The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-12-27
~ J. Il. FAIRY.

I-tahs fruit growing opportunities
and possibilities were again conclusive
" demonstrated. when for the third
time IN succession the fruit display
from this state won the grand sweep
stake prize. and several minor ones, al
the 1908 irr cation congress exposition
aat albuquerque n. N. The grand
trophy wen this year was the Hearst
SILVER loving cup, valued az $1,000. which
was fairly won in competition with the
choicest fruit displays from California,
Colorado. Idaho. Washington, Oregon
and New Mexico. Ia 1907 the sweep
stake prize was won at Sacramento.
ana the year before at Portland. These
repeated Succe sses establish the fact
tha- ga fru production, both as 10
auality and character. Utah not only
EQUALS the most favored sections OF the
entire west. but exceis 20 the extent of
winning the chief prizes.
Pioneer Fruit Growing.
while splendid fruit has been grown
ip this state for some fifty years. or
since pioneer days in family orchards,
IL was not grown in commercial guam
titles until within the last ten or twelve
years. The first orchards planted pro-
duced nearly as many varieties as there
were trecs in the orchard. and while
tll ltifiE idNt Dffii an lutti Way OF
supplying the growers family with
fruit nearly the year round. as a COM
mereial or business propos ON the
method was a failure. This practice is
stH followed TO a large extent in sec
lions remote from the business centers
OF the state In the fruit growing CEN
ters of the state better methods have
been adopted and commercial orchards
of large extent of ten to 100 acres. are
planted. limited 10 two or three varie-
ties Of fruit. and only two or three kinds
"f each var ETY.. This has been done
10 supply carload quantities of any spe-.
cia varieties OF fruit demanded by out
side markets.
Rapid Growth of Industry.
As commercial fruit growing is. as
already stated. but a recent develop
ment the rapid advancement made in
the industry is phenomenal Five years
ago when Utah orchardists competed
at Ogcen for tn Clark silver trophy.
the fruit was barred because of its I'M
scundness through the ravages of in
SEES. II is doubtful If fifty cars OF
fruit were shipped that year from the
state. including all varieties.
In the year 1903. up 10 the close of the
peach season, there were shipped ap-
proxiinately 1000 cars of fruit, with
some 200 cars OF apples yet to be mar
keted- At the last state fair the fruit
exhibit was the largest and most at
tractive in the history of the state. and
the quality could not be better. In the
hundreds of displays shown it would
have been hard to find a wormy speci-
men. while five years ago. il will be re-
membered. there was scarcely a case of
apples at the O. den display which was
not more or less badly affected.
Rich Returns From Fruit.
The returns from the Utah fruit crop
FOR 1908 viii approximate $1,000, 900,
which includes that supplied TO the To-
cal markets and canneries. The rapid
growth and development of the fruit
business in the last five years augurs
well for the industry in every section
of the state. The shipments from Salt
Lake county amounted to some 100 car