The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1908-10-08
Inspected
Ashcroft G untry

S 3 rs-5>. - -
Mr.. and Mrs. r. G. Sanborn. Mr..
and Mrs. Ed. Pierce and DR.. Wipdell
spent two weeks Investigating the
Ashcroft, British Columbia country,
returning Monday morning. Mr.. san
born was seen by an Independent re.
porter and gave us quite an account
OF what he saw in the west. He
said regarding irrigation, .'Irriga-
tfon is just in its infancy and is a
sort of an experiment yet. For in
stance one piece OF ground might
require a certain amount Of moisture.
while that next to it, might require
MOI more Or less. It is hard to distrib-
I utes water over 9 hill side, for. the
land in the valley might get more
than Its share, and the land in conse.
aluence become Sour" This would
be detrimental to the growing Of
fruits. saw some good fruit farms
AZ Ashcroft but a man going there
with the idea of becoming
wealthy all at once will meet with
bitter disappointment. In the first
place, you will have to pay $3.50 an
acre for the raw land, or $500 an
acre il it has the water rights. Then
| It will be necessary to run the later
ais. before water can be secured.
After that is done, one must set out
fruit trees, and then the owner will
have to wait three years before he
begins to get any income. After the
trees once began to bear, the raiser
will find that he has his hands ull
taking care OF If
You can't raise all one kind OF
fruit, for If you do, it ripens all at
the same time and much of it would
be wasted before. it can be market
ed. The early varieties of apples
bring an exceedingly low price, and
about the only money that the fruit
raiser will make this year,is from the
late apples, or which I understand
they will get dollar a box The
fruit raisers will make but a very
little money this year, owing to the
low price. Last year, / understand
they made pretty fair money.
/ saw thousands OF bushels Of APP
pies rotting on the ground at Ash
croft and in the Yakima valley,
where we also visited The condi-
tons of the two places are about the
same. The fruit raisers find that
about the only one variety OF apples
make them any money. Peaches
this year are a very low price,, IS
cents box to the raiser. Last year
he got Is cents box and could
make some money. The fruit has to
be picked very carefully, and the
peaches wrapped in paper. The fruit
raiser finds that he has the market
the fruit just when it is ripe and he
is compelled to take what he can
get for 1t. The railroads come in
Tor a big price in the hauling 81 thta
Fruit, and the commission merchants
come in for their share 81 tie profit
The raiser 4nds that after this Is
done. very little is left for him.
I ! find that at both Ashcroft and in
Yakima valley, there IS but one rail-
road ,ad ana the fruit must be shipped
either east Of west, over that line.
I / paid a visit to oalss we'll to Do;
ir.N raiser ii the Yakima 4 valley.
III has q, scres 81 .lasa Ind said that
Il was making IS much money as he,
could from $50 acres Of land in the,
east. He has iine home, as good
: house Is you will find IN Minot, On
the average and seemed to be very
comfortably fxed. He is making
'money now, but l was just thinking
that perhaps after the $4,000 acres
that the government was irrigating
near by, had been planted to trees,
ana those trees began to bear, the
price might become 50 low that he
would have a hard time to make
much money. There are a great
many irrigation projects in the west,
Al Of which are good ones, and
which when opened up win five op-
p,oorrtulitiss TO grow many thousands
more Of fruit. "a afraid tiat9 il
I'll time the fruit Will be SO plentiful
that the supply will be 50 much
greater thar the demand, and the
p pria, viii q oorrespontingly low, 20
taat there Win not y snch in It fol
any ny x tie fruit srox.ts
q Aortfculturist il that country
miEht s naGaSss ! success u the pprspo
siitisa, 81 aledns out y small tract
Il tn s. twsafy asss ana waiting
81 aTCSslc sAA1ssS tiyof Y....n.... II