The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1912-01-05

mad solved the problem with SPRAYING
before this season is alarmed at the
number of worms in his crop this
year and is looking around for a rea-
son for the increase. Most of them
however, are looking in the wrong di-
rection for the cause. Some think the
pump was no good, others are sure the
poison was no good, but ] have discoy-
cred no one as yet that has even sug-
gested that the man was deteriorating
and yet the fact remains, that a very
large percentage of our growers have
become over-confident in the past two
two or three years.
The cooling moth runs in cycles of
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES do all other in
scots. Some years it will be worse-a
good deal worse-than others. Eight
or nine years ago, as the result of
combination of almost universal spray
ing and certain unfavorable climatic
conditions, that number was reduced
TO the minimum. At the same time, the
number OF sprayings was also reduced
the bands were left off, the cooling
moth began to increase in numbers
ana an exceptionally favorable season
Tor their multiplication resulted in
heaVy damage last year And vet, last
year there were dozens of orchards in
the state of Utah that went through
the season with a single spraying and
one would have to search sometime
lor wormy apple in the orchards. I
thlnk, however, 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
experience 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
nigh priced apples is because of our
long days OF summer sunshine, and
yet II we allow the wood growth of our
trees to become so thinck as to shade
a 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 cir
culatlon carrying a small enough crop
or apples SO that the tree can produce
them to the standard size, is the eff
methods of pruning as there are men
VINO prune, and yet they all practically
agree in regard to the object sought.
Inc major portion of the experienced
western orchardists, however, agree
mat after the tree has been grown
and the head properly formed and
spread out, as has been described to
you by Secretary Mcpherson, one
should be careful with the pruning
knife In the winter time until the tree
is In full bearing. And, above all 9TH
er things, after the 4th or 9Th year,
the tops of the branches should not be
cut back unless there is to be heavy
crop OF apples the next season, and
even in that case, it is far better to
leave them on until the crop of apples
is set and assured and then reduce
their length by summer pruning work
There are thousands of orchards in
this intermountain region in which an
original branch has been headed back
only to start three more long water
growths which have again been head
ed back, each one starting two or three
more, and SO on, until the top of the
tree is miniature broom, and a
witch's broom at that A tree in that
shape can only be cured by long and
tedious effort. One-third of this en-
ergy, however expended in starting
the tree right will prevent all this.
The rule, then, on the young develop
ing tree is never to cut off a branch
towards the top unless you cut off the
entire branch, until that tree is fruit
ing heavily, then the excessive wood
growth may be reduced small amount
at time by summer pruning without
disturbing the balance between the
roots and top. In all pruning of
course it must be remembered that the
fruit is borne on the short spurs next
to the branches and that the lower
down the fruit is borne on the tree the
cheaper and easier it can be handled at
picking time. 1t costs five times as
much to pick bushels of apples ten
feet from the ground as it does to pick
a bushel within reach, and when you
get much above ten feet, there is little
profit in raising apples.
Irrigation is another of the western
problems In this day we hear good
deal about raising orchards without
irrigation or with very small num-
Der of irrigations. 1t is probably true
that many orchards have been over
irrigated in the past, but there will be
still greatest disappointment in the flu
ture If we go to the extreme and
think we are going to raise fruit with
out irrigation water. 1t is easy
enough to raise trees and many or
chards have been raised up to the
bearing time with very small use of
water, but when a crop of fruit has to
be ripened right at the very dryest
time of the year when wood growth
has practically ceased and otherwise
the tree would be using very little
moisture, 1t will be found that an or
chard requires as much water as any
other crop and if the water is short at
that time few days may ruin the en-
tire efforts of the year. There is also
another factor to be kept in mind in
the use of the irrigation water, and
that is the fruit buds for the next sea-
sons crop must be developed during
the last part of July and August on
the tree by the growing crop. In our
irrigation experiments on peaches, we
have been able nv withholding water