Rocky Ford enterprise., 1894-12-20

3s.~S0
The Otero County Horticultural Soci-
ETY. met at Rocky Ford last Saturday af-
ternoon. The attendance was excellent.
various parts OF the county being repre-
sented. The topic Of the day,
Plums and Prunes
was introduced by Hon. J. H. Crowley,
who prefaced his paper by saying that he
would not deal in theory but present the
results of his own experience. He said:
every man in Otero county can have
plenty Of plums with but little trouble or
expense. have made Seeding plums a
sort of hobby. Some years ago got ~
bushels Of seed from Canon City. Of both
wild and native varieties. From them I
got crop of plums the second year.
September is the best time to plant the
seed. have fruited the following varie-
ties: OF Colorado natives about twenty
strains, some small, others medium, and
some large to very large. They all bear
immense crops unless caught by late frost.
The Wild Goose bears full some years
and always brings the top price because
blooming. The Otero is a large as the
Wild Goose, but later, and also a better
shipper, more meaty and solid and bet
ter flavor. 1t is sometimes called Indian
Chief and other names. The Pottawato-
mic is good bearer but blooms early.
It is of poor flavor and not first class
shipper. The Mariana, a Texas plum, is
an early bloomer consequently a shy bear
er. The plums are not as good as many
native kinds. The Desoto is q late
bloomer, a sure bearer every year and
and thinned to get large fruit. 1t always
over-bears. Forest Garden is large,
red pear-shaped plum, quality good. al
ways loaded. We have another which
was bought for the Wolf. The fruit is
30 like Forest Garden I can not tell one
from the other, but it blooms ten days
later. The Green Gage is a good plum
to plant, bears we'll and the fruit is No. l.
Lombard does not bear 30 young as some
Weaver have not fruited but it does
we'll north of Denver. The Imperial
Gage is all right, bearing at four years
in nursery, is larger than Green Gage
and later. The German prune has done
fine, is hardy and good size Hungarian
prune or Ponds Seeding can not be beat.
I have one tree which l think is Moore's
Arctic. 1t bore this year for the fret; is
a low, spreading grower. Abundance
blooms too early; have never yet raised
plum, We have one tree of Yellow Egg
which bore this season. It made mo-
growth, but is loaded with fruit spurs at
this time. Distance apart to plant would
be as follows: Colorado natives 8x8 feet;
Wild Goose, Otero and Pottawattamie
12x12 feet. Lombard and all foreign
plums and prunes 15x15 feet. 1 have
had no experience in growing prunes but
am confident that they can be grown sue
cessfully. Prunes can only be grown in
arid regions and see no reason why
fbov Will not c,,ccoo1 baro Soma NJ INV
prune trees made growth Of feet since
injured by the hail Of July, '93. B. q.
Dye has acres which are growing we'll"
Mr.. Crowley displayed samples Of very
fine apples which were soon tested by
the members present.
r. o. McClain said that the prune
would succeed here. He had some which
fruited four years after planting. Hts
Green Gage did not bear until the sew
epth year, but then bore all the trees
could carry.
W. r. Gibson said he had had no ex-
perience in growing prunes, but as they
were a successful and very profitable
crop in Idaho he believed they would be
in the Arkansas valley, He has planted
at Catlin 500 italian prunes, and sup
posed they were the only ones in the val
ley until he saw jos. Graham's orchard
where he found three trees quite full,
for feet along the branches. The De
Soto is the best variety to plant with
other varieties to aid in fertilization.
Mr.. Crowley said that while the Album
dance plum was good in the east it did
not suit the valley-don't pay to plant
them, Mr.. @. urged all the members to
give the eociety the benefit Of their per-
sonal experiences, He hoped to see the
fruit industry increase to such an extent
that we should have many large CONNER
cial orchards which would attract buyers
do the gathering themselves. We have
better fruit country than Fremont
county, and lands can now be had here
for 825 per acre such as are selling for
many times that amount near Canon
City.
J. E. GaugeF said that the Weaver was
q superior plum. At d. II. Norton's he
saw the De Soto heavily loaded. His
question as to the best ground in which
oept adobe. Plums do equally as well on
clay soils as on gravelly land"
r. o. McClain submitted q number of
apples to be sampled by the society and
the meeting practically took recess Of
is minutes for fruit refreshments. The
York Imperial flavor was popular among
the members, but the decision was that
it's keeping qualities were not equal to
the Ben Davis.
Mr.. Crowley said that the Arkansas
valley should have two members of the
State Board of HORTICULTURE, one each
from Fremont and Otero counties, and
suggested that this association recon-
mend some person to Senator Swink and
Representative Randall to present to
Gov. McIntire for appointment.
The election Of officers resulted as fol-
lows: r. O. McClain, president; J. H.
Crowley, vice-president; Frank Crowley,
secretary; ], e. Gaueer, treasurer.
j. @. Kahn said that Denver was our
best market for plums but that other
markets should be sought We can
grow all stone fruits successfully except
aprcioots. The Weaver does we'll but is
not good seller. Letters from prune
growers in Idaho showed that their cul-
tivation there was quite profitable, and
he thought could be made equally so
here. The varieties grown there were the
German, italian and Russian.
On motion Of Frank Crowley all news
paper men in the county were made hon.
prary members of the association.
J. @. Kahn said that il he had known a
few years ago what he does now he would |
have been $500 ahead this year, because |
he would have plantad uaach treea in. |