The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-02-17
Gull TIVATION OF FRUIT
A New Company Will Conduct It
on a Large Scale.
ORCHARDS TO BE PLANTED
A Valuable Tract of Land Has Been
Purchased in the Eight Mile Coun-
try-Grape Vines VIII Be
Cultivated.

Missoula, Feb 16-The Missoua Or
chard and Improvement company is the
title under which has recently been IN
corporated concern that promises to
do much good for this section of the
state. The concern is formed for the
purpose of planting orchards and deyel-
oping land in the Eight Mile country,
where the company has acquired some
valuable tracts Of land. The president
of the company is &. NJ. Allen, who is
now resident Of Missoula. where he
mas extensive property interests. Mr.
Allen came to Western Montana from
Butte and al once purchased a tract OF
land near Lo Lo. where he has now
one of the largest orchards in the val
ley. NJ. Mcdonald, president OF the Ore
gon Nurserymen's association and presi-
dent of the Oregon Wholesale Nursery
company, is the vice president of the
new company, and will have the man
agement of the horticultural features of
the work that is contemplated. D. K.
Beck, also of Missoula, is the business
manager and secretary. and DR.. q. e.
Blackburn Of Butte is treasurer. DR. t.
A. Fitzgerald and Oscar Sedman of this
city, with the officers. constitute the
board of directors. All Of the gentlemen
interested in the new company are we'll
known here and the filing of the articles
of incorporation has oecasioned con-
siderable speculation as to the purpose
for which the company has been or
ganized. A Standard reporter made in
quffy OF ID. X. Beck, the manager as
to the plans of the company, and that
gentleman made the following explana-
ton: We have now 40 acres of good
land on Eight Mile creek, in Ravalli
county, which we Will start in upon at
once. We have options on more land
that will probably be taken in sooner or
later What a n a3
is to demonstrate certain features in
arborculture. We will plant 10000 fruit
trees and 1000 grape vines this spring.
These will constitute the nucleus of an
orchard that we propose TO conduct on
a commercial basis. Mr.. McDonald's
long experience in the nursery business
insures success as far as the first part
of our work is concerned. When we
have this orchard successfully started
we will probably start others that will
be for sale or else stocked as q joint
stock company. We think that the
orchard industry of this section will
eventually become one Of the important
factors in the prosperity of Montana
and we propose to have a hand in it,
The new company and its organization
mark an important step in the advance
of the orchard industry of this section.
Mr. Mcdonald is one of the prominent
horticulturists of the Northwest and ne
has decided to locate in Missoula after
a thorough investigation of the condi-
lions that prevail in these valleys. He
has been making observations for more
than year and the fact that he has
made up his mind to remain here is en-
couraging to those who have pinned
their faith to the Bitter Root and Mis-
soula valleys as fruitgrowing regions.
1t means that, In the opinion of an ex-
pert, these valleys are all that has been
claimed for them and that the orchard
business is to become more and more
an important item in the commercial
circles Of this region.