The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1914-07-02

..,,e the shortcomings OF ordinary
hrming
-, Instance. while l urge the advis-
,u,tv Of growing fruit in localities
'sch have the advantage OF good
.,rets | should dislike to see farm
N the central states or anywhere
i. devote themselves to this single
.austry. That would be about as fool
h q exclusive grain raising or dairy
The orchard belongs In a scheme
mixed farming. together with poul-
~ and hogs.
Imuortant facts for fruit growers
20 that orchard land may be made to
Nv double and the fertility Of the soil
ra,ntained without extraordinary eff
ht While the trees are coming to
maturity land earns nothing for five or
Ar years unless there is plan Of veg
fable raising, when return Of 500
n acre is easily secured and the soil
benefited by the necessary cultiva-
Hon. Unless such system of cropping
established a nonbearing orchard Is
Int to be neglected. and this results in
vsste of time, investment and land.
The cultivation Of vegetables or small
HUT in an orchard is therefore for the
mrpose of securing immediate profits
md keeping up the quality of the soil.
| Il goes further than this, however, for
h makes the land return living in
come even In unfavorable fruit sea-
cons, when late frosts, insect pests or
cher destructive agencies have spoiled
| the apples, pears, plums and cherries.
Apple and cherry trees should be
planted thirty feet apart; plum. pear
land peach trees twenty to twenty-five
|teet apart. The trees need to stand
|in straight rows to permit the free use
LOT horse cultivator In the vegetable
and berry patches. One Of the most
common mistakes In farming is to
plant trees too near together.
Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium
are necessary for the fertilization of
fruit trees and plants In general. Nj
trogen can be obtained in stable ma
nure, but the principal source is air.
and We may obtain it by growing
legumes. Vegetable. gardening carried
on with the aid of barnyard manure
Is an excellent treatment for orchard
land Phosphorus may be obtained by
the use Of raw rock phosphate or bone
meal. Potassium Is contained in large
amounts in our ordinary soils in q
more or less unavailable state. To gel
more potassium In such a shape that
the plants can use it we can either
apply soluble potassium salts or I'm
lock that which is already present In
abundance. Experiments have shown
that 1t does not pay to apply potas
STUN to ordinary soils, provided decay
Ing organic matter in the form Of ma
nure or cover crops Is worked into tn.
SOIL The decaying organic matter vii
hberate the potassium.
It may not be generally known tina
apples are about as hard on land a,
wheat or corn. except they do not TAXI
from 1t as much phosphorus. A Az
oushel apple crop will remove from thu
soll about the same amount Of nitro
gen and potassium and half as mucl
phosphorus as fifty bushels of corn o
twenty five bushels of wheat. There
lore a thorough system of gardening
not only makes the orchard land d,
aouble duty. but restores the soil fer
dlity.
II Tor any reason gardening canno
DC carried on in a thorough way In al
orchard | should recommend legume
10 place Of manure as the source o
uirogenous organic matter. 1t |
SHOWN that cheap way to grow
'esumes Is to apply ground limeston
anu rock phosphate. The cost of thi
treatment would not exceed 50 per acr
per year. which should not seriOusl
.aterfere with this system of fertilixs
ton.