The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1915-05-20
kill" and little leaf, says The Dalles

MIL anu llliS iealt says lut bdilSs
Chronicle.
"After an investigation Of the condi-
tions. in the Mill creek district, says
DR.. Macrum. IL would advise the fol-
lowing procedure. That land which is
planted TO trees in the fall, which has
been newly cleared, be planted 70 corn
or potatoes the first summer after hay-
ing removed all of the roots of the
aboriginal forest as thoroughly as pos
sihle.
Before planting to trees in the fall
| would recommend that where each
tree is to be planted that hole be put
down with a dirt augur 10 depth Of
four feet below the surface and stick
of 20 per cent powder be placed in the
hole in the approved way and fired to
thoroughly break up the subsoil.
81 would also recommend that the
old orchards in this district be treated
in the following manner: With the dirt
augur start a hole at the top of the
ground six feet away from the tree,
inclined in such a manner that the bot
tom of the hole will be two feet closer
the tree at the bottom. This hole
should be bored on the uphill side of
the tree which is receiving attention To
depth of about four feet. In this
hole put charge of 20 per cent pow
der and blast. Investigation has proved
that in old orchards at depth of about
three to four feet the ground is packed
very hard which excludes moisture and
air and prevents the roots from extend.
ing downward all they should.
Mr.. Macrum explained that the soil
in this district is of heavy mineral com.
position and consequently packs very
easily. He said that this could be
easily demonstrated by taking two
glasses of water and in one mixing
with the water quantity of the vol
canic or mineral soil, general in the
orchards here, and in the other mix
some black silt or clay soil and note
how much quicker the mineral soil will
settle to the Bottom of the glass and
the water become clear. He also EN-
phasized the fact that no new orchards
should be planted unless the holes, in
which the trees are to be planted, are
| blasted.
For the treatment of the winter kill
and little leaf found in the Mill Creek
Valley and other districts, he contin.
ued, ''cut back the trees at least one
half of last years growth and do the
shooting of the ground spoken of about
the last of July or the first of August,
when the ground is dry. Do not shoot
the ground when it is wet, as that will
cause it to pack.
IF all of the trees are treated with
the shooting system, this will break W
the subsol crust in such manner that
no more blasting will have to be done
for couple of years. After two years
it would be advisable to again use pow.
der, but this time in the center of the
squares between the trees. In this
manner the whole orchard would be
thoroughly SUBSIDIZED with the powder
and loosened so as to be in the best
possible condition to conserve moisture
and allow the roots to extend down
ward.
1t is probable that the planting Of
orchards will soon be renewed in The
Dalles district, and it should be don,
properly at the start. And every tire,
should have place basted for it in or
der to promote rapid and health!
growth.
"The soil in this district is naturally
rich in minerals, but is deficient in hu
mus. Cover crops of rye and vetcl
should be raised in the orchards to fur
nish the humus and nitrogen. These
cover crops should be alternated every
| four years with 'cowhorn' turnips L
unlock the inorganic potash and phos
phorus and put them in soluble or or
angie form, because fruit trees cannot
use anything but soluble food.
For the best and quickest results II
the use of vetch as a nitrogenzer
would advise all growers send to the
experiment station of the Oregon Agri
cultural College at Corvallis for cul
lures of the vetch bacteria and inocu
late their seed with it before planting
because it will produce the same result
from this incubation in one year, al
can be obtained by planting withou
inoculation in three years. The agri
cultural college will furnish the cul
lures to any grower with instruction
how to use, without charge"
DR.. Macrum was accompanied by c
NJ. Grimes. retired capitalist of Tn
Dalles, who takes considerable interes
in this work. County Judge Cunning
had planned to accompany the party
but legal business matters at the cour
house prevented him.
DR.. Macrum stated upon his retur
that these facts are applicable to som
sections Of the Moiser and Hood Rive
valleys.