The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1902-08-14
THE ISLE OF ORCAS
HOW 1T IMPRESSED AN OBsERvANT
wHATCOM MAN
His Comments Upon Few Places Bs-
tween East Sound and West Sound
Success of the East Sound Creamery,
Operated by Templins' Fair.

G. E. Flint, of Blaine, spent several
days in the county last week in the
interest of the Whatcom County Fair
and Races, to be held the first week in
September. He reports the outlook ex~
cellent for a Inc exhibition of live stock,
fruit and agricultural products, and he
says the races promise to be. the best
ever held in this section of the state.
Before coming to San Jaun he spent
some time OH Orcas, with which rugged
and picturesque island he seems to have
been quite charmed, If we may judge
from article written by him and pub
lished ip the Whatcom Reveille of last
Sunday, in which he says:
ITO stand at distance and look at
the island one would think it necessary
to have ropes and climbing hooks to
scale the walls Of rock; but when one
once gets his feet on shore he finds an
excellent road and while it apparently
leads directly into the great masses of
rock when one gets to the apparent end
the road still goes on and on winding
winding in and out, over hills, dowr
into fertile valleys past beautiful little
farms till one wonders if this is not a
little paradise set in the midst of
beautiful inland sea.
1--WE have often heard Of the fine
| fruit produced on the island of Orcas
but one has to see 1t on the trees to
realize just how fine it really Is. The
first visit was made to the home of w.
J. Court near the village Of East Sound.
Every one knows Mr.. Court and every
fair goer knows his fruit. He has
about 1000 trees under his care and
while he claims that they are taking
layoff this year, there is quite crop of
fruit and 1t is good enough, too, so that
he is liable to bring some prize winners
TO the fair. Mr.. Court says he will
bring not less than 40 boxes of apples
besides other things.
"From there we went down through
Pleasant Valley to the home of John
Kettles. Mr.. Kettles has q farm of 40
acres nearly all cleared and level. He
raises hay and grain mostly but 10 go
| ing into Strawberries"
| From there we went to B. e. .Harri-
sons. Mr.. Harrison raises cattle and
hay and grain to feed them. He is
patron of the Orcas Island cream depot
and is doing well.
a"From Mr.. Harrison's We went to
the home of Wm. Hambly. Mr.. Ham,
bly, is one OF the old settlers and has
one of the Inc orchards of the island,
the greater number of the trees being
prunes.
"The next place visited was Mr.. G..
H. Williams fine home. Mr.. Williams
has been an exhibitor OF Whatcom
fairs and he has carried away q good
many prizes.
"Passipg on we next came to Mr..
Bert Chalmers fine farm In Crow val
ley. Mr.. Chalmers raises grain and
hay chiefly, also a little stock and
little fruit. His brother, Estyn Chal-
mers, owns one of the finest herds of
cattle on the island and has some very
fine red polls some Of which he will
show at the fair.
1--WE visited tho famous orchard of
Mr.. Geo. Meyer at Orcas and it truly
is q wonderful orchard. 1t consists
mostly of apples and pears and 1t has
Mr.. Meyers undivided attention. The
trees are clean the fruit Is clean and the
ground under the trees is clean. The
orchard Is an object lesson to anyone"
"Another place. visited was Mr..
Wakefield's. where he found the fin
est twenty-ounce pippins that we ever
saw. Also the finest Royal Ann cher
Iries.
"The creamery at East Sound is one
of the new industries and is growing
rapidly. Starting q little over year
ago with two patrons they now have
so and are making 900 lbs Of butter per
/ week, and market it all in Whatcom
and Fairhayen. Last year this cream
cry took the first,prize at our fair and
Mr. TempIin says they are going to DO
10 this year.
orchards that 1t Is Impossible to men
ton them all in this article. The
writer. was treated to the best Of every
thing and 50 has very kindly feeling
| toward the people Of Orcas island"