Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1910-07-09
ADDRESS BY PROF. COOK BEFORE THE CON-
SERVATION CONVENTION AT PIERRE JUNE 80

he thought 1t worth while to do So
grow and market yearly, say 5000
worth of small fruits $500 worth OF
plums, 5000 worth Of cherries, 5000
worth of fruit plants, 5000 worth OF
fruit trees and without increasing
his present acreage $4,000 worth OF
apples. In making this statement
am estimating his sales of apples
far below the possibilities. He has
upwards of twenty acres in apple or
chard, the trees as vigorous, as
healthy, as productive as heart could
wish. A yield of 200 boxes of apples
per acre would be small indeed
not half a crop-but call it that.
This gives 1000 boxes of fruit an
nually, or sufficient to yield a net
Income of not less than $4,000. This
year in common with nearly all, the
apple growers of the North Central
States, he has lost part of his crop
by spring frosts. You may ask II
this is not likely to occur often. l
answer No, and prove it by citing the
fact that Mr.. Joseph Wells of Spear
fish grew fifteen consecutive crops
of apples in his nine acre orchard
without a single failure. In 1908
he gathered 5000 boxes of apples
from the nine acres. Note the fact
that / am so careful and conserva-
tive as to estimate the yield of Mr..
Robertson's twenty acres at only
1000 boxes. But dwelling a NOM
ent longer on the question of spring
frosts l will remind you that scien-
tific fruit growers protect their fruit
from freezing when necessary by
smudging. In Idaho in some of
the best paying fruit districts in the
world, this is the regular thing. 1t
must be done, Talking with some of
the Black Hills fruit growers on the
subject of smudging, they declared
it was impossible to do anything in
this line this year, because there
were at least ten successive frosts,
and | quite agreed with them. But
last week l visited Mr.. Chris Thom-
sons orchard five miles north of
Rapid City and was astonished to
find the apple trees loaded with
fruit. Mr.. Thomson soon cleared
up the mystery. He fired, he said,
for ten successive nights, and saw
ed his crop. He estimates that he
will not have less than 10000 box
IS of apples. The expense of firing
was only few dollars. This was a
case of expending 500 or there
lbouts to save $4,000. Let others
10 likewise. However, spring freez-
IS have caused only three apple
crop failures in the history of the
Black Hills. This record compares
favorably with that of many of the
best fruit growing sections of the
United States.
What Mr.. Robertson is doing and
will do in fruit growing can be dup
licated ten thousand times in the
Black Hills. His location is not Pc
culiar. 1t is no better in any re-
'pect that l con discover or that he
s aware of than a thousand other
ocations. Indeed it would not be
lifficult to find a multitude of Ioca-
ions superior to his, and some of
he land is still government land;
lone of it is high priced.
The person who would succeed in
ruit growing in the Hills must un-
lerstand dry farming methods, must
re a student and constant learner,
mist love his work, must have good
ommon sense, and must have the
labit of doing the right thing at the
light time.
The person engaged in fruit
growing in the Black Hills should |
hoose a north slope for his fruit |
arm, should never buy a tree or
liant of an agent, should exercise
immense care in getting healthy
took true to name, should depend |
hiefly upon apples for his profits,
hould use the Wealthy apple for at
east every alterante row of his or
hard, should plant his apple trees
much farther apart than has been
ommon, say thirty by forty feet, if
lie does not irrigate, should never
uffer a weed to grow nor ever seed |
own a dry orchard, and should fer
ilize his land heavily from time to
lme. This orChardist would be sure
a net income Of several thousand
ollars per year.
So much for horticultural possi-
ilities in the Black Hills without
AS an illustration of what can be
one with the aid of irrigation, l
will acquaint you with some of the
experiences of Mr.. ]. f.
summers of Spearfish. 1t is true
hat Mr.. Summers has specialized in
ne horses instead Of fine fruit, but
e has grown enough fruit to show
he possibilities on a place like his.
Seven years ago last November,
1r. Summers bought half section
f land in the Hills two miles west
f Spearfish for $4,000. Subsequent
= he bought an additional 16O acres
f land adjoining the first for $4OO.
his 480 acres of land was supposed
n he naarIu unrfbIa,s ovooo4 g..