The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1912-07-25

h drier soil can be employed.
q does not necessarily have to be
black soil to be we'll adapted to ar
pie growing, some of the white soil
proving wonderfully productive
but it is at its best where a dar
soil full of humus is underlaid by
good clay, and one which allow
| full and easy passage to roots AM
water. Avoid any cold clays rath
er lmpervious to water, as shown
| by the native plants such as bull
rushes, sedges and horse-tails
| While [ do not know that it ha.
ever been thoroughly proved tha
orchards thrive best where native
trees have grown before, | believe
from my own experience that it is
a fact, and where possible | would
select for my orchard brush or
logged-off land, only drawing the
line on land which has had such
heavy timber upon it as to make its
clearing almost prohibitive to a
man of small means.
Where a man has the means to
clear heavy stump land, he may be
almost sure it will make good
orchard land. Thousands of acres
Of such land are today being clear
ed at Hood River and in other To-
calities along the Columbia, such
as White Salmon, Underwood,
Lyle and Mosier, and the apple
trees are showing the finest kind of
growth. The same would pr ~.
true about Moscow, especially as
the raw land is much cheaper than
it is in those localities.
Next as to difficulty in clearing
land, much good fruit-land is to be
found along the foothills of Mos
COW Mountains that is covered by
brush of various kinds, and with
but few trees or stumps of trees.
1t is however seldom that sufficient
of such land can be found in any
locality to plant good-sized com
mercial orchad. Such patches of
brush-land, where there is good,
rich soil, should be the first clear
ed up by the orchardist, as they
can be cleared for less than half the
cost of stump land, and these
patches, even if separated from
one another, can be the first planted. |
Then, while the fruit trees arel
growing on this land, the more diff
hcult stump land can be cleared |
and planted and the orchard made
Now, how was it upon the land
selected by me for my orchard? II
finally fell upon just what was
looking for, 80 acres of mainly
fine land, cheap as to price, with
only about six acres cleared and i'll
and the balance covere Il
oy dense growth of brush, willow,
cherry, pine and fir, and hundre'ls
IF huge stunps over part OF the
ract. The soil was black, loose and
IF good fertility on part of the
and, while it consisted of a light
veil drained clay in others. Only
n a few isolated places did any
ock show, and this was altogether
rratic boulders from the granite
# the higher mountain slopes. The
feared land sloped to the south,
ut the uncleared and best land
vas nearly level on top and then
loped gently to the north and
asst "a splendid place for an
rchardw | cried on looking it |
yer, and the trees since planted :
nd the fruit gathered have but :
onfirned me in that opinion.
low | CLEARED THE LAND.
There being but six acres in
when | bought the
nd, my next consideration after
lanting to trees this six acres,
as to prepare more land for
lanting as soon as possible.
lany of the old settlers kindly i
the information that !
lie land would never pay me for d
lie expense incurred in putting it .
to perfect condition for planting
Why don't you buy good prairie
nd they advised, and avoid
is heavy clearing expense?'
Because" added I, this land is
much cheaper, and can buy
much more for my money.
i'll buy the land cheap now, and
the orchard grow gradually as
n clear more Then, I have a