The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1905-04-21
GROWTH OF A DECADE,
Seventeen Years Ago The Old Man
Told the Boys to Hang On.

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Man is made to work, with head
and hands and heart, and if he doesn Il
do it he falls short of what he might
be and what he ought to be. Ten
years ago a man, o. F. Smith, who
had got the worst of it in the drouth
and hot winds of Nebraska, came I'd
Blackfoot and commenced over again.
He leased piece of land Of Jas.
Bumgartner near Snake river bridge
and planted it to potatoes and nursery
stock. When he couldn't get but 35
cents a sack for his potatoes in the
local market he shipped them to Kan
sas City and got more. Seeing that
his experiments in nursery goods were
alright, and were making you and me
and the other fellow appear like
thirty cent adviser on questions Of
fruit and climate, he bought forty
acres of land on the installment plan
and in the course Of few years trans
ferred his nursery business to that.
1t came along so we'll that he bought
another forty acres which has more
tam doubled in value while he work
ed and waited. Last Saturday we
visited the place to see what all his
working and persevering has amount
ed to in ten years, and found him
whizzing around like the business end
OF a hornet, directing the work Of a
corps of men who were packing all
sorts Of bundles of trees and shrubs
to fill orders. People were coming
and going with wagons, buggies and
buckboards and the bookkeeper was
busy checking up orders and taking
money and promissory notes. A large
packing house with basement for
cold storage was the scene Of great
est activity. Thousands Of trees were
"heeled in' in the grounds outside
the packing house, while those which
are to be held back for late delivery
are stacked away in the basement to
keep them from budding. I ia man
gives an order in the fall, and wants
to get the trees in the spring before
the ground thaws, he can have them
stored in the basement away from
the frost all winter, and can get them
as early as he likes. We took ram
BILE through the orchard and nursery,
and found everything in fourishing
condition. Befoore leaving the place
we got Mr.. Smith 3 ear for a moment
and in answer to our questions he
told us that his business amounrs to
from $1,000 to $4,000 year. That
he has about 23OO trees planted in the
orchard, covering % acres, and that
he will plant ten acres more this
year. Many Of the apple trees bore
five boxes of fruit apiece last year,
and such varieties as the Jonathan
can be relied on to net a man $1.00
per box, wholesale. The Salmon riv-
er railroad runs by the place, and the
nursery is less than two miles from
= station either way, it being about
lalf way between Blackfoot and
Swengo. His office is connected with
he world by phone, an old state road
'uns between his two farms, and ru-
al route number one which passes the
loor would bring him his mail but>
FOR the fact that once day is not
'ften enough for him, and he gets it
Vt the post office.
As we paused in the road to take
! last look about the place before
eaving we recalled an incident that
occurred seventeen years ago when
'old gentleman Bumgarner' was out
lere from North Carolina visiting his
ons, and he came down to the river
With Charlie, two miles, to get bar
ell Of water for stock and house use,
md stopped to talk few moments
It that point in the road. In the
curse Of the conversation the old
Gentleman made this remark. "Well,
'oys, you hold on to this land, and
'ou will see the day that it will bring
ou ten dollars an acre." We boys
hought were were expected to live
long time, but Bumgarners sold
heir side Of the road for from SIS
0 $50 an acre, and could not buy an
nch Of it back at those prices.