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Choosing an Orchard

by

C. I. LEWIS, M. S. A.

Chief Division of Horticulture, Oregon Agricultural College and Experiment
Station, Corvallis, Oregon.

written specially for use in the

Pacific

Horticultural Correspondence

School

Orenco, Oregon

PACIFIC HORTICULTURAL CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL

Table of Contents

Pase

Natural fruit areas 4, 5

Climate 5, 7

Rainfall and moisture 7

Frost 8

Winds 9

Altitude : 9

Exposure 10

Influence of large bodies of water 11

Natural vegetation 11

Drainage 12

Depth of soil 13

Fertility 13

Page

Character of soil 13, 17

Sub-soils 17

Hints on choosing orchards west of

Cascades and "Inland Empire" 18
Special Crop Requirements —

Apples 19, 20,21

Pears 21, 22

Cherries 22

Apricots -- 23

Almonds 23

Prunes 23

Grapes 24

Suggestions for Study.

Read carefully each chapter or paragraph to find points treated — then return
and carefully study several times the important points to fix them in your mem-
ory, with the object of taking the examinations later.

Marking passages of special interest to you will enable you to refer to them
easily and helps to fix them in your memory.

The italics in this article are by the principal and are intended to call special
attention to these passages, which should be carefully studied as an aid in ex-
aminations and to fix these points in the memory.

Copyright, 1915,

By Pacific Horticultural Correspondence School.

All Rights Reserved

Im— 615

Choosing an Orchard.

By C. I. Lewis, Horticulturist, Oregon Agricultural College.

How to choose an orchard is one of the most perplexing prob-
lems we have in horticulture and the traveller who comes to our
Northwest country seeking an investment in fruit land easily be-
comes bewildered. He travels from one region to another only to
be told in each locality that they have the best and often the only
fruit district to be found. He is told many stories concerning soils,
climate, etc., and is often impressed strongly with the statement
that unless he will close up on a certain deal within a few hours he
is losing an investment which cannot be duplicated.

The average man in buying an orchard is apt to make several
very serious mistakes, the first of which is that he often buys too
soon. I have known of people coming into a certain section at noon
and by nightfall having bought up a tract of land. This is a very
foolish procedure. There is lots of very good fruit land in the states
of Washington, Oregon and Idaho, and of course there is lots of
poor land, but these states are so large that one can get a good in-
vestment any day in the year, and the wise man will go at the mat-
ter leisurely. He will take time to look at all phases of the ques-
tion and under no circumstances will he buy land he has not seen.
The possible exception to this might be that some friend in whom
he has explicit confidence is vouching for the piece of land in ques-
tion.

A soil analysis often leads a man astray. He feels that if an
analysis can be procured and it shows a certain amount of plant
food he is assured it is a good piece of land, and a Kttle later he will
find this may mean much or very little.

Before planting an orchard there are two points we should
clearly understand: First, we should take steps to find out what
the piece of land we have in mind is peculiarly adapted to; or, sec-
ondly, we should hunt a location which is especially adapted to the
crop we have in mind. Often we find pears planted where apples
should be grown, cherries are planted on apple land, peaches
planted on prune land, etc. The real test of any orchard location is
the crop, and a piece of land is only worth what it will produce. Un-

4 PACIFIC HORTICULTURAL CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL

less it will produce a mature tree and one which is productive the
land will be worth very little as far as fruit growing is concerned.
Many people are mislead by the appearance of young trees. I have
seen some splendid looking orchards on very thin soil. Often they
will grow fairly well on soil with poor drainage, but in order to pro-
duce a good, mature, heavy bearing tree, you should have proper
conditions— above all this will mean that you must have deep soil.

Natural Fruit Areas.
In travelling over the world we find that nature has adapted
certain regions for certain crops. As we ride in the train across the
Mississippi Valley and see the alfalfa fields, the corn fields, the fine
herds of cattle and the droves of hogs, we can see that nature has
produced conditions which are favorable to such agriculture. In
travelling through the South we find the cotton, when we get into
Florida we find the pineapple and the citrus fruits, in the vicinity
of the great lakes and northern New York and the Niagara penin-
sula of Canada we find a large fruit belt where tremendous areas
of peaches, apples, grapes, etc., are succeeding. If we cross the
ocean and go to the Mediterranean we find in Italy, Greece and
Spain conditions which fit them for producing fruit. And so all
around the world we find that it is ever true that a certain crop is
developed either because nature has met the special requirements
of these crops or else that the people have been very persevering.
The state of Maine, for example, has built up an enviable reputa-
tion for sweet corn and its canned product is bringing the highest
price. No one would pick out Maine as a natural corn state and in
order to grow corn there, intensive and careful methods must be
followed, but the people have been spurred on to their best endeav-
ors and as a result the state has built up its reputation as a corn
producing state. On our own Pacific Coast the traveller will easily
determine that southern California is peculiarly adapted for the
production of citrus fruit, and coming into our Northwest we find
the great Columbia basin, including the Columbia river, with its
tributaries, like the Snake and the Willamette, where nature has
been very kind and produced climatic and soil conditions that are
unusually favorable to the production of deciduous fruit. Added to
this region we would have to include other valleys like the Umpqua,
Rogue River and others which might be mentioned. The fruits
grown in this region are of the highest color and superb quality, of

NATURAL FRUIT AREAS— CLIMATE 5

unmatched size and attractive form. In addition to this, these
regions seem to have the advantage on the whole of producing
trees which come into bearing early and bear heavily and regularly.
These are the conditions which mean profitable horticulture and
larger returns can be obtained from horticulture than from any other
phase of agriculture, provided the conditions are right. Where the
climatic and soil conditions are not right for horticulture it will be
much better judgment to go into other lines of agriculture. There
are, however, few varieties of deciduous fruit which cannot be
grown to the highest degree of perfection in the Pacific Northwest.
One easily realizes this when they stop to investigate our natural
conditions. With elevations ranging from sea-level to the snow line
and rainfall from 100 inches to 4 or 5 inches, with soils ranging
from the heaviest adobe to the lightest volcanic ash and pumice
stone, one easily sees we have the extreme of conditions, which
means that in almost every fruit region we can find the require-
ments fulfilled that certain varieties demand.

