The daily sentinel., 1909-04-26
WORK OF PLANTING AN
IMMENSE ORCHARD COMPLETE
Ditch Finished and 1000 Trees se'
In Greatest Apple Orchard Ever
Planted in This District
200 Acres

II
= o1ia orchard in the Grand
: function fruit district and the
= compilation of a ditch 5000 rect
= long to carry water for this Dig
= nrcbard have within the past =
= few days been effected just out =
4. side of the city, and 1t is doubt
= full if fifty people in the CITY
+ have been familiar with the iact
+ that this big fruit project,
4. backed by local people, has peeh
+ under way. :
+ gest and most promising Or
+ chard propositions ever carried
= out in the valley. and 1t means
+ a graet deal to Grand Junction. =
+ as in the proposition are IN
: yolyed the fact that not all of =
!. the fine land in the valley long
j. ago mounted to fabulous prices
+ and the fact that Just north ana
I. east of the city lies what IS GER
!. tain to prove one of the rlchest'
1. most desirable and most pros
+ perbus fruit sections of the en-
+ tire valley.
I. - +++ + = +
Howard G. Fletcher. Frank r. Da-
Wis. Phil Boiler, George f. Haskell
and Vol McAlister. all longtime res
idents of the valley and all well
known as men of undying faith in
the resources and possibilities of this
section, own in the neighborhood OF
200 acres of rich land situated about
2la miles northeast of Grand juno
tion and on that high elevation COM
monty known as Mantey heights.
Here for years acres and acres of
fine soil have awaited development.
but there has been no water available
for the land. The territory on these
heights is embraced in the land to
be watered by the government High
Line canal. Some time ago Fred
Mantey secured a fine tract of the
land bordering on the downward
side of the heights, erected pump
ing plant and is developing fine
orchard thereon
A year ago last March Messrs.
Fletcher. Boiler and Davis purchased
1876 acres of land on the heights, east
and north of the Mantey orchard.
George e. Haskell already owned 40
acres there and Vol McAlister had
a 20-acre tract.
These gentlemen formed what is
known as the Silver State Orchard
Company (not incorporated). and at
once went to work to develop the
property. The 135-acre tract, the
40-acre Haskell tract adjoining the
1876 on the east and the 20-acre Nc
Alister tract were put under fence.
making a combined tract of 1876
acres. The land lays as pretty and
ideal for fruit raising as almost any
land in the valley. The soil is very
rich, and the drainage, etc, are su-
perb.
The gentlemen decided not to wait
on the High Line canal for their wat
err Some months ago they succeeded
in getting their land embraced un-
der the jurisdiction of the Palisade
stub ditch and planned to build.
private ditch to carry the water
from the stub to their land
Vol McAlister was made the man
ager for the Silver State Orchard
Company, and few men in the valley
nave more practical knowledge of ir-
rlgatlon and orchard raising than
McAlister. About the first of March
OF this year, with a well organized
force of workmen, Mr.. McAlister be-
gan the work OF constructing the pri-
vate ditch. The first of last week
witnessed the completion of this
uitch, splendid record for quick
work being made. From the end of
the stub ditch, located a little over
haif mile northeast of the Silver
state orchard, the new ditch line was
started, and, rather than go around
a series of hills, Mr.. McAHster cur
through a. pretty long and steep hin
OF shale. The cut is a deep one and
provides for distance of several
nuhured feet veritable gorge for
the ditch to find its way through
IN another place fiume carries the
water across pretty deep natural
WASH. me ditch is of good size and
easy grade. and carries n snlepd;d
no" OIL water. In. all, the ditch is
about $500 feet long.
The owners of the big tract ora
nightly pleased with the ouict and
satisfactory manner in which tho,
secured the completion of their ditch
Last week for the first time watar
was turned onto the big tract TN
sehtiemen have every assurance that
tney VIII at all times be ahle to 80.
all the water needed Set
Inc ditch is SO built and arrapg
llents with the reclamation servioa
30 proVisioned that, when the rover,,
s. e.ent canai passes along. the S;Iyar
oeate Utch Will remain nractioa,I..
intact and no trouble whatevn,. Iii,
De experienced. VIII
saturday the work of plapti,
a,res OF the huge orchard was 49,,
pieteu and today the worl, of ,,.
1s ms ,he last 20 acres started NJ
;sAiister superintendent the n,ant
.ns, ana with big force. be piant
~ 'he trees at remarkahlv ra,.,
ta, tate, between 6,000 and 7.0oo pau trp
Ienhg ;n used on the tract. Four ,aes ,ess
cI,,a, ,arieyies OF apples were ,Ised Sin
orchas Jonathan and Ganos ~
the trso ms w a mile wide one wav