The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-12-29
aY JOSEPH H. PARRY.


third week in April, just when every
thing was in bloom. The frost visited
every county in the state. bringing I'M
precsdented disaster TO the orehardists.
Evecv species of fruit suffered IN
most sections the destruction was COM
plete. In a few localities. peculiarly
sheltered by favoring winds, some
fruits eeaped and a normal crop was
produced. East Mill Creek was about
the only section in Salt Lake county
where normal crop was grown In
Davis county the orchards on the Sand
Ridge. between Kaysville and Ogden.
fair fruit crops were grown. also on
Provo bench in Utah county. Some
localities in Weber and Box Elder
counties escaped the destructive spring
freeze. but some were later damaged
by hail Cache county apple orchards
Jared better than in other sections, ana
the growers had apples to send away
in carload iots which brought fancy
prices. Peaches and apricots, which
were abnormally cheap in 1906, re
turned those growers who were for
tunate enough to have any 10 sell from
80 cents to SIPS a crate. Many car
loads of choice peaches were shipped
TO eastern markets and Melted the
growers about IS centss d case all
around. the buyer furnishing cases.
What fruit was produced this year was
of exceptional quality, and Utah's fruit
exhibit carried away most of the silver
cup trophies offered in the spirited con-
test az Sacramento at the Irrigation
congress in September last.
Ten Years Growth of Industry.
The splendid development of the fruit
growing, business -in-Btah during the
past ten years is most Drotentious OF
the future of this important industry
in this state. Ten years ago there were
very few cars shipped out of the state.
Very few had enough faith in The busi-
ness TO take any kind of care of then
orchards, while the quality of the fruit
and the style in which it was put W
was very Indifferent and the returns
were most unsatisfactory. Last sea-
son GSoe) was a banner year for th5
fruit industry. S02 carloads were
shipped to outside markets, valued al
100000.
Scientific Methods.
Speaking of conditions which OBJ.
tanned ten years ago, President Thorn
as Judd of the state board of hOrticpl
ture said that in getting up fruit dis
plays and exhibits it taxed his ingenu
ity 10 place the apples in such way
that the worm holes could be hidden
Now this is all changed. All the fTui
shipped away is practically free from
worms. and disease proof. Spraying
and other efforts directed to cOntrO
insect pests and diseases has been re
duced TO a science, and where practice;
according TO formulas demonstrated
by the state experiment station the re
suit is almost as certain as an expert
ment in physics or chemistry, and it i
no trick to grow perfect fruit in Utah
The requirements of the industry
however, make it impossible TO grOy
fruit successfully in the old-fashioned
happy-gO-lucky manner Of past times
Fruit growing. like every other indus
try worthy the name, requires close at
tention to every detail. Where this
given there is little risk in the bushes
of fruit growing. Where this canno
be given fruit growing should be lei
70 those who can give it faithful atten
ton.
Little Risk in Business.
Considered as a sure thing, few bus
inesses can compare with intelligen
and painstaking fruit growing. An
there is nothing small about the Re
turns from a well-kept orchard. Rul
Der stock, railroad stock or sugar stcc
never has made the showing that fru
growing has made. The writer has con
tended for years that the chief dire-
ton in which agricultural eXpansiO
can be accomplished in Utah. wher
arabic land is so limited and iTTigaIiu
water so valuable, is in more eXtensiv
fruit growing, by which means OnI
can one acre Of land. with its waite
right be made 10 produce crops tween
ty to thirty times the value of the pro
duee now raised on the average Cta
farm. One crop Of apples in a yea
like the present one is worth as niue
as he ordinary farm crops of a Who'll
generation, produced on the same siz
spot OF ground.
Advantages Over Other Crops.
One chief advantage fruit GROWN
has over other farm crops i'm thi
state which is worthy of more tina
passing consideration, is the fact tina
irrigating water usually applied in IN
growing Of one acre Of farm crops wi
irrigate two acres Of fruit. This is g.
peciaily true Of grapes and cherries 7
fact, the grape has been grown yer
successfully. after the vines have ha
a couple Of years start without an
irrigating water whatever the summs
rains and winter SHOWS sufficing {
mature good crops.
Big Profits in Apples.
From a I0-year-old apple orehaf
W after GItEtl bl E1lMODQr BOX Fix
county. produced crop worth al III
rate of $1,000 an acre. He plants nj
trees rather clOsely-lO0 trees TO III
acre-the trees averaged ten bushels
fruit each, which he sold at $3.50 10
busnel, which is cheap for the dualit
of the fruit. Some Of his neighbors di
nearly as well. Gilbert Parker of Sout
Hooper, Davis county has an app
orchard planted six years ago. TT
sales this year averaged SO per tire
Is it any wonder these farmers al
going to plant apple trees by the thol
sand and let some one else raise ha
grain and sugar beets2
Cherry trees in Salt Lake count
. less than 10 years old, are yielding S
to So worth of fruit each annual
while some of the old trees are eaC
returning their owners S2j TO $50 al
nually. How many such trees, even
SO n tree annually. would it take
return their owner so a day for evel
working day in the year? Three hu
bred trees would do it. and they cOu
be grown on five acres of land. Tn
is intensive culture that ought To o
tain throughout Utah. Very few lar
farmers. with all the labor and wor
they entail upon the owner and
family, will approach this income c;
YOU realize what il means 10 a m;
approaching middle life TO have an u
to-dare orchard at his back? 1t mea
independence and competency, al
lie 1rra1Fa