What are the points for us to consider in choosing an orchard?
I would say that they are a combination of the following: Climate,
altitude, exposure, soil, transportation facilities, area devoted to the
fruit industry or the amount of land which can be devoted to such
industry and the class of people engaged in horticultural pursuits.

Climate.

If there is one factor which is of more importance than another
in choosing an orchard it is climate. This will surprise some people
as they are apt to believe that soil is the only factor, yet if this is
true we would find many fruits grown commercially where they are
not. There are some varieties of fruit which seem to have a very
wide range as they are not so exacting in their requirements as
other varieties. The Rome Beauty apple, the Bartlett pear, the
Concord grape may be mentioned as typical varieties which have a
wide range of adaptability. On the other hand there are varieties
which are very narrow in their adaptabihty and are easily changed
from a winter to a summer variety, or from a summer to a late fall
or even to an early winter variety by certain climatic conditions.

In noting the adaptability of fruits in our Pacific Northwest we
are finding rapidly that our varieties are succeeding best where the
climatic conditions seem to come nearer fulfilling the conditions in
which the variety originated, or at least is grown to a high degree

6 PACIFIC HORTICULTURAL CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL

of perfection in Eastern localities. If you will but take the pains to
study the catalog of fruits of the American Pomological Society and
note their recommendations for certain regions of the United States
and then in addition will look carefully into the climatic conditions
surrounding the production of certain varieties, you will see the
close connection which exists in such cases. The Massachusetts
Agricultural College Experiment Station has been doing some spec-
ial investigation concerning the adaptability of varieties to places
in Massachusetts and have found that the mean temperature in
summer, for example, has a lot to do with the varieties that suc-
ceed, and if only a certain degree of warmth is produced certain
varieties will not succeed and grow well. We find on our own
Pacific coast that the Winesap, which does so well in Wenatchee, or
the Jonathan, which does so well in most of the "Inland Empire,"
are splendid examples as far as climatic conditions are concerned.
The Spitzenberg apple originated along the Hudson River — it does
not do well in western New York but in regions having conditions
resembling those found in the Hudson River valley it does better.
When we get this apple in the Hood River, Rogue River and other
parts of Oregon it grows to high perfection, but in certain regions
of the "Inland Empire" where the mean temperature will run
higher, we find the Spitzenberg matures much earlier and is prob-
ably at its best at Thanksgiving instead of by Christmas or January.
In the region west of the Cascades and in the valleys of the Cascade
Range the Gravenstein becomes a fall apple, but when it is grown
at an elevation of 3000 to 4000 feet in the "Inland Empire" it be-
comes a winter apple. The Northern Spy and Baldwin apple seem
to do especially well in such regions as western New York but in
many regions they mature too early. In many parts of the north-
west they become a fall apple, are apt to be mealy and of poor
quality. This is especially true when they are grown at low ele-
vations, but on higher elevations they are much better keepers and
more juicy, and so we can cite many cases showing the great im-
portance of climatic conditions to variety adaptability. So it can
be seen that if one has in mind the growing of certain varieties of
fruit he must look carefully into climatic conditions. Our north-
west is so large that it will be some time before we will know defi-
nitely the best varieties to grow in all cases. Undoubtedly many
regions have made a mistake in trying to decide too soon the vari-
ety of fruit their region is best adapted to, and while we do not

RAINFALL AND MOISTURE 7

want to go back and make the mistake of having every orchard a
pomological collection, I believe that the northwest as a whole should
grow more varieties of fruit than they are growing at the present
time commercially.

In considering climate we should divide it under several heads.
First, on temperature I have already related the importance of
mean and at times extreme temperature of summer and fall in
bringing on the maturity of certain varieties. In connection with
the temperature we have to consider the length of the growing
season. Some regions have a long growing season and these regions
produce fall and winter apples to perfection. Other regions have
a short growing season and are adapted to summer, fall and pos-
sibly early winter varieties. In considering the question of tem-
perature we must also take notice of the winter temperatures.
Fortunately, the greater part of our northwest country is not sub-
ject to extreme winter conditions. Occasionally we have winter
injury which is caused by dry air and soil conditions. Some vari-
eties will not withstand the lowest winter temperatures and will
have to be eradicated on that account.

Rainfall and Moisture.

Under climate we must also consider rainfall and moisture de-
terminant and this is undoubtedly one of the most important fac-
tors determining whether we can grow certain varieties to a high
degree of perfection and is of great importance on the Pacific coast
where we have a wet and dry season. The climatic conditions must
be such, coupled with the soil conditions, that enough moisture can
be retained to maintain the fruit to maturity or if sufficient rainfall
is i:iot present that irrigation is feasible. I very much doubt the ad-
visability of growing apples where the rainfall is 15 inches or less
and irrigation is impossible. Prunes, cherries and peaches do not
require as much moisture as the apple. Winter apples and pears
require more moisture than summer or fall varieties. If an apple,
for example, suffers from lack of moisture, it is dull in color, apt
to be flat in shape and to have a large percentage of drop. On the
other hand if an abundance of moisture is present the apple is a
bright color, more elongated, grows to a larger size and is less lia-
ble to drop. Thus we see how very important it is to have suflScient
moisture.

