The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1901-10-02
MON1 ANA APPLES.
Tens Of Thousands of Boxes of the
Fruit Will Be Shipped This Year
rom the Bitter Root Nalleu

Last week w. j. Tiedt, Tom Padden
and Gus Gorus hauled a car load of
apple boxes from the sidetrack here
in Hamilton to their fruit farms up
the valley, says the Ravalli Democrat
of Wednesday. This week they are
busy picking up the fruit and reliev-
ing the Overburdened trees of their
loads Of apples.
Take the valley over, the Bitter
Root is credited with having about
hall an apple crop this year. But
when we say the valley has half an
apple crop we mean that it
| has had what would be considered an
| unusual yield in any other fruit coun.
try. But for Ravalli county the crop
is unusually light. this being due to
the phenomenal yield of last year.
In few localities. however, the
trees are as heavily loaded this year
as ever. This is especially true on
| the bench this side of Darby, where
the fruit farms of Gus Gorus. Tom
Padden, w. J. Tiedt and Warren Glib
ford are located.
| Their places seem to be particular
ly favored in soil and location. 1t is
a broad and well Watered bench lust
north of Darby and far up to the right
of the road. A winding grade, upon
which considerable labor mas been ex.
pended. leads up onto the plateau
which was formerly heavily timbered
until recent years the land was So
wild and uninviting in appearance
That no one thought any part or por.
ton of it could be cultivated with
profit. But it is the same Al the west
as it was in the east: the land which
the earlier settlers thought valueless
afterWard proved to be the richest
land in the country. Today this once
little-valued bench land is worth acre
for acre three times more than the
level land below which the early set
tiers priced so highly.
or the four fruit farms mentioned
Tom Padden has the greatest acreage
He has an even SO acres planted tC
trees. Gus Gorus has 40 acres, W. J
Tiedt has 35 acres. Mr.. Gibford's
trees are chiefly young and the ma
Jority of them have not yet come into
bearing. They are all thrifty looking
the location is the equal if not the SUI
perlor to that of the other farms anC
in few years time the trees promise
to take rank with the most prOduc
tive in the valley. The AZ acres which
are the pride of Gus Gorus' heart
Wlll make the best average yield this
year. He will market at least 4,OO(
boxes of apples of the finest quality
Tom Padden has acres of trees thai
are weighted down to the ground with
their load of fruit, but the large per
centage of young trees cuts down thu
average yield. w. J. Tiedts 35 acre.
of orchard has a crop which will ne
money enough this one year to bu!
the best 40 acres of grass land in tn,
valley.
The three larger orchards will pro
duce this year something over 1000,
boxes of apples, of size. color ant
flavor not to be excelled anywhere il
,ue world. Several thousand boxe
of the earlier varieties have been mar
5 keted, and to box the later varietie
they have bought two car loads O
2 apple boxes. one car load of whicl
has already been delivered. A ca
! will hold 1000 apple boxes. Conse
? quently it will take train of 25 car
: to haul from Hamilton to Helena an
: Butte the apples raised on these frui
} farms.
2 Some idea of the way the trees il
these orchards bear may be game
. from a few samples. Gus Gorus ha
: harvested apples from five-year-old
: AleXanders which produced at tn
r rate of $1,175 per acre. w. J. Tied
has gathered crabs from trees plante
! 10 to the acre that at only 75c pc
= box would net $3.50 to the acre. Thi
3 year they expect their fruit to ne
t them about $1.1O per box.
J. And be it said that the orchards i
S that part of the valley have neve
0 known a fruit failure. The orchard {
e w. B. Harlan across the river and
l. few miles north of there is, note
}, throughout western Montana. Thes
e orchards. younger but even more pr
n life. will in time become still NOR
e celebrated.
i Just before the proprietors Of thes
e orchards began harvesting their al
o pies the editor of the Democrat visite
It them to see with his own eyes the
r wonderful burden of fruit. Many tree
were crushed and broken to tn
e ground with the weight of the GRO
# These viii be straightened up an
d bolted securely and no evil result
e will follow because of their bearir
so heavily. Tom Padden has expel
l. mented with trees in this way and hi
over 400 trees which have been boltt