The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1911-09-20
MANY SECOND
GROWTH PEARS
Season Has Been Unusual in Pro-
ducing Fruit Of Odd Shape
to Replace Frost-Killed
PEACHES YIELD HEAVILY
IN SOME ORCHARDS
Prune Trees Growing in Popular
Observation-Disclosures Are Taking
Advantage of Season to Bud
Apricots to Italian Plum

In season so surprising and UNI
toward as has been that of 1911 from
the week of killing frosts in the
spring to to the week of continued
rains in September. 1t is no wonder
that queer and unusual things are re-
ported about the crops. AS a result
of the first spring disaster many
peach orchards contributed nothing
to the years income. That the fruit
buds were not killed in specific in
stances. however. Is apparent from
the output of peaches from the whole
valley. UP on Tieton drive a half
acre ranch bought by some people
who came here six months ago from
Tacoma, set to apples with peach fill
ers, produced between 500 and 600
boxes of the latter fruit this year,
making neat sum to be paid on the
purchase price in the first season.
Some orchards have borne more
heavily than last year. and in nearly
all cases the fruit has been of excel
lent quality.
Early Fears for Pears
Fears were quite generally enter
tanned for the pears and undoubtedly
the frost did considerable thinning
on the trees. A south Mob Hill
rancher. whose young Bartletts are
just coming into full bearing, and
who was afraid that the frosts had
done him out of his crop, was agree
ably surprised to And himself able to
pack 1900 boxes from a little more
than five acres of fruit.
A freak of the season was the very
general formation Of second growth
pears on the Bartletts. Each summer
sees some of them, but this year
there are trees which failed to do well
on the earlier sort, so covered with
second growth as to present a heavi-
ly laden appearance now.
What to Do About 1t
Ranchers are asking themselves
what to do with this second growth
fruit Is it better to remove the bios
SONS or the fruit when first formed?
There is no market, of course, for
the fruit is lateA imperfectly formed
and of inferior Quality. Is it better
to let the tree make growth without
bringing to maturity this late formed
fruit, or is it better to humor the tree
in allowing it to carry it's makeshift
crop? The second growth pears are
unusually long of stem and in shape
quite unlike the typical Bartlett. This
is another fact which is puzzling the
curious minded. Why shouldn't fruit
grown on the same tree be alike In its
general characteristics?
Splits Its Skin
Fruit this year. for some reason
and in some instances, is growing
faster inside It's skin than out. APP
Piles have been reported hanging up
on the tree which, while showing no
sign of bruise, have deep Sits in their
cheeks. The cantaloupes do the same
thing, bursting even before they are
fully ripe.
'Doing Over" Orchards
This is the time of year to lido
over" the orchard, and some ranch
ers who are discouraged at the I'M
certainty of an apricot yield and the
more or less limited market for such
soft fruit, have been turning their
apricot trees into prunes. The re-
liableness of the Italian prune and
the steady market for 1t has made lots
of converts during the past few sea-
sons and nurseries, it is said, are do
ing some hustling to get together a
supply of young trees to meet the de-
mand they anticipate for next year.
More Spraying Needed
People who sprayed their pears
only once the past season are reap
ing a harvest of worms. Though it
has been the custom with many to
give pears only a single spray, and
with fairly good results. in a season
of apple shortage the worms have to
go somewhere, and the pears are
handy and good eating. Other ranch
ers conclude that it isn't bad idea
to spray pears several times, not only
for the cooling moth, but for the slug,
which works havoc, especially with
young trees. Pear leaves which had
been coated with arsenate on a sec
ond spraying the past season were
not attacked by the slug, while trees
only short distance away and not so
treated were covered with the little
jelly-like pest, which can eat its way
over leaf in no time and cut off
seasons growth on young trees, II
quick action is not taken