The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1911-01-27
0rcharding is
No Longer Farming

"Orcharding is essentially busl-
ness proposition and not merely an
agricultural pursuit. Judgment as
to the proper varieties of fruits mosi
profitable for the soil and climate
of the particular district, skill IN de,
veloping the orchard or vineyard ano
combating fruit pests, care and pro-
tecting against an unseasonaDly
frosty night by using smudge pots
or orchard heaters, the proper thin
ming, picking packing, and, last and
most important of all, marketing the
crop, make orcharding both scien-
tifc and business enterprise vastly
more interesting than the old systems
of agriculture sowing and reap
ing"
Thus spoke President E. F. Benson
in his annual address before the an
nual convention of the Washington
State Horticultural Association,
which convened at Prosser Monday
morning January 16, for three-day
session.
Although there was a large attend
ance, when the convention was called
to order. many Of the members OF
the association are at Olympia at
tending the state legislature. Presi-
dent Benson called attention to this
and recommended that the conven-
tion be held during the holidays
next year.
Continuing the president said in
part:
'The popular call, Back to the
SOIL, applies more particularly to
the orchard districts and the mixed
farming necessary and Incidental to
orcharding. Don't let US overlook
the dairying, the pigs and chickens.
the small fruits and gardens. Don't
advise the new orchardists to put all
his ground into trees. Such advise
has too frequently been given.
There is colony near San Diego,
CAL, whose chief motto is. Only as
much land as one family can till -
the highest state Of perfection.
They call themselves the Little
Landers' and their colony is plated
into one acre tracts, with their club
house centrally located. They decry
the long hours of toll and drudgery
for the mere accumulation of money
and, instead Of that. they have adopt
ed another motto. The certainty of
a good living with no desire to be-
come rich.' They boast of having
highly educated, idealistic COM
munity.
Whether we agree with these
people or not, their experiences are
worthy of our consideration.
with the rapidly increasing popu-
latlon of the United States and with
the era of the public domain vir-
tually at an end, the tendency in all
districts where intensive farming
is possible is to subdivide the farms.
This makes the rural population
more dense and brings about better
schools, better mail service, the
electric railway and electric current
for lights and heat.
The frequency and dependability
Of electric car service, as we'll as the
low cost virtually eliminates distance
and gives the suburban residents
all the advantages Of the city, in ad-
,dition to the satisfaction of living
in the country. 1t still further slim
ulates the subdivision of farms into
smaller tracts and thus brings about
still more intensive farming"
A lively clash may develop over
the marketing of the fruit between
members of the newly organized
Yakima Valley Growers association
and of the Northwestern Fruit
Growers exchange.
| Officers of both organizations have
prepared extensive statements show
ing the extent and methods of con-
Quoting their business, and both fac
tlons are prepared for the fray.
Fred Thompson, Of North Yakima
precipitated the barrel pack talk by
stating that in 1920 Washington
would be producing 1000 cars Of
apples. Oregon. 80, 900; Idaho, 3O,-
600, and Montana, 10000. The la
Dor of boxing this amount alone
would cost $40, 200, 900. ]. N. Mic
hol. Of London, fruit buyer who
has spent the past five months in
Washington, argued against this,
saying keep the box pack for the
best grade apples and devise ways
OF turning all other grades into
evaporated apples. They can be
evaporated, he says, for less than five
cents box and sell for eight to Is
cents pound. By this means a
lower grade article is turned into
q first quality product, which is al