The greater part of the rainfall in our own northwest occurs

8 PACIFIC HORTICULTURAL CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL

during the winter months and consequently the summer months
which comprise the principal growing season are apt to have very
httle rain. Nearly all sections of the northwest have a dry atmo-
sphere in summer. Often in referring to the region west of the
Cascades people are led to believe it is a region of perpetual showers
and humidity, whereas during the summer or growing season rains
are very rare. The absence of rains during the growing seasons
are in some cases a blessing as it gives a drier atmosphere with an
abundance of sunshine, which help to produce splendid fruit with
the highest color. Rain in June or September at times is considered
a drawback to prune and cherry production. This will be treated
in more detail a little later.

Frost.

Frost must be considered as coming under climatic conditions
and while the northwest as a whole is free from frost, we do have
places in practically every valley which is susceptible to frost, and
while it is possible in many cases to protect orchards by heating
and smudging it is probably better on the whole to choose a site
which does not need such treatment, and while it is true that de-
ciduous fruits are apt to develop better in regions more or less sus-
ceptible to frost, one must not be mislead by this statement. It
does not mean you should choose land subject to frost, but get it
as free from frost as possible. The gently rolling lands are best.
Frosts are often very damaging at the immediate foot of high hills
or mountains or in draws or pockets where the cold air can settle.
Some canons are free from frost while others catch the cold air
and it becomes almost impossible to grow fruit successfully. It is
also possible to get at such high altitudes that frost is possible any
month of the year. In such cases no matter how good the soil and
other conditions may be it would be absolutely useless to attempt
to grow many varieties of fruit. On some higher altitudes where
canons are present breezes occur in the night-time, this is especially
true in Utah, parts of eastern Oregon and even some parts of west-
ern Oregon, where the changes of air will produce such rapid cir-
culation that an orchard has splendid protection against frost. I
know of one fruit orchard in the state which has had twelve crops
without a failure, and a very short distance away is another which
very seldom gets a crop. The soil conditions of the two orchards
are practically identical, the only difference being that the first or-

WINDS— ALTITUDE 9

chard mentioned is so situated in relation to the canon that it gets
a full air circulation which does not reach the second orchard.

Winds

Prevailing winds are often important factors in fruit production.
In many regions west of the Cascade Mts. ocean winds prevail in
the afternoon, which means cool nights and' a long, slow growing
season which is peculiarly adapted for producing perfect fruit. On
the other hand winds may become so strong that they interfere with
the production of fruit.

Several classes of wind are important: Those directly from
the ocean which we find along our coast and which interfere with
the pollination of the blossoms and there are the hot, dry winds of
the "Inland Empire" which carry with them particles of soil and
make it very hard at times to grow certain types of fruit success-
fully. There is often a relation between prevailing winds and sum-
mer and winter temperatures and freedom from frost. Where ex-
treme cold weather occurs in conjunction with high winds it is not
uncommon to note that trees are injured on the windward side,
whereas trees which are protected from these same winds come
through the winter very nicely. Prevailing winds may also be so
strong as to cause dropping of the fruit. However, wind is not
very important' with us in the northwest as a whole, but in certain
limited areas it is an important factor and worth looking into.

Altitude
There is a very close relation between altitude and climate. As
we go higher we find the condition one gets by going farther north
and we soon reach a point in the vicinity of the snow-line where it
would be so frosty and winter conditions so severe that it would be
impossible to grow fruit successfully. In the higher altitudes the
growing season is shorter and varieties must be chosen which will
mature in a shorter season. I have known, however, of varieties
maturing somewhat earlier on the higher altitudes than on the cor-
responding lower ones. But this was where the higher soil was
very light, whereas the soil of the lower altitude was of a heavy a-
dobe. Where other natural conditions are equal the growing season
in the higher altitudes is shorter. It might, however, have a tend-
ency to produce a certain variety better than a given lower altitude.
Referring to our Spitzenberg case again, if the soil at the lower al-
titude had been heavy the Spitzenberg would probably have ma-

10 PACIFIC HORTICULTURAL CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL

tured a little later thus being thrown more into its correct season.
The altitude will probably have an influence on prune and cherry-
production. There is a possibility that one can secure the right al-
titude relations so that Royal Ann can be grown with very little
cracking. If they are of a certain maturity and a heavy rain occurs
cracking takes place and the loss is heavy. If the rain comes in
the fall when the fruit is mature there is apt to be a heavy loss in
prunes. The Experiment Station at present is investigating prune
and cherry adaptability with regard to altitude and climatic con-
ditions.

Exposure.

In many parts of the country this seems to become an important
factor and many older writers especially, have gone into it in great
detail. For the greater part we find that exposure does not mean
very much in the northwest. There are a few exceptions, however;
for example, west of the Cascade Mts. the hill lands with a south-
erly exposure are apt to be thin, the prevailing winds and storms
for centuries probably having a bearing on this. One finds on these
exposures that the natural vegetation is poor and will only produce
a few months pasture and is rarely adapted to fruits. Some may
grow cherries and prunes and possibly grapes, and in a very few
cases apples and pears would succeed. We find the southern is a
warm exposure required by grapes to mature well in the fall. If
the grape is to develop the highest amount of sugar it must have
as much warmth as possible during the ripening period.

