The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1911-12-22

"A @4cuHu ior fedsOH lot the increase.
Most of them, however, are looking
ID the wrong direction for the cause.
8ome think the pump was no good,
others are sure the poison was no
EQod, but / have discovered no one
d - yet that has even suggested that
f4e man was deteriorating, and yet
The fact remains, that very large
percentage of our growers have be-
c0me Over-confident in the past two
.or three years.
$s8 The codling moth runs in cycles
0f destructiveness-as do all other
insects. Some years it will be worse
"a good deal worse-than others.
Eight or nine years ago the average
of the orchards of the state was two
10 three worms to an apple. Two or
Mthree years ago, as the result of
&combinatiOn of almost universal
Wraying and certain unfavorable eli
lNfnatic conditions, that number was re-
aduced to the minimum. At the same
mime, the number of sprayings was
also reduced, the bands were left off,
the codling moth began to increase
\ In numbers, and an exceptionally IA
&yorable season for their multiplica-
y ton resulted in heavy damage last
year. And yet, last year there were
dozens of orchards in the state of
Utah that went through the season
with single spraying and one would
have to search sometime for a wormy
apple in the orchards. l think, how
ever, that this lesson will have a good
effect in the end-better put on an
extra spray and work on the bands
when they do not appear to be doing
much good than to repeat the exper-
fence OF the past season. There is
no profit in wormy apples and there
is no satisfaction in them either.
Pruning is just as essential as
spraying and another two or three
cents bushel spent on the care of |
the tree will yield big returns. One
of the chief reasons why we are able
to raise high priced apples is because I
OF our long days of summer sunshine
and yet if we allow the wood growth |
OF our trees to become SO thick as
to shade crop of apples, we might /
as well plant our trees in Ohio and
be done with it. The open headed tree
with plenty of sunlight, plenty of
air circulation carrying small
enough crop of apples so that the
tree can produce them to the stand
ard size, is the efficient tree. There
are almost as many methods of prun-
ing as there are men who prune, and
yet they all practically agree in re-
gard to the object sought. The ma
Jor portion of the experienced west
tern orchardists, however, agree that
after the tree has been grown and the
head properly formed and spread out.
as has been described to you by Sec
rotary Mcpherson, one should be
careful with the pruning knife in the
winter time until the tree is in full
bearing. And, above all other things,
after the 4th or 5th year, the tops
of the branches should not be cut
back unless there is to be a heavy
crop of apples the next season, and
even in that case, it is far better to
leave them on until the crop of ap-
pies is set and assured and then re-
duce their length by sumner prun-
ing work. There are thousands of S
orchards in this intermountain region t
in which an original branch has been /
headed back only to start three more |
long water growths which have again r
been headed back, each one starting @
two or three more, and so on, until b
the top OF the tree is miniature '
broom, and a witch's broom at that. o
tree in that shape can only be I
cured by long and tedious effort One v
third of this energy, however, ex- r
pended in starting the tree right will C
prevent all this. The rule, then, on Q
the young developing trees never to C
cut off branch towards the top un- t
less you cut off the entire branch, I'M t.
til that tree is fruiting heavily, then tt
the excessive wood growth may be Il
reduced a small amount at time b
BY summer pruning without disturb Il
ng the balance between the roots and u
top. In all pruning of course it il
must be remembered that the fruit h
s borne on the short spurs next to Il
he branches and that the lower down 6
he fruit is borne on the tree the G.
cheaper and easier it can be handled fl
1t picking time. 1t costs five times il
Is much to pick bushel of apples b
cA lccI lTOm IHc ground as IL does Ii
o pick busnel within reach, and a
when you get much above ten feet, W
here is little profit in raising ap- h
lies. CT
Irrigation is another of the west
'rn problems. In this day we hear d.
| good deal about raising orchards tt
Without irrigation or with a very al
mall number of irrigations. 1t is N
true that many orchards ii
lave been over-irrigated in the past, 81
'ue there will be still greater disap- fl
'ointment in the future if we go to Ell
he extreme and think we are going CO
o raise fruit without irrigation wa b,
er. 1t is easy enough to raise trees ii
nd many orchards have been raised Ii
Up to the bearing time with very 81
mall use of water, but when a al
rop of fruit has to be ripened right m
t the very dryest time of the year
vhen wood growth has practically
eased and otherwise the tree would u
Ne using very little moisture, it will
e found that an orchard requires
S much water as any other crop and B
the water is short at that time a