The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1912-08-15
PROPER CULT
vATION OF OUR
SMALL FRUITS
From the Denver Field and Farm.

about that. for the present crop has
dwindied materially both in size and
quantity and this has happened for
several years.
x-xA~
Most OF the gooseberry crop is pick
ed while the berries are hard and
green long before they have reached
full size which makes IL possible TO
ship 10 any market in common car
riers. The picking OF many American
sorts is tedious. slow. rather un-
sought task. but the large English
kinds such as the Industry. or the
Downing. on account of their size and
few thorns. are comparatively easy
to pick Like currants. gooseberries
should never be picked while wet or
hot for II very materially shortens
their keeping as a fresh fruit wheI.
handled in this manner. While the
green fruit will ship long distances.
the ripe viii not and must be handled
very carefully to avoid heavy loss in
marketing. The common method OF
marketing gooseberries here in the
west is in the twenty-four quart crate
and while IL is a little more expensive
than the basket or fat box, yet il
places the fruit on the market In first
class condition and nearly always
gives better prices than any other
method. Our greatest trouble with
gooseberries and currants is contain
ed in the deplorable fact that we have
not enough of either and are always
going hungry for both.
x-wLw
Some OF our orchard soils are ratii-
er too heavy to be handled well un-
der irrigation and with the method
OF watering commonly used it is i'm
possible TO cultivate some OF these
orchards from the time the first water
is applied in early summer until the
following spring. 1t Is often the case
that shallow burrows are used with
n large head OF water. the result be-
ing a flooding of the whole surface.
When dry enough to work again the
adobe soil baked so hard on the sur
face that 1t is impossibl to cultivate
The grower then resorts to frequent
watering to keep the orchard going
In these heavy soils the water settles
slowly and a smaller head run In
deeper bitches would no doubt prove
more satisfactory. Growers who have
these heavy adobe or gumbo soils
should also resort to the planting af
cover crops to improve the soil tex
ture. The ground could gradually be
brought back into such condition that
Il could be more easily worked after
irrigation. Growers as a rule pay
too little attention TO the subsoil. Too
often the rule is to irrigate when the
dust can be kicked up on the surface
The appearance OF the tree indicates
10 a great extent its needs. but after
all II is the examination OF the sub
soil which always tells the tale and
most surely determines whether the
orchard needs water or not. The more
sandy the soil the greater should be
the number OF bitches and the shorter
the run in both time and distance
The longer the bitches the large
should be the head. The sitter the
soil the fewer and deeper should l.
the bitches. the longer the run in time
and distance and the smaller the head
NLUIU
While the cherry does not az yet
compare in acreage with the apple
and peach. no fruit shows such an
Increase in planting That this should
be the case is not strange when the
crop from single tree has In several
Instances sold for SIS but nothing OF
this kind will occur this year on the
eastern side OF the mountains for the
crop is failure on account OF the