The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1912-10-03
GARDEN TRUCK
PAYING CROP
ASPARAGUS, LETTUCE YIELD HEAVY
The hoberg Ranch Making Speciality of
Garden Truck Scientific Fertiliza-
tiOn and Irrigation Methods.

miles east Of town, where intensive
of the narrow strips of land
between the railroad track and the Co
.umbia river is producing wonderful
crops.
Mr.. Koberg has about twelve acres
10 cultivation. and is specializing in
asparagus, lettuce, onions aud cante-
lOpes, with other garden truck in small
Ter quantities. 10 protect the land
from the high water OF the Columbia
he has built dikes around several of the
tracts, and in case some of the water
seeps through during unusually high /
water or a long continued state OF the /
river at high water mark, he has a /
powerful pump which -an be fitted up |
in short time and connected with an !
electric motor, that will pump $50 gal |
Ions of water minute.
The principal crop is four acres Of
asparagus, which was set out eight
years ago, and which is constantly in
creasing until the ground is a net work
Of roots extending down to depth of
ten or twelve feet, while the stalks
have increased from a single stalk to
crown a foot across. The increase of
the plants makes q gradually increas-
ing yield each year, this season the
crop amounting to between 1000 and
5000 pounds per acre. While this
seems to be an enormous yield, a man
at Eugene. from an old bed, has made
record of $4,000 pounds of market
able asparagus per acre.
To get profitable results from as
paragus requires careful treatment and
experience. II must be handled care
fully, fertilized well, irrigated Eght
and put up ia attractive form for the
market MIR. koberg has succeeded in
doing this and has made a reputation
for Hood River asparagus that assures
him a market for all he can raise at
the best market price. The fertlllza-
tion of this large asparagus bed is a
science. Commercial fertilizer entirely
is used, of which potash, soda ana bone
meal are the principal ingredients. II
is put on in the spring and during the
picking season about every ten days
and the results can be easily seen II
two or three days after each applica
tion. The cost of the fertilizer is from
S75 to 500 an acre each season
amounting TO about cent pound TO
each pound of the vegetable marketed
Mr.. Koberg makes thorough stud.
OF fertilizers, buying them in larg
quantities and mixing them himseI
| according to the needs or requirement
of each kind of crop. He has the so
II analysed when in doubt, and by exper
II ments with different kinds and in al
"a
II gives the best results. Fish guano
also used with success, and this year
secured about fifteen loads of dc
salmon from Wrieht's fish traps. II
/ guano sfrom the bird islands is unce
H tain, varying considerably in strength
II and it is necessary to test each shiE
II ment to determine the quantities to ust
Il Mr.. Koberg considers that load {
II stable manure is worth only about
II cents in value, and while he uses col
II siderable of 1T, when be can get it wit
Il only the expense of hauling a sho
/ distance, he finds the commercial var
Il cites the more profitable as we'll {
Il giving the best results.
II Lettuce the size of head of cabbal
4 has excited a great deal of CONNER
II this fall in the Portland market, and
Il commission house which received II
Il first consignment of this kind of lettut
II rom Mr.. Koberg, telephoned thu
/ they would take his entire crol
H amounting to 800 or 800 dozen head
\ This is the first year with lare
4 bed of this lettuce, he having plantt
4 about half an acre, all the seed
/ could get of the kind. The irrigaJiC
Il of lettuce is delicate matter. III
II water must be put on about sundoV
Il as water from sprinklers in the heat
II the day will rot the tender leaves al
II spoil the crop. This year the heaN
Il rains during August and the fore pa
II of this month did wonders for the lie
II tuce he'd, making the crop exception
II ally fine. This has given Mr.. Kobei
the idea of system Of irrigation fl
. lettuce that will avoid the sprinklini
He intends to lay three inch tile
nearly on a level as possible, in 300 fe
lengths, about l6 feet apart, and
inches deep. One end of these ii
conduits will be closed. The other er
will each have a standpipeeof largt
tile connecting each of the conduit
and into this standpipe tile, extendlr
above the surface of the ground, wi
be a small hydrant from the water SUI
ply pipe. The conduits will be full {
water, the tile standpipe showing IL
depth of water in the conduits, al
each hydrant can be regulated to oI
tainsthe exact flow desired. The watC
/ in the tile conduits will percolat
through the tile and work up to tt
surface, thereby insuring constar
su5-irrigation to the roots OF Il
plants. In the sand loan soil conduit
a rod apart will furnish sufficient watC
to entirely moisten the soil bewee
each conduit. In heavier soils thes
conduits may be placed as far as
feet apart.
This manner of irrigation is receivin
considerable study, and last week e.
perts from the Oregon Agriculture
College at Corvallis were at Mf. III
berg's getting data of the propose
work. They also took number
pictures of Mr.. Koberg's place.
The sprinkler system, however, WI
be used in the asparagus beds and pei
haps in other fields. To take advan
age of the winds that sweep up th
Columbia in the spring, row
sprinkIers twenty feet high is place
along the asparagus field, the wind ca
riyng the spray over the field in
dense fog, doing very effective worl
Thesmain sprinkling is done, however
with sprinkler carts, number {
stands being connected with a pr
carried on cart wheels, with lon
hose suppling water from the malni
| In this way a strip about 100 feet !
length can be covered, the cart oeln
moved from time to time. The lrr
eating water is pumped from the G.
lumhia with an electric pump, dlre'
to the mains, the pump furnishln
| water at the rate of 65 gallons a nil
ute. Any pressure can be obtalne
| that is desired up to 200 pounds.
standpipe 100 feet high acts as pre-