We find these same hills which I have mentioned, thin on the
southern exposure, running deep on the northern and eastern ex-
posures. In certain instances we find easterly exposures a draw-
back, this is especially true in hilly sections where frosts occur and
the early morning sun strikes the trees before the frost has thawed.
Under such conditions the damage is great. During 1911-12 we
found some splendid examples of this condition. Where the orchards
had been shaded by trees or hills the damage had been practically
little or nothing. The southern exposure is used for early maturity.
Occasionally it has its drawbacks however. If the soil is light and
warm and especially if it is plowed early so that the trees can start
into activity, such exposure may mean the trees will get sunscald,
especially is this true when we have a warm March or April, fol-
lowed by a cold month, or where it is warm in the middle of the
day and the nights are cold. Cherries are apt to suffer from gum-

INFLUENCE OF LARGE BODIES OF WATER — NATURAL VEGETATION ' 11

osis and apples and pears from sunscald or other such injuries. It
would be better in such cases to plant varieties of fruit which nat-
urally come into bloom and activity a little later.

Influence of Large Bodies of Water.

Large bodies of water have an influence on the climate, tending
to make more equitable conditions. We do not find as much frost
or quite so many extremes of winter conditions in their vicinity.
The great fruit region adjacent to our great lakes nicely illustrates
this. Here in Oregon the Columbia River and its tributaries un-
doubtedly has an influence and and in central Oregon Goose and
Summer Lakes having such an influence that it has made fruit
growing successful there, where otherwise it might be a failure.

Natural Vegetation.

The question is often asked of what indication the natural veg-
etation on a piece of land is, as regards its adaptability to fruit
growing. The vegetation in many cases is of great significance
and in others little or nothing. For example, our lands heavily
timbered with fir are apt to be deep, rich soils, adapted for fruit
growing. One of the best indications of good fruit soil is the
presence of large, mature trees which produce heavy crops of good
fruit. You must realize, however, that in some cases the land is
very "spotted" and land in close proximity to such orchards may
be very poor. An examination with an auger would show the char-
acter of the land on which the orchards occur and thus one can easi-
ly compare adjoining conditions to those under which the orchards
flourish. The absence of vigorous vegetation or the presence merely
of certain grasses or small scrub oak, such as are found on southern
hill exposures, are generally indications of poor fruit soil. The oak
tree taken as a whole means little or nothing. I have seen them
grow on very poor fruit land and at other times on very good fruit
land, so oak growth means probably very little to us. East of the
Cascade Mts. where the sage brush is strong and luxuriant it is
generally safe to conclude that the land is good, as "Better the
sage-brush, better the land," is a common saying of people living
in such regions.

Soils.

Before examining the soil you should procure a soil auger, a
common carpenter's or ship's auger can be used. One-half inch is

12 PACIFIC HORTICULTURAL CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL

enough, in fact if a larger one is used it will be harder to handle
and more than one man will be needed. Have a plumber make
some sections of gas pipe, short enough to be carried in a suitcase,
when disjointed, and have one of the sections made into aT, so that
a short bar can be run through with which to turn the auger. Have
the auger welded to one of the short sections. In using the auger
make a boring of a few inches and clean it, and keep doing this un-
til you have a boring as deep as necessary. After a little practice
with it one will pick up an enormous amount of knowledge concern-
ing the general characteristics of good and poor soil. There are
several points to be kept in mind: — These are drainage, depth, fer-
tility and general character.

Drainage.

Under drainage we must consider both the surface and the sub-
soil drainage. Our climatic conditions are such in many parts of
the Pacific coast that one will often find land which is heavily water-
logged in winter but which is still good fruit land. We do not want
to have land with too much water in the growing season when the
trees are active. The surface drainage can generally be determined
with very little trouble. But the sub-surface drainage is a much
harder point to get at. Many of our lands are sub-irrigated and
streams of water can be found travelling in the sub-soils. In many
cases they are of great value and give the soil a continuous source
of water supply, which means good growth to the trees, but often
these sub-surface waters are too abundant. They often follow a
strata of rock or clay and are so cold that roots will not succeed in
them. While at times trees grow eight or nine years on such soils,
they later show a reaction in the form of winter injury and kindred
troubles. About the only way to determine these sub-surface
streams is with auger borings. At times it is very easy to remove
these waters as they travel along certain strata, and by proper tile
drainage they can be taken care of, but on the other hand they are
often so abundant that the problem of drainage becomes so great that
it would be unwise to plant fruit on them, and crops which will adapt
themselves to the conditions should be used in place of fruit. Cer-
tain land, especially pear lands, are worth drainage, but most trees,
like cherry, peach and prune, should not be put on such lands, and
only on a limited amount of apple land does it pay to drain.

In considering the subject of drainage we must also consider

DRAINAGE— DEPTH OF SOIL— FERTILITY 13

seepage water from canals, irrigation ditches, rivers, etc. In many
of our irrigated districts the canals are so constructed and the soil
is of 'such a character that seepage is often abundant and such
waters are often impregnated with alkali, and sooner or later fruit
growing will have to be abandoned. Seepage waters often travel
a long way under ground and then crop up, often producing large
bodies of water. All things being equal, it is better to choose land
at the high line ditch as the man at the lower level may get seepage
waters from all the growers above him and sooner or later will have
to put in an expensive drainage system. Drainage and irrigation
go hand in hand. While irrigation is very valuable, unless drainage
is put in the irrigation may prove to be a boomerang and the region
may have to be abandoned on account of seepage water.

Depth of Soil.
The depth of soil is a very important factor. The question is
often asked "How deep should the soil be?" It is hard to answer
and is naturally relative to other conditions. Where irrigation is
not practicable and winter fruit is grown it is important to have
deep soil. In regions without irrigation it should be at least four
feet before unfavorable subsoils are encountered. For walnut land
soil that is very deep should be secured. It is only by making fre-
quent soundings with an auger that the depth can be determined.

