The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1902-12-30


have 10000 trees. The orchards are
principally along the shores of Flat
head lake and river, although they
may be found scattered throughout
the entire valley. They are very sue
cessful, and the fruit has a wide and
well deserved reputation.
Yellowstone county has about U.s.
600, of which probably 40 per cent
are in bearing The fruit of this
section is especially fine and has at
tracted much attention wherever dis
played Many thousands of trees
vii be planted during 1908, and the
industry will lie developed in
ture for fruit in Ye:owstone county.
The greater part of the fruit trees
of the state are found in Ravalli and
Mssoula counties, as well as the old
est orchars. A few miles above
Hamilton, near Grantsdale, is the
orchard of the Bitter Root Orchard
company which contains $4,000 trees,
said to be the second largest orchard
in the world. These trees were
planted in 1895 and are now in bear
ing A visit to this beautiful valley
during the fruit season is we'll wog,h
while and will reveal some wonder
fui sights. 1t is not uncommon to
see very small trees so loaded with
fruit that it becomes necessary to
prop the limbs or place a tripod of
rails over it to which the branches
are tied. The yield at times is phe-
nomenal. Near Stevensville one
grower picked packed and shipped
$500 50-pound boxes of apples from
200 trees. There are many notable
orchards in Missoula county and fruit
raising on five and ten-acre tracts
has become popularized as an en-
ployment.
Prices of land suitable for fruit
growing vary greatly. Where the
land has been purchased by a COM
pany, or individual, placed under
water, fenced and trees planted, five
and ten-acre tracts are sold at from
500 to $500 an acre. Some of the
old orchards could not be purchased
CF6H lOl INC HlSASl nSulC. IulClC
are many cases where a homesteader
has planted an orchard as soon as
he filed on the land and had it in
bearing when he was ready to prove
up
Care should be exercised in the
selection of trees so that the losses
from unacclimated stock may be
minimized, and the most marketable
varieties of apples produced. There
is a large number of growers who are
constantly experimenting and who
have young trees to sell in small
quantities, but the larger part of the
home supply comes from five we'll
equipped nurseries. These are man
aged by experienced men and their
products may be fully depended upon
as acclimated and true to name.
Patronage of these institutions as
sists in building up desirable home
| industry and the purchaser is assur-
ed of stock that is free from disease
and imperfections.
In addition to apple growing which
is, of course, in the lead, Montana
raises all the small fruits in great
| profusion together with peaches,
pears, plums and cherries, and the
| display at some of the county and
| fruit fairs would astonish the east
ern grower Again, the possibili-
| ties of fruit culture are not confined
| tc the western side of the Rocky
| a IN
| lowstone county proving that it is
more neglect than anything else that
has retarded the development of this
industry throughout the entire state.
| Under the direction of the State
Board of Horticulture and the foster
ing care of wise legislation there is
no doubt that the fruit growing area
of the state will be largely increased
and that in years to come many
thousands of people outside the state
will enjoy the products of Montana
orchards.
i Concerning the complaint of GER
tain growers of the low prices for
fruit during the present year the
statement is made that much of the
trouble is due to the methods or
rather, lack of method, of packing
and shipping.
To remedy this condition many
things are necessary, but probably
the most important requisite is q
thorough understanding of the proper
methods of preparing crops for mar
: ket. Perhaps the most effective way
in which this could be accomplished
would be to have the grower follow
his consignment to it's market destin
alton and there witness for himself
the condition in which his shipmen
arrives. To illustrate the import
ance of this matter, it is a fact tha
so soft a fruit as plums is shipped