Arizona republican., 1907-02-13
The ShdrpIeS Tubular

But this misfortune to the orchardists does not occur every year, and then the almond crop is immense and a profitable investment. outside towns and markets buy and eat almonds grown here. for they are a delectable and luscious nut. B. F. Blanton, re- siding on his eighty acre ranch north of the fair grounds, is making sub stantial demonstrations towards put ting his land in prime condition for the planting and growing of crops fruits and vegetables. Yesterday he had men and teams engaged in scrap ing the debris out of the old stock pond and others cleaning out ditches, himself using a shovel for that pur- pose. The water that is to be i'm pounded in the basin. is for stock drinking purposes and the cleaning out of the ditChes and waterways through the grounds is for free and unobstructed flow of water in the ir- rigation and moistening of the soil in the growing of vegetables. trees and grain and all kinds of plantlife under cultivation. Mir Blanton's orchard is one of supreme lOveliness and in its careful care and cultivation has be- come the acme of tree life. Although Mir Blanton has only two acres set to fruit trees. they embrace many and well selected varieties. To make up the deficiency in the number of fruit trees. he has six acres in fine bearing grapes. some years yielding as much as 200 pounds to the acre. The grape vines and plants have reached high state of maturity and bids fair to in crease in production for many years to come. The fruit trees consist of a very great variety and are now five years old an age when the bearing will be large and abundant. and of kind that will find ready sales on the markets of Phoenix Of the eighty acres of ground in cultivation there acres of which there were harvested from the second cutting last year, twenty-five and three-quarter tons of hay. Foxtail in all the alfalfa lands creates some annoyance and trouble, but this is mainly in the first cutting. after which the growth of the alfalfa so greatly exceeds that of the foXtail. that but little further trouble is eX- perienced. Besides the cleaning out of ditches. digging a stock pond and raking and burning of old weeds in abandoned waste places. MT. Blanton embarked quite extensively in the cutting of cordwood during the winter in deuuding the long avenues of cot tonwood trees growing along the va terways of their limbs and branches. leaving the trunks to grow a fresh supply. The work amounted to more than S2O0. and the work is not yet done. quite a long avenue and cluster of cottonwoods yet standing up the road in the direction of Alhambra and some on the ditches. Mir. Blanton is comparatively a new conner in the val ley. he having arrived here last Octo- Der. and was not long in falling into line with others and buying his present home. paying s9000 for it. The house and grounds back of il sit eligibly and pretty for comfort and convenience, fronting Grand Avenue to the south. The Santa Fe railroad also runs along the public highway in front of the house There is no railroad station for passenger or freight traffic and MT. BlantOn has to do like others. go to town in his wagon. But there is a nit igating circumstance in connection with this-the roads are hard and smooth and rapid transit can be made even with a heavy load of farm pro- ducts with ease.