Fertility.

Fertility of the soil is one factor which most people are apt to
• put their entire stress on, and while it is essential that soil should
be fertile to be productive, on the other hand we find most of our
soils in the northwest are fairly productive. Many of the soils east
of the Cascades are low in nitrogen, while those west of the Range
often do not contain as much of this element as is desirable, yet,
fortunately, we can easily supply nitrogen with leguminous crops,
and there is practically no fruit region which cannot grow some
leguminous crop successfully. We often see the influence of rich
fertile soils when we note how productive the Bear Creek soil of
the Rogue River is, and that of the Wilhamette River bottoms with
its sandy soils.

Character of the Soil.

Soils vary considerably in their physical character. We have
such as the deep clay loams, free soils, silt and sand loams, gravel,
volcanic ash, inimice stone, etc. These are often spoken of as types.

14 PACIFIC HORTICULTURAL CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL

but as far as adaptability is concerned, the word type means very
little. Often the term "red hill land" is used, although we find
many gradations of red hill soil, the red characteristic simply mean-
ing that iron was present in the soil and has become oxidized. In
speaking of the general characteristics of soil we will speak first of
surface soil.

In many of our valleys we find adobe or sticky soils. These
often produce pears to very good advantage but are very hard soils
to handle. They have to be plowed and harrowed at just the right
time or it is almost impossible to get them into good shape. It is
hard to get them to take hold of water and hold it for a long time,
and if the water is a little too cold disastrous results may be ex-
pected. , In western Oregon we find the clay loams used for apples
and pears. They are retentive of their food and moisture and where
they have good depth are generally considered as on the whole good
fruit soils. Of course where this soil contains so much clay that it
borders on what is known as "white land," it would not be wise to
secure it for fruit. They are lands with very poor drainage and if
one bears in mind the drainage requirements he will not make the
mistake of choosing such lands. Occasionally they are very good
for certain classes of fruit if properly drained, but in most cases
the drainage problem becomes big and it means cooperation rather
than the drainage of the single piece of land. Occasionally the
strong clay loams are not adapted for certain varieties of apples.
They may keep the trees growing too late or cause the trees to run
to vegetative growth too much. I will speak of this under special
soils for apples. Free soils are found abundantly and contain silt,
sand and clay, are handled easily and are often very productive.
These soils are especially adapted for prunes, cherries and similar
crops. The silt and sand loams are found west of the Cascades a-
long the fertile river bottoms and where the silt and sand is uniform
they are among the most productive west of the Cascade Range.
They are especially adapted for apples requiring high color like the
Spitzenberg and are warm lands for grapes, peaches and red rasp-
berries, in fact, they have the widest adaptability of any soil west
of the Cascades. These soils will produce an enormous range
of fruit. I have seen apples, pears, walnuts, peaches, grapes,
cherries and nearly all forms of truck and similar products succeed-
ing on such lands. Many can be irrigated and represent the ideal
type for small holdings. Unfortunately, many of them have no

CHARACTER OF THE SOIL 15

good building sites as they are subject to overflow but these rarely
do much damage and often deposit layers of silt which are fertile
and tend to keep the soil rich. The water does not stay on long
and although I have seen it go over the tops of peach trees, these
same trees were loaded with fruit the following summer. The old
settlers of Oregon passed these up as does the easterner, having in
mind the overflows of the Ohio and the Mississippi, and consequently
these lands are often neglected. Occasionally they have a good
deal of gravel wash and when it comes to the surface, of course
they are undesirable for fruit.

East of the Cascades we find that the soils run lighter, con-
sisting of sand, silt or volcanic ash. They are generally soils light
in character, can be easily tilled, hold moisture well and are gen-
erally rich in mineral plant food. They are soils of very wide a-
daptability, especially with irrigation, as with the presence of irri-
gation one can control the moisture content very nicely. It is a
very common sight on these soils to see a variety of crops growing,
such as grapes, cherries, peaches, apricots, apples and pears, and
all seeming to do fairly well. Of course they will not all be pro-
duced to the highest degree of perfection since the irrigation of
the apple might be entirely different from that which the peach
needs. Peaches should not be irrigated up to about three weeks
before they are picked. On the other hand if this rule were
followed closely it might prove a hardship on the pears or apples.
Some of these light soils, particularly the volcanic ash and pumice
soils and often the silt loams, are at times subject to blowing. Pre-
cautions should be taken in clearing land of such a nature to clear
it in such a way that the winds cannot move it before the organic
matter has been incorporated into the soil.

Closely associated with the volcanic ash are the pumice soils.
These are exceedingly fine soils of volcanic origin and retentive of
moisture. In order to grow fruit they must be irrigated and at
times it is difficult to irrigate, but under proper management they
give very good results.

Oregon as a rule does not have a great deal of stony soil, this
is true at least as applied to most of our valleys. Soils which con-
tain considerable floating rock or stones, with a southern exposure,
are often adapted for grape culture, and where it is found in our
valleys it is very early. In parts of the Walla Walla Valley we find
such stony soils. They become warm early in the spring and tend

16 PACIFIC HORTICULTURAL CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL

to hold the heat and are valued because of their early production of
small fruit, certain truck crops, etc.

In parts of the "Inland Empire" the mesa soils which are so
typical of parts of Utah and Colorado are found. Before planting
such soils to fruit some determination should be made regarding
their depth. They are often underlaid with marl, shale or gypsum
and it is the general belief of growers that such soils are not well
adapted to fruit.

