Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1894-09-14
WILL BE A GOLD MINE
The Fruit Interests of the Palouse will
Equal a Gold Mine.
Apple Orchards are Burdened with Fruit
of the best Quality.

So much has been said of the wheat OF |
the Palouse that there are people who
believe it to be the only product of the
country. While it is true that wheat
has been the main product, still it is
by no means all that can be grown here,
for the farms can be made to produce
even more paying crops than that.
Phenomenal as have been some OF
the yields of the cereals, there are GER
tain fruits that give even better COM
parative returns than wheat. One
hundred and one bushels is good deal
of wheat to get from a single acre. But
a look at some of the apple trees now in
fruit will make even that record pale.
The attention of the HERALD was most
forcibly called to the excellence OF the
apple, as it is grown in Whitman county,
last Saturday, when Mrs. S. b. Judson
left on our desk a box OF the fruit, and
ii it was OF such that Eve tempted Adam
we ceace to wonder that the human
race is today in darkness.
An invitation to visit some OF the
orchards of Whelau met with an i'm
mediate response on the part of the
HERALD man, and Sunady morning he
started out Geo. Grant lives near
Whelan, and it was at his farm that the
first stop was made. The orch rd on
this farm was set out several ago, but
when Mr.. Grant took possession four
years since it was in a deplorable con-
dition, as it he'd been broken down by
stock and was choked up with weeds.
He gave it his immediate care and at
tention, however, and is today amply re-
paid for his work. The trees are now
vigorous and thrifty, and their loads of
ripening fruit leave no room for doubt as
to the profit in Palouse fruit.
S. b. Judson is pioneer in Whitman
county, and he always believed in "di
versitied farming" Fourteen years ago
he set out a small orchard on his farm,
and now his only regret is that he did
not make the orchard larger. For the
past seven years the trees have been in
full bearing, and after looking at them
now one is prepared to believe almost
any tale OF their productiveness. 1t is
hard to imagine a more beautiful sight
than is presented by young tree with
its burden OF twenty bushels OF large,
ruddy-cheeked apples. And every tree
/ in the orchard that is Of bearing age is
| loaded to its fullest capacity. The weight
/ of the fruit bears the limbs down till they
rest upon the ground and the TRUNK Of
1 the tree is entirely hidden from view.
/ The fruit OF this, as of all other Palouse
orchards, is entirely free from blight or
worm, and an imperfect or undersized
! fruit was not found. OF uniform large
size, the apples are all marketable with
out "culling." 1t is also OF a richer fla
vor than fruit from an irrigated orchard,
and its keeping qualities are likewise
better. Mr.. Judson has added 800 trees
| to his orchard this season, and now has
| five acres in trees OF different ages. He
finds the apple perfectly hardy, and has
lost none by winter-killing, and he looks
profitable parts of his farm. The north
and east slopes are best adapted to the
growth OF fruit, and the east side OF the
tree always bears the greatest quantity.
Before leaving for home the newspaper
man stumbled across Mr.. Judson's mel
on patch, and if there's one thing that
will cause his thoughts to wander from
apples it is a melon. Even though he
had sampled the many different varieties
of the former, the later had its charms,
and if you can ''tel workman by his
chips" then the rinds bore evidence of
our ability as melon eater.