The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1901-05-09
LOFTY PEACH ORCHARDS.


80 City that forms the Highest point
bordering on the Missouri river be.
tween Omaha and st. Louis, are 10.
Gated three Of the largest peach or.
chards In jackson county. The or.
chsrds arc ON tho blu6 overlooking
the river In Mount Washington sddi.
ton which was plated Q number OF
years ago. Two Of the orchards are
o. ground that was once sold a. town
lots. Two thousand trees or more
src included In the sL-ee orchards
aud tho FIRST good crop Of peaches
will be gathered this summer, barring
mishsps In the form Of late frosts or
severe storms. The promise now is
for half full crop, tho owner says.
A. II. Russell, ono of the owners, said
yesterday that during q period Of
warm weather last January the frost
all loft the ground and the sap IN the
trees star.cd upward; then camo .
freeze and some Of the buds that mis-.
took the warmth for spring started
to swell and were killed by the cold.
The trees sro now In full bloom.
This high lsnG gives an excellent
view Of the surrounding hills aud
valleys. Mr.. Russel's homo is on the
topmost point from which can be
seen three county seats, Liberty, ln.
dependence aud Kansas City, Kas.
Some time after Mount Washing.
ton had been plated, II. L. Nichols, y
wholesale dealer In fruit aud produce,
found himself IN tho possession OF
eight acres on the crest Of tho ridge.
Being . dealer In fruit, he naturally
thought of utilizing the lsnd by sci.
ting out fruit trees. People living
thereabouts said the trees would die,
aud ridiculed the idoa Of planting al
orchard 90 far above other cultivated
ground. But Mr.. Nichols set out 800
peach trees, mostly Elber,as. with
some late Crawfords, Old Nixon, Sus.
quohsnns and ono or two other vsri-
eties. That was five years ago. Last
year ho got only -mall crop, as the
severe freeze of February. 1898, had
given tho trees . backset. Barring
frosts from now until the peaches
mature, his crop will amount to 1000
to 1000 bushels, with very good
chances Of overrexching the latter
figure. With such . crop and prices
that may reasonably be expected the
investment, he says including oil OK.
penses, will prove profitable. Peach
culture on the high lands Of Jackson
county, he thinks 10 an attractive un'
dertaking.
The next year after the Nichol
orchard was set out two neighbors
who owned somc Of the high land
took kindly 10 the suggestion aud
each planted an orchard. A. II. Rus.
sol, q retired Kansas City hardware
merchant, now has On orchard o.
800 trees aud Il. c. Maxwell, wht
lived there when the james boys aut
Youngers made Jackson county :hcil
headquarters, put out an orchard o
800 trees. lie also has considcrabl,
other truit and this week set out 10,
pear trees. Mr.. Maxwell margetet
peaches from bis troes last soasol
and got 60 cents = peck for them, AM
some peaches from this crest of lsn'
sold at more than $S a bnshcl. Tier
arc other property owners In the vi
cinity keeping an eve on. the Out
come Of the crop this year aud shout
It prove rs profitable as 1t now give
promise Of being, several pow pesc
orchards will be established beior
another season. A crop Of 5000 I
5000 bushels may be gathered froI
these ,hrso orchards this season.
On some Of the low lands aroun
ksnsas City the peach crop does rf
promise 80 we'll a. last year. Tree
on the lower parts Of these hillio
orchards do not appear to be as we
prepared to produce o crop as Il