Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-06-20


the Misses McCau]ey, Linda Mari,
M arrie Fahey and Sylvia Torgensen.
FROM THE LAND OF FRUIT
J.E. Nelson Writes Of Things and Affairs
In tho State Of California.
K1NGsBURG, CAL, June IL, 1903.
EDITOR TRIBUNE:
For the benefit of old friends in
Kandiyohi county thought I would
write and tell what we are doing out
here. We have not been without
work, though we are two men to take
care OF thirty acres. First we had the
pruning of trees, and some grating.
We got from this pruning about
twenty cords of wood which we have
chopped. This will last US for several
years. Some of the trees which we
grated the latter part of January
had grown six feet by the first of June.
Have seven kinds of fruit grated on
one tree for a curiosity. Then we
sprayed the trees with q solution of
lime, sulphur and salt. Had q pump
IN a barrel on trucks and drove
between the rows of trees. One man
handled the pump, with one man on
each side to handle the hose.
Some people in Minnesota told US
that when we were to irrigate in Cal
1lornia we would have to go in water
up to our knees. Nothing of the
kind. We plowed levices lengthwise
and crosswise, with from nine to
twelve trees in each check, depending
on how level the land is, and then
turned the water on the highest place
In the orchard and filled up the check.
Then we opened on the highest point
OF the check and let the water flow on
to the next, keeping the first one full,
and so on through the orchard.
When we had a big stream of water
we irrigated ten acres in "a hours.
We had foot of water in some places
aud after four to five days the land
was in condition for blowing.
One morning when my brother-in-
law was irrigating he noticed some
thing sprawling around in the water.
he took it out and found he had caught
an eight pound fish: So you see we
can 60 fishing in our orchards some
times.
We pruned the vines about the mid
die OF March, and cut the brush with
a machine. This brush is very good
for kindlings and for a quick fire.
Have plowed the vineyard twice and
cultivated three times. The vines look
very fine now and farmers are jubilant
over the prospects of an abundant
crop. The vines are chock full of
grape punches.
In the orchard one man has been
busy for the last two weeks picking
peaches that were growing too thickly
on the trees. If we left them all on,
the fruit would be too small and the
branches would break down. Icount-
ed the peaches under one tree and
found 923, and there was Still plenty
left on the tree. A man was around
and contracted for the green peaches
at S25 ton, SO we don't need to bother
about drying them. Last year some
farmers received only from ST. so to
500 per ton.
l send you some samples of pears.
peaches, oranges, apricots and alf.
alta, etc. We have some apricots that
are ripe, so we have tasted our own
fruit. 1t is nice to pick them directly
from the trees and eat them. There
will be different kinds of fruit coming
ripe from now until Christmas. Last
year we picked grapes after Christmas.
So we can pick and eat fruit for at
least six months of the year.
We have felt some of the heat now.
The thermometer registered 112 de-
grees some days. But I have felt
warmer in Minnesota with the Their.
mometer below 100. No one ever was
sunstruck here. So tell you we have
it fine here, and never felt like going
back to Minnesota. California is all
right for me. Here I can ride bicycle
all the year round on nice roads.
They have put oil on some of the road
between here and Selma, and it will
not be long before they will oil them
around here. Then this will be q little
paradise. The roads are dusty in the
summer time, but when oiled this
trouble is averted.
On our spare time we can get work
cultivating at $500 day, or cutting
alfalfa at so cents an acre and raking
it for Is cents an acre. The price for