The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1908-07-01
SI5 cZS@NThe Rencl1:>Se@s< LS5SS&

this year. Had we plowed under these
vines in the fall it is very doubtful If
they would have rotted sufficiently
during the winter so that the ground
could have been planted to potatoes
in the spring.
Crimson clover (trifolium incarna
tum) is what is called winter annual
that is, it should be sown in Septem'
Der and wintered over when it will
make vigorous growth the next
spring and then it goes to seed
and dies. To pillow it under in the fall
it would not amount to much. 1t is a
legume and will gather nitrogen from
the air. If sown in the early spring
it might make sufficient growth to
pillow under in the fall.
| think most of the legun1es will
soon be supplied with enough bacteria
without inoculating the soil. l have
never had any experience in soaking
seed in inoculated soil. My under
standing is that drying the soil or the
inoculated seed will not injure the
bacteria The first year any soil is
sown to a new kind of plant the bac-
terra may not be plentiful, but they
will multiply rapidly and will soon be
abundant.
The past spring the advice was Civ
en- by one of the fruit inspectors that
fruit should be thinned early and some
reasons we're given for such a pro-
cedure. Fortunately, so far as | know,
no one paid any attention to the sug-
gestion. If fruit never dropped any
the suggestion would be good one,
but fruit will drop and there is the OBJ
lection to this early thinning. Some
years the June drop" is greater than
in other years, but no one can tell in
advance what it will be. Some few
years ago we had some fourteen hun
dred peach trees that were very full.
When the young peaches had attained
the size of half inch in diameter a
very heavy thinning seemed to be in
evitable We made our arrangements
to put gang of thinners into the or
chard on a certain Monday morning.
A few days before beginning this
work, | noticed, in passing through the
peach orchard that the young fruit
was dropping considerably, SO we wait
ed and never did any thinning at all.
Had we thinned early and then the
drop had come on there would not
have been half crop. This year on
our ranch the drop has been heavy
both in apples and peaches. | was on
our fruit ranch from the 10th to the
18th of June and made thorough ex-
animation of the condition of our fruit.
The drop of both peaches and apples
and to some extent of pears was on.
The papers in the East are reporting
a heavy June drop" this year. So
great is this drop that where full crops
were expected in many cases the crop
will be light. In the Middle West it is
well known that no reliable statement
can be made as to the crop condition
till after the June DROP
What causes this drop? 1t is~easier
to ask this question than to answer it.
Without a doubt there is more than
one cause. 1t is often said that this
dropping is caused by imperfect pol
lination This is very prolific cause,
doubtless the chief cause, but l doubt
it's being the only cause. Without pol
lination no seed can be produced and
that is the great aim of nature. Very
rainy weather at the time of blooming
may largely destroy the pollen. 1t is
well known that pollen is more abund-
ant some years than during others.
Where the supply of pollen is deficient
fertilization is deficient, the seeds fail
to develop, and the young fruit falls
off. Then the pollen may not reach
the stigmas or they may be in a non
receptive condition, hence fertilizing
fails. But where pollination is COM
plete bad weather may weaken the
stems of the young fruit and it falls
off. Whether we understand the cause
OF the falling of fruit or not, we know
this-it does occur, and till this drop
ping is past it is not safe to thin.
r.