Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-10-24
F[ATHEAO GO.
FRUIT EXHIBIT
SPLENDID DISPLAY OF FRUITAND
VEGETABLES FROM THAT
SECTION OF THE STATE.
AWARDED FIVE
PREMIUMS AT SPOKANE.
Shows What Montana Can Accomplish
With Intelligent Efort-Flat-
heads Resources.

vegetables is being made on the second
floor of Hennessy's store and it is a
genuine surprise to the majority of the
people who have seen it for Flathead
county as a fruit producing section had
not been seriously thought of.
The principal feature of the display is
the apples. and they are the same that
We're exhibited Will such success at the
Spokane fruit fair. The display there
was limited, and yet Flathead valley,
against the entire northwest, was award
Ell five premiums. The fruit now is not
in the same perfect condition that it was
when it was exhibited in Spokane and
yet it eXcites the wondering admiration
of all who see it.
j. c. Wood of Kalispell has the exhibit
in charge and he is one of the most en-
thusiastic horticulturists that has ever
visited the city. The fruit has been
placed in the form of a pyramid or a
frame nine feet square and is displayed
to its best advantage. The high coloring
on some of the apples has been the cause
of many questions and has kept Mr..
Wood busy explaining the cause of it.
Apples of the same variety grown one
mile apart appear to have no relation
one to the other and according to Mr..
Wood, It'll S all a matter OF the treatr,Cnt
accorded to them. One lot of apples is
accorded to them. One box of apy4es is
colored a brilliant red on all sides and
this is produced by thinning the TOP Of
the trees SO as to give plenty of air and
light: growing the fruit on a western
slope so as to get the full benefit of an
afternoon sun and the reflected RAYS
from the lake. A person cannot under
stand the beauty Of the apple from a
description as the coloring is something
that few have seen and is seldom or
never encountered in the ordinary fruit
exhibit. Some of the vegetables are OF
such abnormal size hat it is necessary to
label them SO hat the people may know
what they are looking at.
Ten years ago the man who planted an
orchard in Flathead valley was regarded
as a crank. but that same crank has
thoroughly demonstrated that one of the
most favorable, if not the most favor
able, fruit belt in the state lies within
the borders of Flathead ounty and the
fruit naw on exhibit in this city, all OF
which was grown without irrigation,
goes to prove the truth of the statement.
Ar average of 40, 900 fruit trees are be-
ing planted in the valley every year and
these include apples of 100 different va
rites, plums, pears, prunes and cherries,
which are grown to perfection with fla
yor, color and size surpassed by none
other in the state or in the northwest.
While the Bitter Root is a fruit grow
ing section of which the residents of the
state may we'll be proud, Flathead val
ley will run it a close race for first place.
The object of the display of fruit in
Butte is to induce settlement in that
section. Flathead county is in the eX-
IRENE northwestern part of the state and
1p,tai,c & GnA Cgl1 va nli1aS of tnrritnJy
OF which about two-thirds consists of
forests; 1000 square miles is covered
With water and about 100, 600 acres are
under cultivation The uncultivated
land may be divided into four classes
railroad, state, forest reserve and gov
rnment OF the latter there are about
4. COO, 900 acres. 600. 600 of which are SUR
yeyed and open to filing. Flathead val
ley is So miles in length and 90 miles
wide, and is one of the most beautiful
and productive to be found in the noun
famous regions of the northwest. It
produces all kinds of cereals, fruits and
vegetables and has mineral resources
which are in their infancy. Recent dis
c~overies of petroleum and natural gas
gives promise to rival those which nave
made Pennsylvania famous. The val
ley is peculiarly suited for the growing
of fruit. 1t is surrounded by high noun
tains and billiards. are unknown. The
thermometer rarely goes below zero il
the winter or above 80 in the summer.
the average temperature being about 20.
t is al ideal country for sportsmen anu
all kinds of game can be found there in
season. The future outlook for the coun-
ty is promising and the exhibit of fruit
now on display in the store of the Hen
messy Mercantile company is simply an
indication of the many good things that
may be found there.
After the fruit has been O exhibition
for a reasonable time in Butte it will be
packed up and taken to Helena where
the people of Lewis and Clarke county
may feast their eyes on it.