Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1907-10-15
PRAISES OUR
FRUIT PRODUCT
Fine Descriptive Review
Sent to Eastern Fruit
Publication.

markets where good fruit is always at
a premium. Special reports in many
fruit papers have appeared during the
year and the valley and its wealth of
orchards has been given wide pub
Lefty. Among the ones of most prom
inence is the following from the pen
of Mr. R. P. Shacklef0cd special
writer who contributed this to the
Fruit Grower, published at st. Joseph,
Mo. Below is the caption and the
story which appears in the last issue
of that paper.
Fruit at Lewiston, Idaho.
Mr.. R. P. Shackelford also sends
one of the coming fruit sections of the
! Northwest, as follows:
! This prosperous city of Lewiston
| is nestled in a beautiful and fertile
valley at the junction of Clearwater
and Snake rivers. The Clearwater
coming from the east and Snake from
| south. 1t is in the center of the great
wheat raising country of both Idaho
and Washington, and is the shipping
point for both states. The Northern
Pacific and RECON Railroad and Navi-
cation company are the railroads
reaching this point, with steamboat
line from Columbia river, Wheat, oats
and barley are the main farm crops
in both states tributary to this city,
and yield very large crops. Live stock
| forms no small item of shipments The
farm lands are not irrigated, but de-
pend upon rain and snow fall, and the
necessary amount Of moisture rarely
fails to give abundant crops.
1--WE We're delighted to have time
and opportunity to visR the fruit farms
and orchards in the Lewiston and
Charleston valley this afternoon, and
under obligations to Mr.. e. H. Libby,
president of the Lewiston Charleston
Co, for courtesies shown us in placing
one of his men and his automobile at
our service for the whole afternoon.
The orchards are in from one to Ave
acre tracts, and most of them show
best of care and are rewarding their
owners accordingly. Cherry and peach
are the predominating fruit raised for
market and shipping. We have never,
seen a more thrifty or healthy lot of
cherry and peach trees than this val
ley shows. The cherry crop this year
was injured by late frost, as well as the
peach crop Yet it is claimed moro
fruit UP to this date has been shipped
than in corresponding period of last
Ta a aaphng
being packed and on trees, and sam
pied them and can certify to their
quality ard flavor be ng fine. The
facts are. anything seems to grow here
to perfection in way Of fruit when
planted and cared for in proper man
ner In our trip this afternoon we sam
pied, fresh from the trees, pears,
plums, nectarines. prunes, peaches,
grown in abundance and great va
riety.
"Also visited Mr.. Schaefer's vine
yard of Is acres, and saw some of the
finest grapes we ever looked upon,
and they certainly We're fine in flavor.
Sorry we missed seeing Mr.. Schaefer,
as he was not at home. He is the
pioneer grape grower and wine maker
in this valley. He has now 10000 gall
Ions of wine in his cellar, aging and
experts say 1t surpasses anything
grown in California We cannot testi-
fly to this, as Mr. Schaefer was very
careful to have the wine cellar locked
and key lost before we reached his
place. He has only an eigth of a crop
of grapes this year on account of the
late frost.
1--WE were very much disappointed
on the apple question. Our impression
before coming to this valley was that
they were large growers of apples, but
such is not the case. We saw quite
number of apple trees and as a
usual thing, were well filled with fine
fruit But not one apple tree to one
were not able to understand this, and
did not find any one who could or was
willing to explain it.
"a short space of time in this great
Northwestern country works wonders.
Eleven years ago Charleston. Wash,
on opposite side or river from Lewis
ton, was covered with bunch grass and
sage brush Today 1t is a city of $500
people and growing very rapidly. The
lewiston Charleston Co. secured sew
eral thousand acres of this land, plat
ted part into town lots, balance in one
to ten-acre tracks built roads. electric
power plants, waterworks and provided
water for irrigation Of all the land, and
are now selling it off at from 1925 to
$500 per acre. we were surprised to
see the number of good homes and
welI-kept orchards on this property to
have been built up in so short a time.
And all seems to be prosperous and
doing well in fruit growing and truck
ing on these small acreages."