The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1910-11-03

4 owners some seasons But was told
4. 'confidentially" by an old friend who
lives in fruit producing valley and
seemed inclined to stick to the truth
that man must be satisfied with a
profit of from $20e to $500 per acre a
year taking it on the average-provid.
Ijng he has good luck. But as ten
acres is all one man can possibly
handle, 1t will be seen that the west
ern advertisement, Buy ten acre
fruit tract and be independent for
life is aimed chiefly at the man
who has never investigated -
In one famous fruit producing val
( ley are hundreds of acres of young
orchards. / was told on good author
ity that much of this land is hard-pan,
covered with soil eight or ten inches
deep. The trees do well for two or
three years. Then they die. If the
real estate man hasn't sold an orch
) ard of this kind to an eastern tender
foot before this time has elapsed at
from $1,000 to $4,000 per acre, he
!. pulls up the little trees and plants
:, another batch for show purposes.
i Fruit Farming Hard Work.
, put in several days in the fruit
regions of Idaho. Oregon, California
:. and Colorado. My conclusion was
| that if the Iowa farmer would pay as
! much attention to ten acre orchard
as the western fruit grower he would
| produce as much fruit, except oranges,
as the westerner, and it would be of
:. finer favor. Orange trees would win
ter kill in Iowa, but the largest profit
, in oranges comes from selling the
: was told "confidentially" by former
. lowan. This particular Iewan went
. to California to raise oranges. To
. make sure of his ground he hired out
for two years as an orchard tender.
b At the end of the two years he de.
r clared he had no money to invest in
Y oranges, as he learned that many
5 times the orange crops do not bring
in enoughamoney to pay the freight.
: This doesn't mean that all orange
: growers are starving to death. Some
D are very successful, and one OF these
O. Is John Bennison, formerly of Musca'
Q tine. But, on the whole, 1t is the or.
g ange land and not the oranges that
sell for fabulous profits.
G The average Iowan is surprised al
l. the work that is necessary to grow
l. fruit successfully. He pictures a qui
ct little ten acre tract with fruit trees
growing rapidly where he. can sit in
Q the shade and watch the cantaloupes
RI and potatoes make living until the
t trees get to bearing six or eight years
@ after they are planted Then he i'm
AGNES the fortune that is coming.
t .---' But in Real Life
G However, the life of successful
. 4 fruit grower is not continual round
a of pleasure. In most sections of the
# west he must irrigate. When his
j. trees are planted he must begin Il
t. cultivate them more carefully thar
It the Iowa farmer plows his corn. HI
o must fertilize the ground and fertil
izer costs money. Then the trees
h must be sprayed, some varieties al
e often as twice month. Again, thu
a trees must be pruned and the frui
r the chances are hundred to one h
A. will lose his entire crop. Lastly, h,
must find market.
IS If the Iowa farmer would cultivate
l. iTrigate, prune, spray, fertilize AM
n smudge his apple orchards he coulC
t, duplicate the westerner. His frui
a might lack some of the color tina
t. comes with constant sunshine, bu
n this would be made up in superio
t. flavor.
lie A greenhOrn has no business in
b. western orchard. To make success
1t ing to become a scientific orchardist
81 And he must be willing to work an
work hard from morning until nigh
Is all night when frost is feared.
i Water a Necessity. .
VI The value of water to farmer. i
firmly impressed upon the Iowan i
q the west. In Iowa, whereia crop fai
lire is unknown and the rains are a
Always ION the job it is difficult to in
70 agine how dry and parched the Ian
10 and vegetation become without wa
&c err The contrast between Iowa an
the far west at this season of tn
e year is striking. ." ~ So q
IN IF this land is worth from 5000 {
III $500 an acre in the raw and one tive
acre orchard tract In Oregon sold TO
70 $2,250 per acre in the raw,Sh how doe
le it come that SO mueh"of it remain
3 uatenanted and idle?"'1 asked liT
IN wire in southern California. 20
te i''Well, III tell you," he replied
,fttaThis land isn't worth a .whoop III
81 less you can get water on It" ~ "A
Is AndI agree with him. One of th
most striking bits of Iowa's superioi
re Efty is that In Iowa there is no Ian
there are millions of acres that neSo
Is will be disable because II Is iInposs
II BILE to get water on it,. This is large
1T ly compensated in some districts b
u lsoM aul III slIqM 'pooS $! lGql IN
timing or OIL boring. But was toll
.hlthat ii is. well for the tenderfoot I
/. have expert advice before he pul
~ ehases gold mining stock or oil we
n Istock even in the face of stories G
IN how this man or that has investe
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