nitrogen
of the air which is very abundant, but
not available for plant food, and con-
verting it into nitrates which are avail
able. The chief point we are trying to
determine is to find what legumes will