Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1910-05-06
sAER-1ezl ~ E'aAtAe-e=szTz.c -
GREAT fruit CROP
is PREDICTED in NORTHWEST
STATES THIS YEAR.
smudge Pots and Orchard Heaters
Knock Fears of Late Frosts- In
creased Acreage and Trees in Idaho,
Montana, oregon and Washington
Will Result in Boomer Crops.

Officers of state horticultural associ- |
ations and commercial organizations in |
Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Mon
tana say in reports to the Spokane
Chamber of Commerce there is every
indication that the fruit crop this year
will be the largest and most profitable
in the history of the four states. There
is no danger of a late freeze, but
should the unexpected happen the own
ers of commercial tracts are ready to
do battle with hundreds of thousands
of smudge pots or orchard heaters. 1t
is predicted that higher prices will pre-
vail as result of the heavy damage
to the fruit crop in the middle western
states.
f. A. Huntley, state horticultural
commissioner, says that Washington
will produce twice as much fruit in 1910
as in 1908, the year of the record crop
Including peaches, apricots, cherries,
berries and other soft fruits the yield
will be at least doubled owing to the
increased acreage, he adds, while the
apple crop will show an increase of
about 25 per cent. Oregon, Idaho and
Montana will have equally large crops
as the result of increased acreage and
trees coming into bearing this season.
With increased transportation facili,
ties and the steady influx of settlers, the
early attempts in the valleys and up
lands have become more pretentious,
sustained and systematic. Dry farm
ing is practiced extensively and irri-
cation plants have been established by
private individuals and corporations,
also by the United States government,
which is expanding enormous sums in
retaining the volcanic wastes SO won
derfully rich and fertile and so peculiar
! ly adapted to raising fruits, unblemished
and perfect in size and color. The
apple is king. More than $4,000 acres
of lands are devoted to orchards in the
four states and pomologists estimate
the value Of full crop would un-
doubtedly equal $175,OOO,OOO.
a Northwestern apples are in demand in
a and in Europe and Australia and the
a markets are being extended year by
year. American and foreign experts,
who have studied conditions in the
northwest, refer to the Pacific states
n as "the World IS Fruit Basket" adding
there has been established in a com
= paratively short time a domain where
the first foot of soil, properly cult
waited, is worth more than all the mines
from Alaska to Mexico and all the for
ests from the United States boundary
q to the Arctic sea.
% AS gold was the strong magnet which
IL sent the first Americans across the un
known wastes of this continent to thu
10 California coast in 1S49, so today the
l. apple, the emperor of fruit, is attract
n, ing thousands to the western orchard
IN belts. Millions of dollars have been in
le vested in apple lands west of the Rock
les during the last decade and beautiful
s. orchards of young trees today mari
n the spots where but yesterday was
r. waste of brown, barren sagebrush
~ covered desert.
Romance never played such part il
as the world as in the fruit growing dis
tricts of the northwest today. There j
the romance of development, of com
merce and of life that rivals the storie
-, of centuries ago, when new empire
:" were suddenly uncovered by people VIII
never even dreamed of their existence
R. Just as the mystery and danger fade
list from the Far West when once it wa
vs. discovered" so has that vast stretc
'or of territory in the quartet of state
'er come into its own.
oh Americans are rapidly becoming
tie fruit-eating nation. 1t is not so yer
nd long since the orange was considere
mt luxury, and this is true much nor
his recently of grape fruit. Now they al
ng common articles of diet. Many hav
:" expressed the opinion that apple
he should be so common and low-price
100 articles of food as bread and butte
'ed eggs and milk. However, these hay
at times almost become luxuries in T
cent years.
Although the domestic and foreie
demand for these fruits has increase
Jaw strangely enough; the production of tt
apple has steadily decreased. The app
wn crop for 1909, reported to be less this
the 100000 barrels, for example, w
ago only slightly in excess of one-third
'ull that for the years 1896 and 1900, al
,ot- much less than the crop for 1905, wh'
,ne the production reached low figure.
)o,- Statistics gathered by commercial c
to CARNATIONS show that the annual pr
of duction of apples in the United Stat
is becoming less in proportion to co
sumption each year, and has actual
been less in the aggregate the last fe
raj years than formerly. The figures sin
Wy, 1895 follows:
Law Year. Barre
cen 1895 6O,453, o
ar 1896 ...............-.............. 69,O7O, o
1907 Al $50. O