Arizona republican., 1910-04-18
IMMUNITY 0F TREES An Orange Grower Whose Trees Were Little Injured .HOW HE SAVED THEM His Descriptions of the
 Manner of Planting and
 the Measures Taken to
 Prevent a Late Growth
 In the Fall.
HOW HE SAVED THEM

Omcr Mccullough, living two miles cast of Mesa on the Florence road has a grove of young orange trees that came out in the spring with such little indications that they had passed through a cold winter. that request was made of MT Mccullough give his secret publicity. The letter ad- dressed to the Mesa chamber of com merce is as follows:
 Mesa. Ariz. Dr. R. F. Palmer.
 President Chamber of Commerce,
 Mesa. Arizona.
 Dear Sir-ln reply to your request regarding conditions of planting. care and results of orange grove, am pleased to reply as follows:
 The ranch is two miles east of Mesa. being a part of the northeast quarter of section 9. township one north of range five east. Gila and Salt River Base and Meridian. having an elevation of l24S feet, with an unin- terrupted slope to the southwest for some miles The part of the ranch is an old alfalfa field
 Before going further into the details of this article l desire to say that if | should mention some methods used by others, as l observed them. 1t will be for the purpose of comparison in order that l may be more clearly un- dcrstood l also disclaim any special knowledge of cultivation. especially along horticultural lines. Having been born and raised on farm in one Of the corn belt states. l am practically a tenderfoot in the valley. having ner- CT seen any irrigation farming until three years ago. Therefore I hesitate to speak in the presence of these na- tive irrigators but there are certain principles I learned in eastern farm ing which l think will apply here. and of which l may have occasion to speak later.
 Early in January. 1909, this land was thoroughly irrigated and plowed as best I could with a double disc blow. after which it was thoroughly disced. dragged and leyeled. It was then bordered and irrigated. Having good borders on all sides l was able to make almost lake of it. It was again plowed. this time very thor oughly. using four heavy horses on q double disc blow. much of the time the frame of the blow dragging on the surface. It was worked down and irrigated once more. after which it was well disced and leveled. It was now sometime in February and as was expecting the trees at that time staked the ground for the trees 22 feet each way I then took two horses and twelve inch blow and threw up q ridge along the rows in order that I might be able to more quickly get the trees watered. This ridging would not do again if l were plant ing a grove as it interferes with the digging of holes and setting or the trees The trees did not arrive tlll the last of March. We hauled the trees home Wednesday evening and poured some water into each box on Thursday morning they were hauled to the field and box was turned on the side with the top ends of the trees extending over the back end Of the wagon rack: the upper side of the box was removed and one tree was taken but at time and placed immediately in the hole which had just been dug.
 After setting across the field stream of water was started down the furrows. The setting was finished Friday evening and they were all IT, rigated by Saturday noon. They stood thus for somthing more than week when the ground was flooded. Then began the cultivation. which consisted of discing across the borders. also diagonal both ways. besides being dragged down level. There was no more irrigation till some time in May. but the cultivation was kept up at least once week. The next water- ing was by furrows. one on either side of the tree and four between the rows. after which the ground was thoroughly worked across the furrows. From this time on l tried to give them water every two weeks until July. but the water becoming less plentiful they were watered only through the furrows near the trees. but the cultivation was kept up. In July l run the furrows close to the trees using n 12-inch turning blow drawn by one heavy horse. After running the water through these fur rows. threw one furrow into each of the irrigated furrows and along in this fresh soil l planted corn, row on either side of the tree row. This was the last cultivation. About the first of August l listed in four rows of milo maize between each t"" rows of trees. From that time on water was applied only when the corn showed signs of needing it and no