The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-02-18
THE COLD WAVE.
A Little Uncomfortable, but II Was the
salvation of the Fruit Growers
III Meniern Montana

In Western Montana.
Missoula, Feb. 17.-This cold wave
may be a little uncomfortable" said a
prominent fruitgroWer to-day, but we
can afford to endure the discomfort.
/ 1t has been the salvation of many of
I our orchards. Had the warm, spring
weather of last week continued much
longer, the trees would have been SO
far budded that the frost. when il came,
as it was certain to do, would have
ruined thousands of trees As il is,
| do not think that the trees had ad-
yanced sufficiently to be much injured,
except, possibly, in a few places where
the exposure Is a southern one and the
weather exceptionally warm. If we
have this winter weather now until
spring opens for good, then We will be
all right and this year viii be a re-
markable one in the history of fruit
culture in Montana. There are many
young orchards that will ship this year
for the first time, and many older ones
that will greatly increase their output.
The fruit men are learning more about
the business In this climate all of the
time and the orchards are maturing
rapidly. In a few years more we will
produce enough apples to supply a
large market. and there viii be very
few apples brought into the state.
There has been a decided Improvement
in the keeping and general handling Of
winter apples here that will be of bene-
fit to the orchardists 1t was said once
that the Montana apples would not
keep. That has been shown to be
wrong and we will have. in another
year or two. some of the finest winter
apples in the world
Il have no positive information as to
the details as yet" said IA railroad man
this morning, but Ii is certain that
track of the Northern Pacific that has
been In progress for the past two sea-
sons will be continued this year and
the line will be placed in the best con-
dition possible. 1t is thought that all
of the heavier portion of the work will
be completed this year. The progress
made last summer was marked and the
road is now in better condition than II
ever was before. There will be hum
dreds of men employed this summer
by the track department and when
next fall comes the line should be one
of the best in the West. The work that
was done last year was very Satisfac-
tory and the new steel and new road
bed has made the running of trains
much more economical and easier than
it used to be-"
"Missoula has improved wonderfully
since ] was here five years ago said
travelling man. The town looks bet
ter and liNelier than ] had expected to
find it. There are not many towns
that have visited in the West that are
in as hood shape as you are here Fer
that matter. all of your Montana cities
are in better condition than those in
other states Of the Central and Nest
orn sections of the country. Missonia
is in lire with the reputation that the
state has where il is known. and your
town will eventually be one on the fin
est in the Western country. / Know II
no pieasanter place in which To live.
and Your natural advantages always
impressed me as certain IL make a
prosperous city here,
III was a hot trip said J. NJ. Hartley
IN speaking Of his ride from Wallace
To MissouIa yesterday and the day before.
'sAYt left Wallace Tuesday morning On
time and had u good run It'll NJ started
down thc ST Regis canyon. Along near
De Eorgla our troubles began and from
that time Tuesday forenoon iii we
1 reached here late last night We were in
all sorts II trouble. Wherever there WAS
a bank there Was a slide aud. As there
are banks all along the road there. the
whole line was principally composed nj
slides. The traInmen worked with picks
and bars and shovels and cleared away
the slides ~ mixed mud and rock as rap
ldy as theN could bgt their numbers
We're So few that progress was slow. ]
helped aii that ] could ks giving advice
and directing operations aHa relieved
fHa situation considerable hy distributing
portions fiji my iuneh among thuse ot fhe
j pass gers wing looked Tie mast hun