The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1907-02-19

ing upon the kinds of trees selected
for planting an orchard of this kind
the number of trees on FIVE acres will
run from five hundred to a thousand
or possibly fifteen hundred.
The planting and cultivation OF
young orchard of this size is a sim
pie matter and not expensive, although
the work should be very carefully
done.
The heavier labor of cultivation and
irrigation would call for the occasion
al services of a man and a team,
the young trees can well be done by
the owner herself.
AS the trees come into bearing out
side labor, preferably that of women
and young girls, can be called in for
all necessary harvest work. AS for
the business management of the har-
vest and the marketing of the crop,
the bright woman who has grown the
orchard is just as capable as any
neighboring orchard owner.
And what can be expected from so
little as five acres? Very little certain
ly for the first two, three, or four
years; and yet certain cherries, peach
es, plums, and dwarf pear trees be-
gin now to yield small crops, fully as
much fruit as they should bear And
from this time on one may safely ex-
pect increasing annual crops, and that
standard trees, pear and apple, in from
five to eight years be il full bearing.
And what does full bearing mean
There are many instances here in this
Pecos Valley of full grown pear trees
yielding crop of from two hundred
to five hundred pounds of fruit to the
tree; of apple trees giving about doub-
lie that quantity.
There are peach trees this year
that gave a crop of five hundred
pounds apiece; there was one instance
of an apple orchard that averaged five
hundred pounds to the tree of market
able fruit that netted the owner over
two cents per pound in the orchard,
and this is a year of very low prices
for apples in the country at large.
Now these may be regarded as IN
usually large fgures-and 1 believe
they are-for these are the best facts
that have come within the range of
my own knowledge. For these facts
sand dollars per acre for the current
years crop, and my woman orchard
planter will not need as much money
as this to give her an income far lar
ger than what she is earning in the
best salaried positions within her COM
mand in our cities. l have often thot
of a group of women combining their
means and energies in an orchard
planting. 1t is an entirely feasible plan
for several women to combine, each
having five acres in fruit, thus enab-
ling the trees to be handled as one
the fruit to be gathered, pack
ed, and shipped to market in carload
lots at freight rates thus escaping the
ample-a group of eight business wo-
men could purchase forty acres of ad-
joining land, each woman holding the
title to her individual five acres. They
could send two of their number, best
fitted for work, here to have the land
prepared and planted to fruit trees,
and caring for the trees,
the other six to continue attending to
their business until such time as the
young orchard would begin to take
care of them ALL
The trees of this orchard should
came into bearing in from three to five
or eight years, according to varieties
selected, and from this on should yield
a good living for their respective own
arS.
If thought best the orchard could
be made partially, if not wholly, self
supporting, by growing small fruits
strawberries, raspberries, rhubard or
similar crops in the vacant spaces be-
tween the trees. However this will
the work to some extent
Strips of alfalfa a few feet wide
and turkeys thrive and pay good re-
turns in money. A feature of an invest
ment of this character not to be light
" regarded is the increased value of
and accrui1g from its cultivation and
planting to fruit trees.
One orchard here of 10 acres bought
and planted at a cost of two hundred
dollars per acre less than five years
ago, was sold by the owner lately for
six hundred per acre, and was parted
with reluctantly only on account of
pressure of other work This is only
one of many instances of increase in
the money value of land made profit
able by intelligent handling.
Now do these Iacts seem practical
to the business woman of t:an older
states who are looking eagerly for
new ways OF helping themselves, and
hose dependent on Fher,. to something
better than they nave at present?
This free, out-of-doors wholesome
busy life-does il seem attractive?