Cañon City record., 1907-04-25

and the snowstorm three days later
were serious visitations, the opinion
10 gaining ground that they were not
nearly so disastrous to the fruit crop
As at first reported.
1t was very generally believed last
week that the horticultural prospects
of the Canon City district had been
destroyed for this year. but during the
last day or two a great deal of skepti-
.clsm has been aroused upon that point
and the indicatioas are that the fruit
growing interests have not suffered
to anything like the extent originally
supposed.
While It is impossible at this time
TO determine the actual loss that has
been sustained by the orchardists of
Fremont county, II Is certain that 1t
will not reach the figures reported
few days ago; in fact, many OF the
ranchers who took pessimistic view
of matters last week are now con-
vinced that some varieties OF apples
will yield fair crop unless killed by
Q subsequent frost, which. OF course.
Is still a possibility.
A gentleman on Lincoln Park. who
has had many years experience as a
horticulturist In this state. remarked
10 the writer this morning that he
was sure that many of the apples on
his place were thus far uninjured by
the frost In an examination OF the
bloom in his orchard be found much
of the fruit still alive. which greatly
surprised him. As he had previously
taken a despondsnt view Of the stu
alton.
IF | know a live apple blossom
when see it, said he. and l think
! do. there is no doubt that there will
be some fruit raised here this year.
possibly a good deal of IL. My inves-
'ugations have been pretty thorough
90 far as my own place Is concerned
and. | suppose. my orchard 10 moi
greatly different in this respect from
Others on Lincoln Park
II funnd a good many apples of the
yellow transparent variety alive and,
az they ripen earlier than most other
are fully as susceptible to the effects
OF the frost as any apples grown here.
not excepting the Ben Davis. The lat
ter have been hard hit, no doubt but
II would not surprise ire IL we have
TO modify our opinion thSt they are
all killed"
There will 5e crop of bleckberrtss,
raspberries. Strawberries, curran,s.
and other small ffuita. bu, 1t will come
on later than would have been tbs
case had there been no cold snap last
week u counting their losses, which
are purely problematIeaI in amount
rancher. should lake into copsidera-
tiop the fact that the freeze Of last
week with it's attendant snowstorm
was not a local ghair and that they
would have been no better cff in Kan
.sas. Nebraska. New Mexico. Missouri
or Iowa than they we're here. Such
thipKs are always a possibility In this
latitude any where in the United States
or Europe. Fortunately they do not
happen very often In Colorado. only
onoe 10 . score OF years or -, per-
hAps. rrr
II the fruit interests on the western
slope dir not suffer as severely last
week as they did on this side. the
Continental Divide does moi prove cchat
horticulture is less liable TO yicissi-
tudes there than here. The neIt freeze
and snow storm may come from the
west and annihiIate the fruit crop OF
the other side OF the range. but leave
US on this side unscathed.
II may have been that our escape
from total loss last week was due 70
lunar influences. At any rate. many
Intelligent people cling tennciously VI
the theory that the hight OF the moon"
had something TO dc with It: Canon
City fruit growers should not cross
their bridges until they get to them.
1t may be after all that the fruit crop
will be a remunerntise one and the
frost OF last week prove TO be bless
ing In disguise.
The philosophy OF Bobby Burns
tina "the best laid schemes OF mice and
men gang aft aglee,' was never better
Illustrated than II waa Friday morning
In the interference by the weather
with the plans of the CIVIC Improve
ment League for the Observance of
Arbor day with its program OF muai-
cipai street ciesning. II was N ex-
emplincation Of the old provsrb that
man proposes, but God disposss.
The snow, which began falling