Holbrook argus., 1912-05-14
ALKALI BY IRRIGATION
Orchard Soils Often Become
 Heavy and Alkaline.
Thousands of Trees Lost by Hard Wa tering From Wells and Other causes-open System in Prun-
 ing Meets With Much Favor.

This theme might have been prop. erly labeled The Fools Progress" but happily some people can learn things when house falls on them. had two orchards fall on me and have come out of the debris with shattered nerves, but with one eye open any. how and am seeing things. Solomon was a wise man, writes George H. West, in the Denver Field and Farm. He had much domestic experience and knew of the apple. Speaking of the apple tree among the trees of the wood he says; 'T sat down under his shadow with great delight and his fruit was sweet to my taste" Later he says: Comfort me with apples for l am sick of love" Long before one's orchard becomes source of in come to the tired soul and body and empty pocket, the grower may well re- verse this saying and cry out Comfort me with love for l am sick of apples"
 The Lord loves a good fighter and eternal vigilance brings many things besides liberty. The apple grower fights from start to finish and well earns his profits. Who can say the limit Is yet reached on the net profits from a mature apple orchard under the added wisdom of the years yet before us? I am not an experienced apple grower. No doubt most of those men are doing their orchard and apple have been doing and have secured better results. Such can pat them selves on the back. To others I may prove horrible example but you need not fall into the same holes I did you can dig plenty of your own. Prob ably it costs on the average 20 cents box to grow apples and 40 cents more for harvesting, boxing and mar ketfng-say 60 cents box total. Per haps $1.60 box is fair average price for Jonathans and Winesaps and SIPS for the Missouri pippin and $1.00 for Ben Davis, carload lots, net f. O. b. our stations. The margins show what to grow.
 We have lost many trees by our own men leaving them in the original nursery bundles and heeling them in
 
 out; also heeling them in pits with upright instead of sloping sides, In both cases they get air and dry out. Much of our irrigated orchard lands have become heavy and somewhat al- kaline and we have lost thousands of young trees by hard watering from wells that were strongly alkaline. In replanting hereafter we plan to put a shovel or two of clear sand around every young trees roots. Every year we lose young trees from girdling by the rabbits. We have tried blood on the tree trunks and abandoned it. Then axle grease was used-it kept off the rabbits but drew the heat, dried up the sap and killed the trees.
 We believe in cross-fertilization and our largest crop of apples came one year when We had one hundred hives of bees in the orchard. We now have two hundred hives on one orchard and the same number near the other one We use what may be called the open system in pruning, taking out the cen. ters of the young trees and where old. CT orchards are acquired we are doing the same thing SO far as insuring symmetry and balance to the tree will permit. Under this system the trees bend every way from the center. easily carrying their fruit We use no props and rarely are picked from the fi,fff and rarely find limb broken. Most of our apples are picked from the ground.
 This plan of growing apple trees we find in every way best for pollination, air drainage, pruning, spraying and harvesting. The low spreading trees catch little wind and we have few windfalls. Rubbing off the small green water sprouts or suckers in July by hand greatly lessens the cost of pruning later. Also cutting the ground suckers right back to the root or tree trunk prevents them from growing again.