The Gem state rural. [volume], October 15, 1896, Image 1

About The Gem state rural. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho) 1895-1910

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THE GEM STATE RURAL
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VOLUME 2.
CALDWELL, IDAHO, OCTOBER,
NUMBER 2
1896.
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.
An Interesting Program and At
tractive Exhibit.
The Second Autumn meeting
of the Idaho State Horticultural
.Society convened at the Isham
& Hoover Opera House, Cald
well, on Thursday, September
10, 1896, with President Thos.
C. Galloway in the chair and
Secretary Robert Milliken at the
table.
The following promi
nent horticulturists were present:
Thos. C. Galloway, A. F. Hitt
and S. A. Swauger, of Wash
ington county; Alex McPherson
and Wm. Bubb, of Ada county;
Robert Milliken, J. H. Lowell,
Wm. Dorman, Chas. P. Hart
ley, R. M. Gwinn, W.
Whipple, Judge Little,
Doorc, Dr. Wright, President
Boone of the College of Idaho,
W. R. Ballard, Jacob Plowhead,
S. S. Foote, C. M. McKenzie,
J. A. Crill, Wm. Leiser, A.
E. Gipson, all of Canyon count}',
and T. T. Danilson, of Ontario,
Oregon.
President Galloway opened the
R.
A.
meeting with some pertinent re
marks in which reference was
made to the somewhat adverse
circumstances under which the
societ}' had gathered so far as get
ting together an exhibit was con
cerned. Still, although an "off
year" with most orchards, the ex
hibit was gratifying, and in con
nection with the program should
make the present gathering an
eventful one. The president also
took occasion to refer in appre
ciative words to the valuable scr
vtce rendered the society by The
Gem State Rural, in publish
ing the proceedings and papers of
former meetings.
The first subject considered
was the receiving of informal re
ports of the condition of orchards,
Mr. McPherson said that there
was this year probably not one
tenth of a crop of fruit in Ada
This was very unusual.
county.
But the trees were taking a rest,
so far as fruitage was concerned,
but were making a
splendid
growth and were liable to yield
enormously another year. \ ege-j
tables had"done reasonably well,
Mr. Hitt remarked that what
Mr. McPherson had said would
also apply largely to Washington
county.
In the higher valleys,
however, like Salubria, Middle
Valley, Hornet Creek, etc., the
fruit has done well,
localities are free from insect
pests. On Munns Creek also
many orchards were full, and
while the fruit is inferior in size,
it is not soin quality. The San
Jose scale appears to be about
Those
wiped out. Fruit prospects are
very bright,
such a tree growth,
tree in particular had made a
He had never seen
One prune
growth this season of twelve feet,
Wm. Dorman, in the aosence
of anyone from Boise county,
took occasion to sav that he had
recently been at Horse Shoe
Bend in that county and had seen
some orchards that w'erc produc
ing fairly well and the fruit ap
peared to be free from Codlin
moth.
Judge Little had also been in
that county and found nearly all
orchards in the gulches and creek
bottoms full of fruit. The or
chards of Messrs. Brown and
Brainard up there were bearing
heavily.
Mr. Hartley, Mr. Dorman
and Secretary Milliken all agreed
as to light orchard yields in Can
yen county. Mr. Milliken said
the shortage was by n© means
local, and in confirmation of the
statement read a letter from Prof.
Brackett, of Kansas, secretary
of the American Promological
Society, which conveyed the im
pression that in many states, even
in the best fruit belts of the coun
try, there would scarcely be a
surplus over home comsumption.
One general exception, which]
ould apply to Idaho as well as
other states, was in the grape
This was almost uni
w
yield.
formly large.
j chard prospects, came
j esting talk from
j Hartley,
! Methods, Material,
Following the reports on or
an inter
Mr. C. P.
of Caldwell, ©n the
"Propagation of Nurserv Stock,
etc"." Mr.
