Omaha daily bee., 1915-05-02
APPLE ORCHARDS
In FULL BLOOM
indications Are that Crop in South
eastern Nebraska Will Be
largest for Years,
ACREAGE INCREASING RAPIDLY


earlier than usual. The bloom is so
= abundant that 90 per cent of crop
IS predicted.
The orchards that bore light last
year are now in the heaviest bloom.
The intense drouth the last two sea-
sons has caused some loss in the
orchards, but not to an alarming ex-
~ tent.
The heavy SHOWS during the long win
ter and the wet spring have put the
ground and the trees in fine condition
in fact, this spring has been almost
ideal fruit weather.
Part of First Spraying Missed.
The blooming has been 30 rapid and
early that many orchards missed their
first spraying, known as the dormant
spray. In commercial or cultivated
orchards four sprays are given. The
first, or the dormant spray. is for fun
gus or apple scab, and is given before the
blossoms come out The second spray
ss given Just after the blossoms drop. and
Sc for the codling moth. The third spray
SIS two weeks later than the second,
usually given about the last Of May, and
Is for the second brood of the cooling
moth. The fourth, OF last spray is about
three weeks after the third. and Is to
Kill the third brood Of the cooling
snoth.
shuIsert Discusses Spraying.
The Shubert family at Shubert. who
are. perhaps the largest owners Of COM
A.4ercial orchards in Nebraska, have fve
fsasoline power spraying machines this
season. -Four men are required to ma
chine and each machine will use from
54O0O TO 5000 gallons of spray daily the
amount depending upon the size OF the
! tree. the lay of the land and the dis
tanoe TO 20 for water. The cost for
EnravinR a tree each time is estimated
mt % cents.
Grant shubert a reliable authority ON
vurayinR. says the loss of the first spray
ing win make no particular dfterence
because the material used for the second
y anrav is the same as for the first. The
4 aecond suray in southeastern Nebraska
will begin next week
Mr.. shubert says he never knew
spring when so much spraying was go
ing to be done ell over this apple coun-
try as ia going to be done this season.
and from all present appearances Rich-
ardson county will have its heaviest ap-
pie crop this season.
Big Orchard Sold.
In southeastern Nebraska. the first
time a big, important commercial orchard
has ever changed hands was the last win
ter. when Grant Shubert sold his eighty
acre fruit farm, one mile from Shubert.
10 Alfred Ahern for $4,000. OF $3.50 an
acre Mr.. Shubert had owned the farm
ten years. He paid 800 an acre for 1t.
and developed It all, except the grounds
about his residence. into an apple or
ohard. In addition to the selling price
or $4,000, Mr. Shubert retains possess
sion until next spring. getting this years
crop Last year his crop was 12OoO BUSH
els Il Is his intention to develop new
fruit land, getting a larger tract and far
ther from town. Some of the trees on
the farm he sold are sixteen years old.
planting Large ORCHARD.
A M shubert is experimenting the
nlantina OF 200 acres of orchard for the
I,oess Land company. near Shubert, four
tracts of orchard being within a mile
and a half Of the town. This tract was
purchased at different times recently at
from 500 TO si75 an acre. Among the
y stockholders are A, M. shubert. j. E.
II Shubert an orchardist and banker at
= shubert: Peter Younger Of Geneva. Mr..
Harrison OF York, c. G. and H w. Mar
shal of Arlington, w. H. Mellor. secre-
tary of the State Board Of Agriculture;
Mr. Rudge, Alva Townsend of LAncolni
J. c. Seacrest OF lincoln, JOY Morton
of Chicago.
Memorial for Morton.
Mr. Morton Is the son Of the late ].
Sterling Morton of Nebraska city. the
founder Of Arbor day. The Loess Land
, pompany's holdings include a tract re-
pently bought from the old Morton es-
tate at Nebraska City. The purpose of
this purchase Is to perpetuate TO some
extent the horticultural teachings OF the
founder of Arbor day on the land that
was once a part OF his home
This new company takes it's name from
the loess soil, on which the company's
holdings are located. The Ioess soil Is
peculiar to the Missouri valley. lying
along both sides of the river Loess soil
Is Of q peculiar type. and is not common.
It Is said to be the deepest and most
everlasting of all soils. and only two
large bodies OF any consequence known
of elsewhere are in Germany and China
where such soil Is held at a very high
price. This soil reaches it's best in the
Missouri valley in the 200 miles between
Kansas City and Omaha II does not
- extend very far back from the river-in
the Shubert orchard country, the distance
is less than fifteen miles
VIII Bear in Eight Years.
Ten thousand trees are required 20 set
the 800 acres OF the Loess Land COM
pany. Two-year-old trees are used, and
the earliest bearing fruit will not be pro-
ductive commercially for eight years. The
varieties are Winesap. Delicious. iona
than. Duchess. Grimes Golden and Mis-
soun Pippin. Mr. Shubert, who has the
planting I'm charge. employs fifteen men,
The cost of the trees and the cost Of
labor to get them planted. together rep
resent about SIS acre. Corn will be
planted between the trees this season.
and the ground kept in good state of
cultivation
Altogether about 800 acres OF CONNER
ciaI orchard are being set in the vicinity
= OF Shubert this spring. p. w. Carr.
/ Worth King and J. F. shubert are each
individually putting out about twenty
five acres