The ranch., February 15, 1909, Page 5, Image 5

About The ranch. (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914

Image provided by: Washington State Library; Olympia, WA

                
Pagt
My old friend and co-worker, Bruce
Wolverton, of Portland, Ore., writes
me under date of February 5, as fol
lows: "I am writing you now to
get your judgment as to the best kinds
of apricots to plant for this climate
and market. I am thinking of set
ting out an orchard up the Columbia.
What three varieties of peaches would
you recommend to last through the
season? Would you prefer Delicious
and King David to Spitz where there
is no irrigation?"
We have tried several varieties of
the apricot on our fruit ranch, and,
answering from our experience, there
is but one I would recommend for
commercial purpose, viz., the Moor
park. The Budd and the Alexander
are both prolific and the trees are
hardy, but the fruit is small as com
pared to the Moorpark; the quality is
decidedly inferior and they will not
sell nearly so well. I have not had a
large experience in raising apricots
and am not trying to give anything
but my experience. The books on
horticulture tell of other apricots, but
these books are just as accessible to
friend Wolverton as to myself.
I do not fully understand the inquiry
about peaches. I am not sure whether
friend Wolverton has reference to
home use or for commercial purposes.
If he means for home use, I would say
that no three peaches with which I
am acquainted will last through the
season. It will take something near
a dozen varieties to do that. If I
were aiming to have peaches to last
through the entire season, which will
run from early in July to November
Ist, I would begin with Alexander or
Arkansas Traveler, then follow with
Hale's Early, then Champion, Foster
and Early Crawford, then Elberta and
Late Crawford, then Wonderful, Sal
way and Heath Cling. The Triumph
might be dropped in after Hale's
Early and the Columbia after the
Champion. I had in my old peach or
chard about 25 varieties, and we were
never without peaches from the first
ones ripe till the frost got so heavy
The U. S. POMOLOGIST
COL. GEO. B. BEACKETT, says: "I
always told you I consider Delicious
the best of all varieties you have in
troduced."
COMPLIMENTARY SPECIMENS
of this famous Stark Delicious apple
will be sent on request. Delicious is
the greatest quality apple of the day;
selling at 50% more than Jonathan.
Delicious trees are healthy, hardy,
dependable everywhere, and bear in
comparable quality fruit. Without
Delicious no orchard is complete.
Send for the apples and our book,
"The Apple Delicious," which shows
Delicious and King David in full col
or and tells about other profitable
sorts. Stark Trees are best; grown
on scientific principles in our 10 nur
series and each tree has the Stark
reputation of 84 years behind it.
Stock is most complete and of high
est quality; apple, peach, pear, cher
ry, plum, grape, gooseberry, currant,
black berry, roses, Norway Maple,
etc., —everything. Write today for
the Stark Fruit Book
STARK BKO'S Box 59, Louisiana, Mo.
Reliable Stock
We have carefully prepared a list of
trees* and plants suitable for all local
ities. It is quite essential for this to
be considered for a full crop of fruits
and nuts. Write today for catalog.
J. 11. PILKINGTON,
Portland Oregon
DON'T WAIT
SPRAY NOW
It is only during the winter
months when the tree is dormant
that spraying can be most effec
tively done. That time Is passing,
but there is still a chance for you
to secure a supply of our Rex Lime
and Sulphur Spray and make a
thorough application.
Write for the Spray Book, but do
it now, the time is short.
Jacob Kaufmann Co.
SEATTLE
HORTICULTURAL DEPARTMENT
Edited by P. Walden
as to freeze the fruit. I mean of course
when we had peaches for in at least
one year we had none at all, and some
times a very scanty crop.
For commercial purposes no three
peaches will last through the season.
I would not raise peaches to last
through the entire season. The early
peaches never pay. I thought they
would when I began the business in
Washington, but I found out my mis
take when my peach trees began to
bear. Peaches, like the Alexander and
Amsden, never sell well. One reason
is that they are not of much account;
they get soft and mushy in a day or
two if they are ripe enough to pick,
and if they are not they never get
good. I would cut out everything
down to Hale's Early and I am not
sure I would raise that. Another
objection to raising the very early
peaches, and Hale's Early is that by
the time these peaches come in, the
fine yellow peaches are then com
ing into our market from California
and crowd out the inferior grades.
For commercial purposes I would,
therefore, begin with Foster, Cham
pion or Early Crawford. For the main
crop I would depend more on the El
berta than anything else. It is a big
fine yellow peach, is an enormous
bearer and holds up well after pick
ing. Last summer I picked a nice
Elberta peach ready to ship and laid
it up in my room in the house and
just one week later we ate it and it
was in good condition. But few
peaches will hold up as well as that.
The Elberta is not as high a grade
peach as some others, but fortunately
for the growers, not many people
know that the housewife looking for
peaches to put up often passes by
better peaches and says, "I'll take
some of those big yellow peaches over
there." Elberta peaches look so well
that, like some very handsome people,
they pass for more than they are
worth. Then another good reason why
the Elberta sells so well is that they
come in after the California peaches
are out of the way and have no com
petition. Many housewives wait for
peaches to get cheaper and about the
time the big showy Elbertas come in,
wake up to the fact that they must
hasten in putting up their peaches
and the demand becomes great. The
Elberta is the money maker. It is an
enormous bearer. Last season we had
1,000 four-year-old Elberta trees in
bearing and many of them yielded
10 boxes to the tree and some more.
The Late Crawford is a big fine
