The newspaper., 1910-01-14
A TEN.AcRE ORCHARD TRACT
An Interesting Paper By Fred F. Shaffer
of Rifle, Colo, Read Before HOrti'
cultural Association at
PaIisade

The following paper was read at
the annual meeting OF the State
Horticultural association at Pail
sade, Colo, on Nov. %, 1909, by Fred
6. Shaffer, OF Rifle, Colo:
Ny purpose is to make plain what
appears to me, "that ten acres OF
orchard is all one family can success
fully cultivate and bring to clean,
careful fruition each year."
Conditions have conquered the
greed for acres. The area OF tillable
and irrigable land is not so much
circumscribed that the horticultural
is obliged to confine his efforts to
the limited areas, but he has found
it Improbable to devote his time to
the larger acreages.
To illustrate: An Individual owns
an orchard of two hundred acres,
and, because he found it impossible
to procure the required help at vital
times-the thinning, pruning or
picking periods-this immense acre
age might easily prove anything but
derd acre orchard into ten acre tracts,
however, put twenty families on these
ten acre tracts and the owner ofeach
tract would cultivate, care forit ma
ture and harvest crop and earn
profit the world regards as marvel
Gus.
In the discussion OF this question
we must keep in mind these vital
and essential requirements:
]. Ten acres of good fruit land
with all the water required for its
successful irrigation, and market
advantages for the product of the
tract.
=. Sufficient capital to properly
initiate the crop, care for 1t the first
year and establish poultry and bee
culture.
3. Determination to cultivate the
soil extensively.
4. The energy, prudence and brain
required to succeed in any line OF
business.
A land owner possessing these re-
uuirements will achieve success. He
cannot do so without effort, bow
ever. nor can he do 1t without max
ing an effort to conform to the con-
ditions of the country-climatic and
otherwise.
The farmer in the east obtains a
Weld OF fifty bushels per acre from
his field of corn He deems this the
the generous gift of IA benevolent
nature. He hauls it to market in
one wagon load. receives twenty-five
dollars for 1t and returns to his
home. This man must heve 200 acres
of land. equally good. to bring him
a gross profit of $1,000.
The fruit grower may hai vest $50
boxes OF apples from an acre of
ground. This would be 5000 boxes
from ten acre tract, or ten carloads,
of 200 boxes to the ear. IL he rea-
Lies 81 per box for this crop he has
earned 5000, the same as the east
ern farmer received for his 200 acres
OF corn.
And this latter deductionLrepre-
sents the most substantial proof
that "A ten acre tract IL all one family
can properly care for.
Picture the magnitude OF. "A ten car
product. Think for a.moment that
there are 1000 boxes of apples and
that each Of these boxes is ore foot
in height and that II they were p.ied.
one above the o,;ler, it iwouIu NAL e
IA monument lackingionly 2sD feet of
being one mile high.
The prospective horticulturist VIII
always ask you the question: How
can l make "A living ION my tract
while it is coming into bearing?"
1t is indeed. vital question, but its
legitimate answer is as encouraging
TO the investor as 1t well could be
when we take substantial and con-
estimates into considera-
ton. 1t is difiicult1to make "a gen.
eral estimate. 1t is.almost impossi-
BILE to contemplate or anticipate the
various people would create. Each
tract would receiveEdlfferent treat
ment at the hands of different people.
1t is also a difficult matter to deter
mine by any rule, what the cost OF
t1,o ainr xrould bp Az n rule the