At times so-called "sinking soils" are found. These soils settle
badly and if orchards are planted before the land is irrigated and
handled several years, the orchard will often be a failure, since the
soil settles away from the body of the trees and leaves the roots
exposed.

In choosing land, especially in the "Inland Empire," one should
constantly be on their guard for the presence of alkali. At times
the alkalinity becomes so high that it would be impossible to grow
most of our fruits successfully. It is especially apt to be bad where
seepage water comes to the surface. While it has generally been
felt that lime stone has been very valuable in the production of
fruit, nevertheless the orchardists of the "Inland Empire" seem to
think the marl soils undesirable, the trees not seeming to do well
on such soils. The question often comes up concerning the use of
old land for orchard purposes. It is the general belief of our fruit
growers that sage brush lands will grow fruits better if they are
put into some other crop for a few years. When first cleared they
are light in character, contain very little organic matter and humus,
and trees have difficulty in getting a good start, but after a few
crops of rye, oats, vetch, or other grain, and after being worked
over a few times, they settle, become more compact and seem to
be in a better condition for the growing of trees.

As to the advisability of planting trees on newly cleared timber
land there is a difference of opinion. Many people have had poor
success in putting trees out immediately after clearing. This is
probably true of land which has been in heavy fir or other conifer-
ous types, if there is very little organic matter present, but if the
land has been worked over for a year or two with potatoes or some
other field crop the trees take hold much better. However, un-
doubtedly the condition in which the land is found before the trees
are planted and the season in which the trees are planted will make
some difference as to results. Where the land is not put into very

SUB-SOILS 17

good shape until late spring and the trees not planted until that
season, 'good results are not to be expected. But if the land is put
in good condition the preceding fall or winter and the trees planted
in the spring, very good results are often secured.

Often the question is asked ' 'What is the influence of light
versus heavy soil on fruit growing?" In a general way the lighter
loams tend to bring the trees into bearing earlier and it often tends
to produce a very good color, but it is said by many that the fruit
is not as large nor developes quite as good keeping qualities as fruit
produced on the heavier loams. However, J do not believe one is
justified in making quite such broad statements as it has already
been shown that climatic conditions have a very strong effect on
types of fruit which can be grown.

Sub-Soils.

Before leaving the matter of soils we must take up the matter
of sub-soils. In very many cases the sub-soil is of much more im-
portance than the surface soil. If one should get soil four or Jive
feet deep in which there is very little change in the soil to that depth
it is desirable. At times one will find hard-pan clay close to the
surface. This hard strata is sometimes the result of poor farm op-
erations but at times the clay is so stiff that roots cannot work in
it.

Gravel is a form of sub-soil which has to be watched for very
carefully. Course gravel will not hold moisture well and where it
is close to the surface it means the soil is subject to drying out. It
is also difficult to irrigate such soils successfully. At times this
gravel, instead of being loose, is cemented and so hard that it can-
not be gotten through with a pick and shovel ; such sub-stratas are
not desirable. Rock is often found and where it is hard and not
disintegrated and comes fairly close to the surface one cannot pos-
sibly hope to grow most of our fruits successfully. But where it is
breaking down very easily and can be bored through with an auger,
trees may do fairly well. These rocks may even be liberating
mineral foods necessary for good tree growth.

The sandy loam sub-soils are very desirable. They generally
mean good drainage and trees growing on such soils often do re-
markably well. Only we must be careful not to get those which
are nearly all sand or where the sand comes too near the surface.
They will have a tendency to dry out if too much sand is present.

18 PACIFIC HORTICULTURAL CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL

Hints on Choosing Orchards West of the Cascade Range.

In choosing an orchard in the valleys of the Cascade Mts. or in
the regions to the westward there are a few points I want to em-
phasize.

First of all, one of the most important factors is the depth of
soil, as in the greater part of this region irrigation is not practiced
and neither will irrigation be necessary for the greater part of it,
as with proper orchard management and with depth of soil splendid
results can be obtained without irrigation. One will need to note
the recommendations for frosts as to some types of trees on level
lands at the base of hills where frosts, at times, are injurious, although
the greater part of this region has good air drainage and the at-
mospheric conditions are such that frost damage as a rule is not
serious.

The stronger clay loams of this region are especially adapted
for pears and the lighter clay loams and free soils are splendid for
apples while the red hill lands and the hghter types of hill lands
are adapted especially for prunes and cherries. On some of the
southern exposures grapes will grow well, especially the American
varieties. In parts of southern Oregon, in Jackson and Josephine
Counties, Vinefera, types like Muscat, Tokay and Malaga will suc-
ceed, especially where the hills have the warm, southern exposure,
are not subject to frosts and where cold winds and fogs are not a
problem. In this region too, peaches do well on the river bottoms
especially and on some of the red shot hills. The sand and silt loams
along the river bottoms of this region are noted for their fertility
and wide adaptability.

Points to Observe in Choosing an Orchard in the
"Inland Empire."

Where irrigation is not practiced in this region great depth is
to be desired. V/here irrigation is practiced extreme depth is not
so necessary although it is highly desirable. In many regions one
should look into the possibility of frost. Frost damage will become
less and less as time goes on and as irrigation increases it means
proper moisture conditions which will make frost damage less se-
vere. Seepage waters become troublesome at times, especially in
irrigated districts. Good deep soils, which have a heavy growth of
sage-brush will generally give good results. These are usually high-

SPECIAL CROP REQUIREMENTS 19

ly productive, bring the trees into bearing early and make very de-
sirable fruit locations.

SPECIAL CROP REQUIREMENTS.

The Apple.

