Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1900-05-14
IESUQUE VALLEY
1t Is Most Beautiful Sight to Be-
hold At This Time of
the Year.
MANY SPLENDID ORCHARDS
The Fruit Yield This Year Will Be Un-
preoedented-Oareful Cultivation and
Minimum Of Irrigation Brings
Good Results.

David L. Miller, the well-known hor-
ticulturist, with twenty years expert
ence in the territory, declares the Te-
suque to be "the best apple valley in
America" A New Mexican scribe took
a forty minutes drive through the up
per Tesuque, five miles from the city,
yesterday. Great progress has been
made there by the fruit farmers during
the past three years-much greater
than the average Santa Fean has any
conception of. One can ride five miles
at stretch through lane lined on ell
ther side with thrifty orchards and
gardens, now in the zenith of their floral
glory. From present indications Ed
ward Miller, who is the pioneer or
chardist in the valley. will have about
nine car loads of fruit. chiefly apples,
for shipment this season. For years the
taken by Las Vegas firms
GOOD ORCHARDS.
The orchards Of Postmaster Simon
Nusbaum, Jacob Weltmer Grant Riv-
enburg. the Dockweiler families, C.
Nudel, George w. Hickox and the Ro-
meros have neat and tidy appearance,
and are so laden with all sorts of fruit
that the branches will have to be
thinned. Alfalfa is the principal forage
crop. B. NJ. Read has a ten-acre tract
in the upper part of the valley planted
to alfalfa, and his 200 bearing fruit trees
give evidence of much care and atten-
tion. Capt. William Strover occupies
the Sena place. 100 acres, and his or
chard, alfalfa fields, goose pasture,
chicken yard, swine field and rabbit
corral are well worth visiting. His spe-
cialty is fattening hogs on alfalfa. He
has many high-bred chickens; Emde
geese that weigh as much as "a pounds
each; Pekin ducks Weighing Is pounds
each, and bunch Of twenty-five Bel
gian hares.
A MODEL ORCHARD.
The gem orchard Of the valley, how
ever, Is on the Wilcox place. Mr.. Will
cox has forty acres under fence, and
nearly half of 1t under cultivation.
There are 1900 fruit trees in the prop
erty. 1000 of them Of full fruiting age.
Some 800 trees are ten years Old hav-
ing been selected and planted with
great care by M. A. Breeden, former
postmaster here. This is probably with
out exception the prettiest orchard in
New Mexico. Mr.. Wilcox believes that
constant cultivation and minimum of
irrigation brings best results, and his
plan is not to plant small fruits, shrubs
or vines between his trees, but to keep
the ground clean and we'll titled. thus
preventing fruit insect pests from find
ing hiding place in the orchard. This
never sprays his trees, yet his fruit Is
well-nigh perfect. The trees are set out
20 feet apart, thirty-f1ve in a row, and
he has several rows of Baldwin apples
shaped identically alike, that would
certainly stand for prize winners in any
country. Last season apples from this
orchard retailed in Santa Fe at 10 cents
pound; owing to the promise Of
more bountiful crop, Mr. Wilcox
doesn't anticipate such high prices this
year, but at 2 cents pound he will
make nice pile Of money, since his or
chard is due to yield one to five bar
rels Of apples each. The whole Tesuque
valley is truly very important factor
in the everyday commercial life OF
Santa Fe.