The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1903-12-18

anu "a 1eet east and west, which has
proved to be entirely too close one
way. as many of the oldest trees are
now Is feet across the branches in
teTlappng about two feet. Apple
trees should not be set closer than
"a feet apart each way. During the
first four years potatoes We're plant
ed between the rows of trees and
while the yield was good every year
no record was kept of the amount
produced. The first apples were
picked from the orchard in 1898, the
yield being only a few boxes. The
following year about fifty boxes were
gathered and in 1900 the yield was
$50 boxes. In 1901 the crop amount
ed to about 1000 boxes and in 1902
1900 boxes were picked. while the
yield for 1908 was a little over 1000
boxes. All of the apples sold have
been disposed Of in the local market
as the demand far exceeds the sup
ply, about Is carloads of foreign ap-
pies having been shipped into Kalis-
pell during the fall and winter of
1902-19O3.
In price the apples have brought
from $1.25 to $3.50 per box of As
pounds. OF the crop of 1903 about
200 boxes have been sold at $3.50
per box. 500 boxes at $1.25 per box
and about 5000 boxes of late winter
apples are still held in the cellar. OF
all the apples produced. not one has
been wormy or defective but GER
tain percentage are too small to be
marketable. This is especially true
where the trees are allowed to over
bear as most varieties are apt to dc.
1t is often necessary to thin the crop
by taking off as much as three
fourths of the fruit. When this is
done fully as many pounds of fruit
will be ripened and it will be of bet
ter size. AS rule from eighty to
ninety per cent of the apples have
been of marketable size. The sma..
apples are used in making cider and
vinegar and from the orchard men,
toned about 100 barrels We're made
from the crop of 1902. and probably
200 barrels will be made from the
crop of the present year
Only few trees of early apples
were planted and no mistake was
made in this, as they will not keep.
and the market is usually glutted
with them. They are too perishable
to stand shipment and while a few
of the very earliest generally bring
a good price. as rule the early vari-
cites are not profitable to either the
grower or the dealer. Varieties that
are classed as fall apples in other
localities are usually classed as early
winter apples in the Flathead, and OF
these varieties the Wealthy. McMa-
hon White and the Mcintosh Red
have given best results. The Veal
thy is usually picked about Septem-
Der 90 and the Mcmahon White and
the Mcintosh Red about October 1.
These varieties keep until about
January 1, and even later in a good
cellar or in cold storage.
OF the late winter varieties the
| Wagner. Delaware Red, Gano and
Ben Davis are the varieties contained
in the orchard mentioned and they
are preferred in the order named.
The first two ripen about October /.
and the Gano and Ben Davis about
| October 10: these latter are not or
very good quality and the trees are
being converted by top-grafting into
other varieties. No record has been
kept of the amount produced by the
separate varieties excepting the
Wealthy Five hundred trees of this
variety were planted in 1898 and in
1902 they produced about 100 boxes
of apples. but the yield was no doubt
much reduced by heavy pruning in
1901. In 1908, the present year $50
boxes We're picked from the same
trees.
In 1901 another orchard was start
|
ing kept of the results. Two thous-
and trees were planted in the spring
of that year and the same number
were added in 1902 and again in 1903.
The varieties planted are mostly Nc
Intosh Red, Delaware Red and Wag-
ner. and few boxes of Mcintosh
apples We're picked the past season
from the trees planted in 1901. the
5000 trees occupy about GO acres OF
land and in 1902 one-half of this was
planted i'm potatoes. The rows OF
trees are "a feet apart, and between
each two rows of trees strip II feet
wide was planted with five rows OF
potatoes. thus leaving strip IL feet
wide for each row of trees. unplant-
ed. The yield was 1850 sacks, 1900
sacks being sold for $1040, and $50
sacks were kept for SEED ana lor
feeding, the small potatoes being
used for the latter purpose. The
cost Of planting, cultivating, harvest
ing. sacking and hauling the potatoes
was $445, leaving a net return OF
$685. for the thirty acres. only one
half of which was planted. The net
result being about $40 per acre for
the ground actually planted. The
cost of crop also included the cost
of cultivating the implanted ground
| near the trees. The potatoes were
, sold at so cents per hundred pounds,
or 80 cents per bushel.
; Last spring the entire tract OF 90
acres was planted to potatoes in the
same manner as before and the yield
was about the same as in 1917, Dut
the entire crop is still unsacked IN
, the cellar and the final result cannot
!, | r;,o, vrba prioo however DrOm-