The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1908-07-15
Edited by r. Walden

HfSC, DuC planted 1. zoo pedCH Ci0S1
and have increased my planting OF
peach trees till over 5000 was reached
in two years began planting apple
trees till now they predominant.
did not offer my place for sale at
any price-a man asked II | would take
$4,000 for my place, and he was in
formed that l would not. Some years
our net income has reached $4,000
ether years we have had no surplus
above current expenses and our liv,
ing; upon the whole, have done well
| live in Seattle, but visit my fruit
farm nearly every month in the year
have two sons trained to the bust
hess of fruitgrowing, one forty-one
years old and the other thirty, both
married and live on my 120 acre fruit
farm But for their presence and help
on my fruit farm I could not live in
Seattle. Anyone who imagines that he
can run successfully fruit farm while
living in a city 100 miles away by
spending two months there at harvest
time will find out his mistake when he
tries. But for my trained sons living
on our farm I would have to stay there
all the time except month or two in
the winter, or would have to sell out
and quit the business.
Did the man who wrote this story
deliberately lie about my work in fruit
growing? I think not. He simply
made the mistake of taking the state
ments sent abroad by land boomers
about my work and that of others as
the very truth, and wrote his story
without consulting us as to their
truthfulness. l am constrained to say
that a man who will dish up such a
story as veritable history by using the
advertising matter of land boomers
without consulting the parties written
about is more to be pitied for his YER
dancv than to be blamed for his unre-
liability.
The truth about fruitgrowing in the
Northwest is good enough and needs
no establishment from fancy or fiction
I went into the Yakima Valley seven
teen years ago next month, with $4,000
and from that beginning I can now
count my holdings at something like
$4,000. This increase is not all to
be set down to fruitgrowing. Land
that I bought then for $40 per acre is
now worth $780, I have actually laid
up more from the increase OF my land
than from all other sources. l am not
disappointed in fruitgrowing and ex
pect to continue in the business While
I live, and presume my sons Will CON
time the business when l am gone
But I could not have made whatever
of success has attended my venture
had | not been diligent student OF
nlant life as it is related to fruit
growing and then continued to be wide
awake as to all the work OF hghtlng
insect pests and fungus diseases. Inc
careless man, who is SlOvenly in MS
methods, will never make a success IN
fruitgrowing. The man who imag1nes
that about all he has to do is to SET
out his trees and keep them growing
will almost certainly come to grief
There is the proper pruning and train
ing of the trees, a thoughtful and in
telligent fighting of insects by spray
ing at the right time and with the
right material, the same thing to be
done in controlling fungus diseases
fruit must be properly thlnned; IL must
be properly picked, sorted and packed
and then sold. All these things must
be studied and then properly ATTENDED
to in order to insure success. FRUIT
growing is a delightful pursuit. How II
thrills one with joy to go among them
at blooming time and scent nature
perfume, and then to see the fruit col
or up with a tinge surprising the
touches of the masters in painting!
This is the poetic side, but there are
the hard knocks, sometimes the dis
appointments when frost comes at
blooming time and blights our pros
poets in whole or in part in a single
night.
In our next issue we will take up
some of these numerous letters coming
in from all parts of the United States
and Canada and answer them. rms