In producing apples, especially winter apples, we have to
bear in mind that we are growing trees which will become long-
lived, drawing heavily on the soil for both food and moisture and
successful apple culture means that we must fulfill its requirements.
Prunes, peaches and cherries and similar fruits are not so exacting
regarding moisture conditions and often are not so exacting regard-
ing the soil, as is the apple. We are growing so many commercial
varieties of apples that we must look very closely into the condition
which each variety requires and this will mean close study of cli-
matic conditions, elevations, exposures, and soil, all taken together,
to make up the requirements of the individual variety.

The Spitzenberg, for example, seems to be the most popular
apple of the Northwest, yet there are relatively few regions where
this apple will do well. If planted at too high an altitude, say that
above 1500 feet, it becomes a shy bearer, is very subject to winter
injury and what fruit it does produce is often of poor color. It is a
variety that is very tender and subject to all the afflictions a tree is
heir to. If it is on a very Hght, dry soil it will generally hear fairly
abundantly provided the altitude is not too high but the fruit will
seldom be bright in color. If on the other hand it is grown on
deep, rich moist loam, there is a tendency to run strongly to wood
growth. Where one has a soil of good fertility, a fair moisture con-
dition, a warm southern exposure and not too high an altitude, the
Spitzenberg will do well.

The Gano will often flourish on locations where the Spitzenberg
would be a failure, so much more money would be realized in plant-
ing the Gano, succeeding on lighter loams and higher altitudes than
Spitzenberg.

If the growing season terminates abruptly we find that nearly
all apples tend to be shy bearers. Winter injury is apt to result
and what growth the tree does make is apt to be vegetative rather
than fruit production.

The Northern Spy is an apple which requires very careful at-

20 PACIFIC HORTICULTURAL CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL

tention. At high altitudes it is very shy in bearing well; on low
altitudes it often grows soft and large and is a poor keeper and its
quality under such conditions is very poor. On some of the lighter
clay loams west of the Cascades the Northern Spy seems to do very
well.

The Yellow Newtown seems to be especially adapted for such
regions as the valleys of the Cascade Range and those to the west
as the Hood River, the Willamette valley and the southern Oregon
districts for example and while it does well in some of the inland
valley regions of the "Inland Empire" in many of these regions it
matures too early. It is not an apple which is adapted to high alti-
tudes, there it becomes woody and dry and small and of generally
poor quality. When the Yellow Newtowns are planted on very
rich, heavy soils, especially if careful pruning is not practiced, they
will run to wood and often will not bear for 12 or 15 years.

The Rome Beauty is becoming a very popular apple in the north-
west and is showing itself to be adapted to an enormous range of
territory. They do well in some of the "Inland Empire" valleys
and also in western Oregon and Washington. Under proper con-
ditions it tends to be a good bearer. Like the Spitzenberg it is
tender under certain conditions, especially where there is an abrupt
termination between the fall and winter weather. Where the grow-
ing season tends to be short it is not well to plant such varieties as
the Yellow Newtown and the Winesap as neither one does well.

The Ben Davis is an apple of rather wide adaptabihty, but
when planted at rather high altitudes, 2000 ft. and better, it often
becomes very corky and dry.

The Wagener seems to be an apple of very wide range. If we
could justly say there is a single variety having very little limitations
in the northwest it would be the Wagener. It is found succeeding
not only west of the Cascades but also in the region to the east of
them. It does well on a wide variety of soils and under widely
varying climatic conditions.

Where extreme drouth is experienced and winter hardship is
extreme there is nothing which will do better than the Russian
apples, the Duchess, Wolf River and Wealthy being included in
this class. The York Imperial and Mcintosh Red also succeed
well under such conditions the Mcintosh Red being of very fine
quality if properly grown. The King of Tompkins County, Rome
Beauty and Hyde King also flourish under such conditions. The

APPLES— PEARS 21

Gravenstein should also be tried more extensively on high altitudes
of limited rainfall. The Red Cheek Pippin should be planted more
west of the Cascades than it is at the present time. It does not
bring the highest prices but does well on our clay loams, tends to
bear annually and is well known in a certain trade.

Apples like the Winter Banana and Delicious do not do very
well on the low altitudes; they tend to mature too early and become
very mealy and poor keepers. On some of the higher altitudes
they have a better texture and form, have a more attractive color
and are better keepers.

In some of the valleys such as are found in the ' 'Inland Em-
pire," it is hard to beat the Winesap, Jonathan and Rome Beauty,
while in some cases the Spitzenberg does very nicely. The Arkan-
sas Black does very well here sometimes. Occasionally the Spitzen-
berg matures too early and apples like the Mclintosh Red become
late summer or fall apples instead of winter apples.

Where the seasons are especially short, summer and fall varie-
ties should be planted and all winter varieties abandoned.

Pears.

The Pacific Northwest should he the leading pear region of the
United States.

The Rogue River Valley in southern Oregon is especially world
noted as producing pears of wonderful quality and fine shipping
character.

Pears, while perhaps not succeeding on as high altitudes as
apples, will nevertheless, within their range, stand more hardship
than apples. They will stand more alkali than most other fruits.
As far as soil is concerned, they have a wide range being grown on
the heaviest soil on the one hand to the lightest loams on the other.
The best regions to grow pears is where there is a long growing
season of not too warm weather, where the winter conditions do
not come on too abruptly and where the rainfall and moisture is
such that a slow gradual growth of tree can be produced. Pears
are more adapted to the regions west than to those east of the Cas-
cade Mts. and to those regions having at least 20 inches rainfall
than to other localities.

