The Delta independent., 1906-03-09
THEY VIEW GARNET MESA
And Open Their Eyes in Surprise When Resident
There Says a Few Things About His Orchard.

There, gentlemen" is two and three
quarters acres of Ganos that paid me
one thousand do lars per acre last year"
With this remark L. w. Sweitzer, one
of Delta County's most thorough and
successful fruit culturists, caused ex-
clamations of surprise and wonder and
all from men who are in constant touch
with the fruit situation of the Western
Slope, its phenominal growth, and wide
spreading claims.
On Sunday afternoon last there ar
rived by train a crowd of Fort Collins
professors and several Grand Valley
fruit men. L. W. Swietzer and George
| Conklin, of the Delta County Fruit
Growers Association overlook no oets.
The local buses were called INTO play
and after lunch at the hotel the party
was loaded into them. The drivers were
instructed to go up the river road for a
mile or so and then turn onto Garnet
Mesa. A stop was made along the
lower road and the wonderful and vast
Surface Creek country and Redlands
was pointed out in the distance. Com
ing onto the mesa the party were taken
along orchard after orchard and at last
arrived at the home ranch of Mr.. Swift
zer's. And no one was a bit disap-
pointed. For Mr.. Sweitzer is a fruit
man. In perfect condition was his
large acreage and a pleasure to look
upon were the even and clean rows Of
Johnathans, Ganos and other varieties
which have borne so bountifully in the
| past and which show wonderful promise
of yield in 1906.
The crowd was carried into the or
chard and all alighted for tour of in
spection. Mr.. Sweitzer in the lead eN-
planning and showing varieties, and the
troup of eager listeners following was
sight worth remembering, each of
them more or less interested and con-
versant with the fruit growing business
and some of them experts on tree dis
eases, some shippers of fruit, some sell
ers in the large markets of the world
and others men who are specialists in a
horticultural line.
1t was not long before Professor Gil
lette was digging around the roots of an
Arkansas Black trying to discover a
woody avis, George Conklin was telling
Johnnie Moore of Grand Junction Asso-
citation about the good old Gano and
that it was the tree to not forget, Pro-
fessor Paddock and Professor Headden
n conversation about the proper way
to prune and Mr.. White of Grand Val
ley in a strenuous manner discrediting
the fact that the trees before him and
the evenly hung branches were borne
to the ground last fall in luscious fruit
and still came back to place when re-
lieved of their burden. The editor of
the Independent. not being as we'll YER
SAINT in woody aphis and codling moth,
turned his attention to Mr.. Rae of New
York and Mr.. Gibson of Chicago, and
lost no time in pointing out the inn
mense country that the Gunnison Tun-
mel will water and what it all means to
Delta County in the near future and to
Garnet Mesa in particular.
After spending pleasant and most
profitable hour the party were driven to
the afternoon train. Those who were
in the crowd follow: Professors Pad
dock, Headden and Gillette of Fort Col
lins, N. G. Gibson of Chicago, George
Rae of New York, Dr. F. r. Smith and
John Moore of Grand Junction, Messrs.
A. II. Johnson, Z. ]. Dalton and VIM
Scwhartz of Fruita, Mr.. White of Grand
Valley, T. f. Anderson of Fairbanks
Morse 4 Company of Denver, George
Conklin. l.. w. Sweitzer and the editor
of the Independent of Delta.
most wonderful county, and never tire