The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1909-12-16

course has kept many man from the
country who might very much better
have been there.
But where the quarter section of a
few years ago is now subdiviied into
sixteen lots of ten acres each the sit
uation is much different. Allowing
for roads we may safely say-fifteen
lots of ten acres each. This means
sixty families on section of land. In
the better settled districts, each home
is supplied with telephone, rural
mail delivery and all modern conven-
fences. This mode of living embraces
the advantages of town life with the
peace and quiet of the country.
Neighbors are far enough apart to
keep away any thought of overcrowd-
ing, and yet close enough to preserve
the sociability of life in the more
crowded centers.
The fruit growers environment
has an elevating effect upon him and
upon the life of the community as a
whole He is constantly in touch with
all that is beautiful in nature. The
best in him has an opportunity to
grow and develop. And thus it hap
pens that visitors to fruit growing
sections note at the beginning the
high moral tone pervading the life of
the various communities.
In no place has this been more dis
tinctly shown than in the Kootenay
country In the early days when min
ing was in full swing, fruit growing
as yet unheard of, the life of the var
icus camps was as wild. as free and
easy, as it could possibly be. With
the settlement of the beautiful val
leys in between the mountains stud
ded with shaft houses. new element
is making itself felt in the commun-
ity. No longer are saloon licenses
granted to every Tom, Dick and Har-
ry who comes along with the where
with. In a number of instances re-
Gently, saloon men have made siren
uous efforts to obtain licenses in new
towns supported by fruit settlements,
but in almost every instance they
have met with large counter petit
tions and their plans have fallen to
the ground.
The districts where fruit growing
is the principal industry are known
in commercial circles as being very
prosperous communities.
A town in a good fruit growing
section is rated number one by the
credit men of the wholesalers. There
was a time in the history of the west
when a new mining camp was the
mecca 1t is different today The
merchant, the professional man and
the investor look with more favor up
on a location in a town in a banner
fruit center, where. although the re-
turns may not be so large in certain
instances. the ultimate return is
bound to be greater.
1t not infrequently happens that
the professional man becomes so en-
amored of life on a fruit ranch that
he deserts his profession for the or
chard 1t is astonishing the number
of former professions which are rep
resented among the fruit growers
of the northwest. You meet men
from all walks of life. Strange as
it may seem, fewer recruits come
from the wheat growers of the plains
than elsewhere. 1t appears too hard
to make them believe that a living
can really be made upon ten acres
They are inclined to treat the tales
of bumper yields with disdain, if not
absolute contempt
The wage Garner of the cities
seems to be particularly attracted. If
he desires to get out into the country
he is inclined to dread the arduous
toll that seems to be associated with
mixed farming. He prefers to turn
his eyes toward the valleys in the
mountains. Besides, it often hap
pens that he will buy a block of
land, arrange to have it planted, and
then work at his ordinary occupation
until his trees commence to bear.
Success to Amateur Growers.
Although it requires a man of
average ability and a certain amount
of horticultural training to make a
successful fruit grower, there is
hardly any calling where the anna
teur makes so much of a success.
The grower who won one of the $500
prizes at the National Apple show in
Spokane did not know anything of
fruit growing when he came to va
kima from Illinois 1 years ago. A
Portland letter carrier bought
block of fruit land over ten years
ago and had it planted while he was
still doing his work as letter carrier.
He has made a phenomenal success
of the venture, selling his total crop
for a large figure-so large that 7