The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1909-06-01
ADVICE TO BERRY GROWERS.


ADVICE TO BERRY GROWERS.
Senator Paulhamus is quoted by the
Puyallup Valley Tribune as saying:
If our growers will watch carefully
the new canes as they start to grow,
and will remove all except the straight
ones, the crop of 1910 will be much
better than if the canes are permitted
to grow in their own way. To make
the matter still clearer, the crop of
1910 depends to a large degree on
the cane that is produced in 1909.
The bud grown this year produces the
crop of next year. If it is a strong,
healthy, fully developed bud, the crop
of 1910 will be up to maximum. If, on
the other hand, the bud is weak, i'm
mature and sickly, the crop of 1910
will correspond to it. For this reason
it behooves the growers to carefully
watch not only the present CROP but
the cane and bud that produce next
years crop.
The essentials to produce a good
bud are light, heat and air. Every
cane should consequently have a full
share of these elements in order to do
itself justice. In addition to light,
heat and air, fertilization is required.
No human being can grow to full stat
ure if he is constantly in a starving
condition. Nor can a berry cane. 1t
must have the necessary food and care
in order to fully develop
The two elements most lacking in
this valleys soil are lime and potash.
One barrel of fresh lime will make two
barrels of air slaked lime. If a bar
rel of lime costs $3.50 it will make
barrel of air slaked lime cost $1.25.
With plenty of fertilizer, air slaked
lime is a very valuable commodity,
for the reason that it helps liberate
the food that the plant consumes and
induces an increase of growth; but we
must bear in mind that all this i'm
poverishes the soil, and so we must
add fertilizer to replenish it.
Potash should be applied immedi-
ately, about one sack of 230 pounds
to the acre. After the berry fields or
orchards have been plOwed very shall
low-so as to avoid cutting off any
feeding roots, and not closer than II
inches to the berry cane or tree
scatter the potash broadcast all over
the ground; then run cultivator or
harrow very shallow until the soil is
thoroughly pulverized. In applying
potash to a berry field, the grower
should first ascertain about how many
berry rows he has to the acre. He
should then divide the 230 pounds by
the number of rows to be covered.
This will give him the weight of pot
ash he should use on each row. Weigh
out of the sack the quantity to be used
on one row; then get a vessel that
will hold the exact amount There
after the correct amount can be dipped
out of a sack without any trouble.
After one or two rows are covered the
grower will experience very little diff
ficulty in getting an equal distribu-
ton.
The experience with the potash ap-
piled to the berries last year was very
gratifying. Potash not only increases
the yield, but greatly improves the
shipping qualities of the berries.
Every member of the association
should apply potash to his field, and
assist in getting more money for his
crop
Inasmuch as we have so many new
growers every year, | would suggest
that such people could not put in a
days time to better advantage than
by going over the valley and person
ally observing how other people are
taking care of their crop. have been
growing berries for the past eleven
years, and there is not a single year