Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-02-16
BEST OF FRUIT GAN
Be RAISED IN UTAH
DIR. f. d. Ball. o. S. Government Ex-
pert. Says Beehive State Plays
Second Fiddle to None.


DR.. T. d. Ball OF the Agricultural
college of Logan. and United States
government horticultural expert for tho
Intermountain and Pacific coast states,
Is at the Kenyon.
For two years l have been travel
terests of fruit growing. studying the
soils, the climates. the growing meth
DDS and conditions generally said pr.
Ball "and / have come back to Utah
satisfied that these mountain valleys
afford just as good, and In some re-
spects superior. advantages for fruit
raising as any other section in the
west or. in fact. in the United States.
The Utah soils will compare in fer
tlity with any; the climate Is ideal
for fruit, shipping facilities are good
and markets within easy reach. Many
other fruit states enjoy these advan-
tages. but there are other features In
which Utah surpasses many of them
For Instance, some sections have vast
stretches OF lands without hill or sol-
low In Utah we have our sunny
slopes and mountain brecZcs to ward
off pending frosts. In some sections
have visited hay Is hardly known,
which means stock OF all kinds is
scarce, and manure for fertilization *.
accordingly, high priced, and do you
know, here in Utah orchards will some
day forge ahead while others are full
ing behind? This barnyard manure
Is almost essential to keep orchards
from deteriorating, and where 1t is
plentiful and cheap 1t will be used in
abundance.
Take for instance Cache, Boxelder
and Utah counties. Why, they are
full of cattle, horses and sheep, fur
nishing ample rich fertilizer for thou
sands of acres of fruit lands. And this
manure is the ideal fertilizer, contain
ing all essential plant food. The for
tllizing lcguminous plants, such as
clover, alfalfa and beans, which are
plowed under. put back into the soil
but one of the three foods necessary
for plant life. Manure. you see, fur
nishos the three 1 cannot too strongly
emphasize the Importance of this fea-
ture In which Utah excels.
owing to neglect to properly fertil
ize, have recently seen signs OF
deterioration In some of the best fruit
sections of the northwest. The trees
have even begun to turn yellow and
lose their power of production. A few
years drain on the ground without re-
turning some of the elements to the
soil will show, and most soils would
lose their life and productiveness IN
probably 20 years I am glad that the
west will never see the great tracts
of dead land that today occupy so
much space in the eastern states
knowledge and experience In maintain
ing soil life have come to us before
1t is too late.
Would you believe it7 One good.
heavy western crop of clover plowed
under returns to the soil plant food
equal to that contained In S62 worth OF
fertilizer purchased in New York. And
vet manure, with which Utah Is so
bountifully supplied, Is far superior to
clover.
Utah is just waking up to a realiza-
ton of its Importance and its adyan-
tages as a fruit state. The people are
selecting lands right. the right varieties
of trees, planting right. giving right
care and attention. a few years and
this states apples will be famous as
those from any section In the west.
Much of this condition will be due 10
the influence and work of the State
Horticultural society. It's office Is to
help educate the fruit grower and to
stimulate pride in home growers that
none but the choicest fruits may be
shipped out of the state. only fruits
that every man interested In the in
dustry might be proud to see labeled
Utah."
DR. Ball spoke In glowing terms of
the splendid accomplishments OF Profs.
L. A Merrill and ]. A. Widtsoe in
dry farming. He said he had seen TO-
GOO acres OF waving grain. made pos
sible through their efforts. where not
one spear waved before.
The doctor said In some of tho north
western states thousands of acres OF
prune trees have been abandoned or
destroyed This fruit Is grown so easy
and Is not attacked by pests and ac-
cordingly thousands of men went into
1t. ANY fool can raise prunes." said
he, land my advice to people who
want to make money Is to go Into
something that reuqires brains. Tho
apple Is the fruit that will eventually
make Utah great.
I'VE have just commenced cam
paign against tho weevll. which has
begun It's destructive work in the al
falfa fields of Utah and other states
1t Is something new, and 1t will prob
ably require some time to conquer It
You see spraying is out OF the question
as such application would poison the
hay. 1t may require several years OF
painstaking investigation and export.
ments before this weevil Is under con-
troll. but its destruction is undoubtedly
only a question of time"