Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1910-02-10
SAfisftnD WITH
THE WEST
/. III. pomeroy Writes OF
Farming on a Ten-Acrc
irrigated Tract

From the Staples (Minn.) World.
Spokane. Wash, Jan. Is, 1910.
Dear Ar. Draw:
Feeling the necessity of starting the
new year right and perhaps prove to
my various friends in Staples that I
made a wise move in coming west, and
feeling anxious to keep in touch with
them, herewith enclose my check for
one years subscription to the Staples
World.
have been intending to write YOU as
we'll as a number of my other friends
there in Staples for some time, and ad.
wise them regarding this country. Ow-
ing to the fact that l have not written
my friends, l will be glad to have you
mention in the World that ] am now
residing at Vera, Spokane's ideal SUI
burb. and that I like it better every
day and am very anxious for spring to
come SO that can watch my young
orchard grow. and harvest my straw
berries and dcwberries.
One astonishing thing about this
country. is that a man can find plenty
of work to do on a ten acre irrigated
tract and derive a larger revenue than
many of your farmers do off of 100 acres.
Vera is located five and one-half
miles from the city limits Of Spokane
and has all city and modern conven-
fences, such as two street car lines,
electric lights, water under pressure for
domestic use, daily mail service, gro
ceries and meat delivered to your door,
and telephones with Spokane connec-
tions if desired.
The irrigation plant at Vera is the
most modern system in the northwest,
as the water is carried under ground in
concrete pipes, to the highest point on
each tract, which is much better than
the open ditch system, which allows
Seepage. evaporation and weeds and
rubbish to grow and accumulate, de-
cay and spread disease.
1t may be OF interest to know tina.
we came to Vera or tract lOo, and were
a little late in the spring commencing !
farm work. We set out $50 apple trees,
an acre and a half Of Strawberries, an
acre of deMberries. all of which made a
remarkable growth. The Strawberries
and dewhcrries will return revenue this !
coming season i.om 5000 to $500 an
acre. ! base iris statement on what
my %neighbors accomplished last season.
from a little over tao acres of toma-
toes we received something over s4oo.
Nearly 5000 from a small melon patch.
(which would net us ovcr SlDo an acre.
which at ten per cent interest pats a
valuation OF $1,000 an acre on this land.
Others have done much better than
this.
Mrs. Po,ncroy. as usual has ~ large
Aock OF white lcghorns, and is now re-
cclvlng go cents per dozen for her eggs.
The truck farming that my son attend
ed to, paid our living expenses aud
grain enough for his horse. We us
only one hors. TO farm withhere, which
seems rather odd to an eastern person.
Tools and machinery being adapted to
one horse work. This left us with to-
matoes and melons to make the fall
payment on the place.
The price of land at first thought
would seem high as p.ices run from
S4oo to S575 per acre and very little at
the forner figure. This price however
includes a tract being set out to fruit
and taken care of for tho e who do not
want to o on to it at once, but pei
pie who desire to take care Of it Them
selves will receive a reduction from
lis price But when you see the land
selling for $500 per acre that has been
get to fruit only two years and others
OF my neighbors refusing offers of $1,000
to $3.50 per acre. where their orchard
IS Just coming into bearing, must GER
calmly impress a fair minded person.
that land is rea ly cheap at the figures
quoted.
One of the best records made in this
vicinity last year was that of an acre
and a half Of %dewberries yielding Der
Eies which sold for more than 5000. In
this case he could get tie price of his
1ard back in one year.
The plan that is worked here where
Che the people move on to the place, is
to set the tract Tut to apples the FIST
season and then set out ep,,1l f-.:4.
such as strawberries. dewberries, rasp.
berries, as they can take care of and
put the balance of the tract in vepeta-
bles and all of this can be placed be-
tween the trees SO that you can use
your orchard for small fruits and truck
garden until your trees come into bear
ing and in that way make your living
and pay for your land from the pro-
duce raised on the land each year.
Cucurnbers grow very prolific and
net from 5000 to $500 an acre, and
there is a picking plant within a Is
minute drive, also canning factory
within a 30 minute drive SO that o
will see that themarket is always good
for tomatoes and c%ucumbcrs. Spokane
with a population of better than one
hundred thousand is only a few miles
away and will consume all the berries
and vegetables that can be produced in
the wonderful Spokane Valley for yea
to come.
! will be glad to be remembered to
all of my old friends in Staples and will
also be glad to give any of them addi-