The Expert's Guide to the Inland Empire Orchard
A federal pomologist warns Northwest growers against over-watering and bad variety selection, while offering tips on pest control.
Col. G. B. Brackett, pomologist of the Department of Agriculture, provided a classification of fruits at the Spokane Fruit Fair. When asked about the Northwest as a fruit-producing section, he called it one of the best in the Union. However, he warned that orchardists in irrigated districts are inclined to water their trees too much, which detracts from quality and leaves trees vulnerable to freezes. He advised stopping cultivation in August to allow the wood to harden. He also suggested turning hogs into orchards to eat windfalls and wormy apples to control pests like the Codlin moth. Regarding varieties, he cautioned growers against the 'tree peddler'—a curse to all countries—and recommended focusing on proven market varieties like the Jonathan, Newton Pippin, and Rhode Island Greening.
“People eat fruit with their eyes, and it makes a good show of color.”
The tension between irrigation-fueled expansion and the natural limits of the climate remains a central theme in Yakima Valley agriculture. Brackett's advice on 'hardening' trees to survive freezes echoes the ongoing struggle of modern orchardists to adapt to increasingly erratic weather patterns.
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