The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1912-01-25
Apple and Peach Orchard

Apple and Peach Orchard
a number Of us are considering TIE
| planting of Elberta Peach and iNiefler
| Pear IN sufficient quantities 20 make car
/ .yad shipping of the fruit products. and
| men TO organize as Fruit Growers .
our soil is dark. sandy loan. with
! joint clay subsoil, and the water is all
/ .he way from ten TO twenty ieet under
What Is your opinion Of SUCH a soil
condition.
Nurserymen tell US that the above
named varieties viii bear some fruit the
third year from planting. also, that the
keiner pear does not require cultivation
liable 90 blight
VII WI yog advise US resardlng these
tion that might be helpful
Tel Us u you think fruit growing will
pay Us better than raising alfalfa on our
soiE-D. V. Helyern. Grant County. Ok.
lahoma-
The adaptability Of land to fruit
growing, and particularly peach grow.
ing depends primarily on having an
open, porous subsoil There are some
very successful peach districts in the
United States which have a quite
heavy clay soil. There are others
which have a thin. sandy soil, and
there are all graduations between
these extremes. In every instant,
however. you will find that the subsoil
Is open. porous. and easily penetrated
by the roots OF the trees.
The commercial growers Of peaches
In this state find that a combination
OF three OF four varieties gives the
best results. The bulk OF the plant
ing, at least one-half should be OF
Elbertas number OF early peaches
should be planted either OF the Early
Wheeler, which is very popular in the
southeastern part OF the state, or the
Triumph. or possibly both To follow
up the season some variety should be
planted; the Salway has been the most
successful, so far. for this purpose.
Peach orchards should always be
kept highly cultivated and pruned
from the very first Under favorable
circumstances, they should bear a lit.
tie crop In three years, and be full
bearing by the fifth or sixth year. The
young orchards are the most profit
able as they bear the highest quality
OF fruit. Do not plant the trees too
close together as this is the chief
reason why many Of the orchards fail
so early. They should be planted at
least twenty feet apart.
In a good peach SOIL the raising of
peaches by those who understand IL
is very profitable, and there is moth
ing in the raising of peaches which is
so difficult to learn but that anyone
might pick up, although, OF course, he
would make some mistakes at first
by not doing all of the things just
right.
The Keiffer pear proposition is OF
another class altogether. | was rails
ed in this mid-western country. and
have travelled all over the middle west
and permanently profitable sod pear
orchard is a thing have never seen.
! would not wish TO say that 1t could
not exist; II might in some favorable
location. Pears that are left in sod
in the vicinity OF Saltwater will com.
mence TO fail, and in the course OF
five or six years will die unless the
rainfall is particularly heavy. We had
few on the back part OF the College
campus, but the dry weather OF the
last three years has finished them
up. / will say, however that our
soil is particularly unfavorable for
tree growth.
In regard to a comparison OF the
profits OF alfalfa growing and fruit
growing this is Difficult, to answer. In |
general II may be said that the pro- |
fits from alfalfa growing are reason.
ably sure and moderately large: the
profits from fruit growing are not
nearly so sure. but occasionally are ]
much larger. ! have known men to
make over a thousand dollars an acre
In single season on fruit growing.
never knew one TO make anywhere
near that sum by raising alfalfa. You
must realize, however. that these ex-
cessiye profits in fruit growing are
very unusual, require a very happy
combination OF good fruit location. a
good fruit raiser, a good cropf and a
good price all at the same time These
are four conditions that are not often
met with. On the other hand, alfalfa
is adapted TO a wider range OF coun-
try than fruit, and is more certain
crop.-N. o. Booth, Dept OF Horticul.
ture and Botany, Oklahoma A & NJ.
College. saltwater
IRRIHATInM ANT nn- N.tn,Ho