peach, but gets ready to pick with the
Elberta; it is not so handsome and
does not yield so well, the tree is
more erect and does not. compare
favorably with the great spreading
Elberta. The Wonderful comes be
tween the Elberta and the Salway, is
a really good peach, but is somewhat
ill-shaped and is not first-class as a
money getter. I had 50 trees in my
old peach orchard and have about that
many in my new orchard.
The Salway is a fine peach, is first
class in quality, bears well and has
but one drawback —it comes too late.
In some localities it often gets bitten
with frost before it is ripe. In the
higher altitudes it should never be
raised. Another objection to this
magnificent peach is a very singular
one. About the time the Elbertas
and Late Crawfords are gone the de
mand for peaches drops off. The
mothers have put up all the peaches
they want, the people are to some ex
tent, at least, satiated on peaches, and
as a result of these things I have
known fine Salways—a far better
peach than many others —to sell at
half what the Elbertas and Late
Crawfords sold for.
Sometimes there are marked excep
tions to what I have just stated, and
very late peaches like Salway, Orange
Cling and Cox's Golden Cling sell very
high. But my observation is that you
cannot count on this condition as a
■regular and dependable thing.
As to whether I would prefer the
Delicious and King David to the Spitz
enburg where irrigation can not be
practiced, I wish to say that I am not
prepared to speak as to the merits
of the King David. I have some trees
top-grafted to the King David, but I
have not yet had the privilege of test
ing the apple, so do not wish to speak
The R^anctu
either for or against it. Many testi
monials are given in favor of this
beautiful apple, but I am not able to
add mine for lack of experience. I
have been able to sample the Delic
ious and can say that it is a large
beautiful apple and is delicious. If
I were planting a new orchard 1
should certainly include this in my
selection.
About the first of January of this
year I heard an objection to the De
licious, made by a good man in whom
I have great confidence, that put me
to thinking. His objection was that
the Delicious while a very fine apple
in quality early in the season, de
teriorated very rapidly and that near
the close of winter it became decid
edly insipid. I was not able to say
whether this objection was well
founded or not. I had a few Delic
ious sent me last fall and I had but
one left, so I held it to well into Jan
uary and can say that I could not de
tect the least deterioration. I am
convinced that my friend was mis
taken in part at least. But this ob
jection is not a very serious one, for
if an apple will hold up in quality
till after the holiday trade is over, and
will during that trade sell as the De
licious is reported to have sold, and-
I know sold in Seattle, it would prove
a very profitable apple to grow.
Whether it would be a wise thing
to grow the Spitzenburg extensively
up the Columbia river, where friend
Wolverton has land, I do not know.
WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU
to buy direct from us. It gives you
full value for your money.
Write for our price list and literature
explaining our system of dealing direct
with customers.
RUSSELVILIiE NURSERIES
R. F. D. No. 2 MountalnVille, Oregon
Send for our 1909 SEEDS, BULBS & PLANTS
catalogue of Dahlias a Specialty
MILLS & CO. Mamaroneck, N. Y.
fo) n fin fo~)(ol Co")//-^^^® Write for new Catalog i
.KOlyJlLLojcS) inivfi^l-li^) No. 181 with complete iii«*il/CV^
SPRING PLANTING
fo}n fin fo")(<s> ro^/^Co^rcPS 5 Write for new Catalog liV«^^W
.LlJiyjLLLii® LAi(9)S)B^) No. 181 with complete TV
k cultural directions. J J.^J I
L (c^rL/ifo")!"! nr°^(j^ TrT^rsTs3^ Bent poitpaid on T*n mt^^
Our Trees Have
Stood The Test
There are trees and trees, but the trees you want in your orchards
are the ones that will produce the right kind of fruit in paying quan
tities. The stock from the Yakima Valley Nurseries has proved to the
satisfaction of some of the largest fruitgrowers in the Yakima Valley
. that it has all the desirable qualifications, and this is the reason why
trees from this nursery are being used In building up some of the
largest orchards in this district. In many places they are replacing
trees that are taken out because the varieties are wrong, or from
other faults and defects. Our trees are used because growers know
that they will always be right.
We have the largest commercial nursery in the Pacific Northwest,
and are producing trees from the famous Nob Hill soil and from the
best bearing orchards to be found. Every tree is grown under our
personal supervision and observation, and it does not leave our nursery
- for your orchard unless we know it is right.
Send for our price list.
We have good openings for salesmen
«... .. ■■ ii 41
Yakima Valley Nursery Go,
NORTH YAKIMA, WASHINGTON.
5
Good
MA
Ml rccs
The planter who sets in
his orchard other trees
than the best he can buy—
is making a serious mis
take.
A good tree at a fair
price is cheaper than a
pood tree or one of ques
tionable worth, as a gift.
Orchard land is too val
uable to be encumbered
with trees that will be a
long time in bringing re
turns.
Our trees are grown on
the Yakima Reservation,
isolated from old orchards,
being as a consequence
free from pest or disease,
and, possessing a splendid
root system, they make a
rapid growth and come in
to early bearing.
Agents everywhere.
More wanted.
Washington
Nursery Company
TOPPENISH, WASH.
®EALTHY TREES AND SEEDS
Buy trees that are gruwn on new land
and you'll get hardy, sound trees free
from disease. Trees from the Central
West grow the best, in all parts of the U. S. Ex
fierienced planters have proven this an<l are com
ag to the Central West for their trees. Why not
profit by their experience and save time and
money? Prices absolutely the lowest. No agents.
Forest tree seedlings $1.25 per 10.10. Apples 7c and
up. We pay freight. Largest Nursery Catalog free.
GAI.BKAITH NUBSKKIKS & SKEI> CO.,
Box 76. Fairbury, Neb.