The Bartlett is a pear of wide adaptability and can be grown on
the heaviest to the lightest of soils. This is also true of the Comice
and Howell. The d'Anjou and Bosc seem to do especially well on

22 PACIFIC HORTICULTURAL CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL

the heavier soils while the Winter Nelis should only be planted on
deep, rich loams, as this variety, unless it has plenty of moisture
and food becomes small. The Cornice should not be grown where
it tends to russet very much. It does well in southern Oregon.
The Bosc, Winter Nelis and Glou Morceau do well in climatic con-
ditions like those of the Williamette Valley, while the Rogue River
Valley is growing a wide range of varieties, the Bartlett, d'Anjou
and Winter Nelis, Comice, Bosc and Howell are all succeeding.

Of all pears grown the Bartlett is found growing over the
widest range, but undoudtedly more varieties of pears should be
tried than we have grown up to the present time.

Cherries.

Cherries do best'on well drained, light loams. The soil, how-
ever, should not be so light and warm as to cause premature growth
in the spring. Where they are planted on heavy clay loams they
seem to run to wood very largely and are also more subject to cer-
tain diseases than when planted on better drained, warmer loams.
The sweet cherry especially will not stand much winter freezing
and regions of high altitude and extreme freezing should be planted
to sour cherries and the Duke types.

The Vilna Sweet will stand considerable hardship while the
Bing does especially well in eastern Oregon. Often it thrives as
high as 3000 ft. east of the Cascades, while in our valleys the Royal
Ann and the Lambert are the two great leaders. Some of the in-
land valleys are also producing cherries very successfully, the great-
est trouble at times being winter injury.

In the valleys west of the Cascades the cherry is often found
to be very extensive. Here they grow to enormous size, luscious
and juicy. Enormous canning industries will be developed while
many of them are shipped green. The Pacific northwest can pro-
duce sweet cherries unexcelled. Unfortunately the Royal Ann, a
large, fancy flesh colored cherry, does not stand rain well while
ripening and under such conditions cracks badly. If conditions
could be found where this cherry could mature and not be subject
to such cracking and yet keep its size and other characteristics it
would be very valuable to the state.

Peaches.
Peaches as a rule like a warm soil. We have them growing

APRICOTS, ALMONDS AND PRUNES 23

well in such valleys as the Wenatchee, North Yakima and the valleys
along the Snake and in southern Oregon in the regions adjacent to
Ashland and Merlin, while in the Willamette Valley they succeed
on the sandy river bottoms on the one hand and on the red shot hill
lands on the other. Peaches are very susceptible to frost and the
trees will not stand very much dry freezing. When planted on the
heavy loams they make good vegetative growth but as a rule are
not fruitful.

Apricots.

The apricot is closely associated with the peach and in many
respects is a hardier tree but blooms so early it is caught by the
frost. In such regions as The Dalles and some places in southern
Oregon and regions along the Columbia and the Snake, locations can
be found which are frost proof. This fruit brings splendid returns
and more should be grown. There is a very strong demand for apri-
cots for canning purposes.

Almonds.

Almonds are closely related with both the peach and the apri-
cot. It is a fairly hardy tree and will stand better drouth conditions
than either the peach or apricot provided the soil is deep. It is a
deep rooted tree and does well where the soil is deep. The one
great drawback with it is its early blooming and consequent loss
from frost injury. Where regions can be found not subject to frost
almond growing becomes very profitable.

Prunes.

Most of the prunes are grown west of the Cascade Range.
They grow on sandy river loams to red hill lands and seem to do
well on all soils except those which are heavy and poorly drained.
On the lighter loams they are generally put on peach roots while on
some of the heavier soils they are propagated on plum roots. In
the region west of the Cascades they are grown almost entirely for
evaporating purposes except those years when the eastern crops of
prunes and peaches are very light when many are shipped green.
The prune shows signs of becoming one of the greatest industries on
the Pacific coast. As prunes bloom early they suffer consequently
at times from frost and also from long, cold rainy spells in the
spring which are not favorable to their blossom development.

24 PACIFIC HORTICULTURAL CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL

In the "Inland Empire" and in many valleys of the Columbia
and the Snake prunes are grown for shipping green and under proper
conditions become a very profitable crop.

The principal prune grown is the Italian; where not over-irri-
gated they produce a good firm shipping product of good quality.

Grapes.

There are only limited regions in which grapes can be grown
successfully. The American grapes like the Concord, Niagara,
Delaware, Brighton and Worden are hardy for most parts of the
northwest and do exceedingly well where they are protected from
cold winds. They prefer the sunny exposures on our hillsides, al-
though some of the sandy river bottoms produce very good grapes.

The European varieties, the Vinifera or California grapes suc-
ceed along the Columbia and Snake. At The Dalles for example,
they are found growing well. In many regions of the "Inland
Empire' ' with winter protection they have grown successfully. In
parts of southern Oregon they are doing especially well without
winter protection.

In conclusion I wish to encourage our fruit growers as much as
possible to make some careful studies concerning variety adapta-
bility. If possible, get a maximum and minimum thermometer and
keep records of the length of your growing season and of your rain-
fall.

Prof. C. I. Lewis, of the Division of Horticulture of the Oregon
Agricultural College would appreciate very much to see any such
data as the fruit growers could send him and it will assist us very
materially in securing data which is so hard to obtain.

In determining whether or not a variety succeeds in your region
do not base your opinion on the very best specimens you can find
because the amount of money you will make out of any good va-
riety is going to depend on the average fruit the tree produces and
not upon what a few fine specimens will bring. If the average
fruit of a variety comes up to good market requirements you can
justly draw the conclusion that the variety will succeed.