The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1909-01-01
Edited by F.. Walden

l am quite sure that L Will succeed IN
this. 1t was my intention, for the first
three or four years, to have the land
between the trees farmed to potatoes,
corn, cucumbers and cereals and other
vegetables. Would this be detrimental
at all to the trees? Do you think ulti-
mate results with this land would be
better if planted to other fruit than
apples? Of course, if 1 plant apples,
I would feel more interested in your
suggestion as to what variety or var
ieties to plant than any other phase
of the subject. Again, I would like
your advice as to whether you would
advise me to buy Payette trees, Boise
trees, or Eastern or Milton, Oregon,
trees? Or would that be material?"
So many inquiries similar to the
above are coming in that 1 deem it
advisable to give general answers, so
that all may be covered rather than
to take up each one separately. This
course will save needless repetition.
After answering a few of Judge Arney's
special questions, I will take up the
whole question of orchard planting and
consider that subject during the next
three or four issues of The Ranch I'M
less something unforeseen happens to
prevent.
Judge Arney is on the right track
to get rid of alkali in the soil. 1t is
water that brings alkali to the sur
face where irrigation is practiced, and
water will take it out. There are two
kinds of allxali, the sulphate of sodium
and the carbonate of sodium. The
first named is called white alkai and
the second black alkali. The black
alkali (sodium carbonate) is much
more different to wash out than the
white kind. If the alkali he wishes to
wash out is the black kind, the first
step will be to treat his soil with gyp-
sum, which being the sulphate of cal
cium Qime) will change the soda in
the soil to a sulphate and then it can
be washed out. After the trees are
once we'll established there is not likely
to be any trouble from the alkali, and
especially is this so if the soil is we'll
drained and the soda is the white kind
or is changed to the white kind by me
use of gypsum.
He can raise almost any kind of
vegetables in his orchard for the first
three or four years without any Sc
rious damage unless he should raise
small grains such as wheat, oats and
barley. Corn does we'll, but a good
space of four to six feet about each
tree should be left vacant. Potatoes,
cucumbers, and beans can be success
fully raised in a young orchard. Beans
are especially valuable, for the reason
that they gather nitrogen from the air
and store it up in the soil, which can
Remember that clover, alfalfa, vetches
and peas are not classed with the
grasses and all of them enrich the soil.
All legumes, that is plants growing
their seeds in pods, enrich the soil
with nitrogen.
L would prefer one-year- old trees to
plant in an orchard instead of older
trees if they have to be shipped any
distance. They will stand the shock
of transplanting much better than
older trees. Only where you could take
the trees up and set them the same day
would I recommend the use of trees
over one year old. Whether the trees
are raised in a nursery in Idaho, Ore
gon, Washington or in some Eastern
state will make no difference if the
trees are carefully handled. In plant
ing my orchards used trees raised on
my own farm, in other parts of Wash
ington, in Missouri, Pennsylvania,
Maryland and New York, and could
never detect anv difference in haroI