1 Hartley referred briefly to the
several methods of propagation,
and to the fact that in this coun
generally
j
j try apple trees are
grown from root grafts. T. he
j cion he said is usually about five
inches in length and the root two
This is the piece
thought the short root
rulo made a better tree than
to four inches,
root. He
as a
usually practiced in the propaga
| tion of pear, cherry, peach, plum
jand prune. For seedlings French
j seed is generally used. The
j speaker made some humorous re
a long one. In Washington and
Oregon, owing to peculiar condi
tions, budding is a favorite
method and this is the method
j marks about whole roots for
j grafting and the "Old Oak Pro-i
j cess," and his observation had
been that trees grown from this
much lauded (by some) arrang
rhent, looked and grew about the
°f fact the only genuine whole root
tree is the one that is grafted or
budded on the root without re
same as other trees. As a matter
moving it from the ground,
preferred a three or four inch
j root and was satisfied it made as
He
good a tree as a longer root. The
cion really had much to do with
the character of the tree.
He doubted if one variety of
apple tree was more exempt from
attacks of woolly aphis than an
other.
Fruit tree inspectors
might tell better about this as the
yi r<
nurserymen of course never have
woolly aphis (great laughter. )
Mr. McPherson said he had
never found woolly aphis and sel
dom green aphis on the Northern
Spy apple tree.
Question by Mr. Hitt—"Are
fiberous roots preferable to large
roots in stock for planting," Mr,
Hartley—"I do not favor an ex
treme either way. Fiberous roots
usually die after planting."
McPherson—"I always cut off the
fiberous roots at planting.
the conclusion of Kansas horti
culturists, with whom he had
been associated many years, was
that the increased size of the cion
Professor Miliken believed that
made a better tree than a large
He thought fiberous roots
almost invariably perished at
transplanting, hence a few small
sized roots,, with the average
number of larger ones, was better
than a large number of fiberous
roots. Exposure of roots to air
root.
jwas a great source of loss in tree
planting.
:
j periments with apples and pears
i showed that large roots were of
Good short
Mr, McPherson said his ex
ten a detriment.
|
J roots, with a corresponding top,
; if soil is right, will take hold of
the ground better than long roots.
The Bee Keeper and Fruit
Grower, by Secretary Milliken,
was the title of the next topic and
this concluded the program for the
first session of the meeting. An
outline of Profeosor Milliken's
views on this important subject
will appear in the next Rural.
On Thursday evening a good
s i ze d audience gathered at the
j Opera House to hear an eloquent
! an d felicitous address of welcome
i b v R ev . R. M. Gwinn on be
| half of the mayor of Caldwell and
j society by Mr. Alex McPherson,
The First Regimental band pre
on equally happy response for the
viously gave an inspiring open air
concert, which w r as highly appre
ciated. During the evening a
quartette consisting of Messrs. W.
J. Boone and H. D. Blatchley
and Mesdames Redway and
Stalker furnished some excellent
vocal selections. An interesting
paper on the ' 'Wild Flowers of
prepared by Miss Ruth
, was, in the
absence of Miss Gipson, read by
Idaho,
5 5
Gipson of Caldwell
Mrs. Dr. Stalker. This was
followed by a recitation entitled
How He Saved St. Michael''
by Miss Mary Galloway, of
Weiser, which was rendered in a
faultless manner by that lady.
The evening session was closed
by a report from Prof. Milliken
from the standing committee on
Botany and Vegetable Physio
logy, reference to which will be
made later on.
The fruit and vegetable exhibit
occupied the front part of the
Opera House and was a most
meritorious display. In fact it
eve-opener' ' to many
who had not conceived it possible
for this region of country to make
o J
< <
j
!
( C
was an
I such a showing. Hundreds
j'• is,tors were attracted by this
j ' ' ob j ect lesson' ' and it is safe to
I sa >' that ,he ,m P resslon made w.ll
, be lastin § and P roductlve of much
I o ood *
I In another c0,umn ' viU be
j found a list of exhibits and ex
hibitors which we give under the
j heading
j
( the splendid exhibit made by our
Washington county friends,
9 ?
Roll of Honor.
i i
Washington County's Exhibit.
We have not an itemized list of
i
as
I many of the articles were un
j named, but the collection covered