The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1904-02-25
The Ozark Apple Boom.
Chicago Packer.

the immigration department oil The
Frisco system is having its effect
on the entire Ozark section,
Along the Springfield Memphis line or
the cid Kansas City, Fort Scott & Bir-
mingham road, values have increased
during the past year fully 20 per cent.
Where orchard lands went begging for
buyers few years ago today but few
snaps can be found, commercial fruit
growing occupying the attention of
practically every land owner.
Laclede county at present seems to be
the busiest point on the line. Near
Lebanon, the Frisco Orchard Co. lie
pushing its project with vigor. Altogeth-
er 10000 trees are now set, {, 800 Of which
will bear the coming fall. The COM
pany expects a crop OF $500 to 10000
bbls. In all this company has 5,l00
acres through which spur of the Fris-
co reaches the heart of the tract, thus
solving the problem of hauling. The
plans OF the company call for packing
eheds and loading station in the CEN
ter of the large property. The main
planting will be of the Ben Davis, with
Gano, Jonathan, Grimes Golden, and
Payne's Keeper making up the list OF
varieties which will be grown.
The Frisco Orchard Co. will be one of
the greatest advertisements for the
Ozark regions ever attempted. The
plans are conservative and yet are large.
Eventually the company will have over
5000 acres in one great apple orchard.
When completed it will be one of the
greatest sights in the Middle West and
will make Laclede county famous. 1t
will be the largest apple orchard in the
world in every sense of the term and
will represent an investment of over ST.
100000. Already fruit growers in all
parts of the country are watching its
development closely.
The development OF this mammoth
orchard has called for careful manage
ment. Instead of being made sinkhole
for the company's capital from the out
set every economy has been followed
out even in the breaking of the land
and clearing of timber. This fall over
100 cars of wood we're cut and shipped
to the nearby cities at fine profit. Reg
ular farming will be carried on method
ically while the orchard is being planted
so that the operating expenses will be
kept at minimum. This year the or
hard of 900 trees is expected to bear a
fine crop. An additional peach orch
ard of $500 trees is being planted. The
peach crop will Of course, be side line,
together with other products of the farm
all helping in the plan to keep down
operating expenses until the apple or.
chards are in full bearing.
When one stops to figure what 5, 00C
acre apple orchard means the bigness oI
the thing then becomes apparent Paper
estimates OF crops and possible crops
however, must usually be discounted
by half, hence it is useless to even put
down guesses at what the orchard Cal
do when it is in full bearing On 9
basis of 60 trees to the acre there would
be quarter of a million trees and or
the lowest average of a barrel to the
tree there would be 250,000 bbls in {
crop. Such crop would fill 60 train,
of 10 cars each. But that is when the
whole orchard bears II the company il
successful in bringing half this acreag,
into bearing on a commercial scale, anC
there seems no reason why it canno
between now and 1908, the orchard viii
even then be the biggest fruit propo
sition in the world owned and operated
by one management.
The Frisco orchard, however, il no
the only large commercial orchardinj
company on the line Of the Fort Scott 4
Memphis road Near Marshfield To
peka, Kas., company has bought ZOO
acres. Already the company has put il
ina 81 ko,
built 81 houses for settlers and thos,
who will be engaged in caring for the or
chard. Where the Frisco people have
put everything into trees and clearing
up the property, the Topeka compan,
has taken the other side and is building
veritable village at the outset 1t j
probable that stockholders of the Topok
company will personally see to the de
velopment of the orchard. The Hasel
tine orchard of 1000 acres is anothe
large company.
Scattered along for 60 miles, northeas
of Springfield may be found scores o
orchards varying from 20 to 100 acre
each. From the car window the tray
eler grows tired when he attempts (
keep tally OF the many new orchard
within view Of the train. Back froT
the right OF way for several miles choic
locations are being covered by small ol
chards, the general run being Of 20 to 5
acres each. Practically every STATIC
shows an orchard here and there, sent
nels as il were Of what is to be foun
back in the country.
A close census of the acreage alread
in apples and being set this winter woul
no doubt surprise even the best posted
When all of these orchards come int
bearing, the Frisco can well afford /
adopt the apple as a trademark and ca
this division at least "The Big Red Al
pie Route"
Unless all signs fail within the comm
five years this section of the 0zarks wit
Springfield as its western boundary, wi
become world famous. During the IA
and winter whole train loads Of apple
will 90 ont Just as train loads of whes