Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-02-03
CHAMPION TREE
BEARS TON OF FRUIT
Famous Apricot Planted by Mormon
Pioneers so Years Ago In
Nevada Desert.

in circumference planted by Mormon
colony 81 years ago still STANDS III Il"
| old orchard In southern Nevada anu
Inst wear this tree bore a ton OF exeei-
lent fruit" said James Z. Baiinntyhe
OF ogden at the New windsor 'ou"s
"Aima Eldsedgc, James p Sprnnt anu
| myself measured this wondertui tree'
| Mr. Ballantyno continued
| "In 1853 a colony from Salt Lake
| reached a beautiful little valley near
| where the flourishing railroad town ol
| Las Vegas row stands. Ihey a, oiie9
| nroceaded 10 plant out orchards and
| cultivate the fertile soil. All the time
| these pioneers thought they were WIN
| I'm the confines of Utah. Three years
| later they discovered their mistake, anu
| on account OF exceedingly hish taxa
| tlon finally they reluctantly gave up
| their homes, abandoned their oISn"i ~
| and with many regrets, no DOUBT rc-
turned to Salt Lake CITY.
"But owing undoubtedly TO the fav-
orahIe atmospheric conditions and the
wonderfully fertile and deep SOIL tne
abandoned orchards grew ana tiriNeo.
A few years ago Senator W. ~ Clark
OF Montana got possession OF large
fract OF land near Las Vegas. In
cluded Within this domain Is this MS
torIc 57-year-old Mormon orchard.
There are probably four to hVe acres
of trees That old apricot tree. whose
trunk measures more than seven teet
in circumference, Is as young ana
healthy a looking mature Iruit .Loe e
as I ever saw. Judging II by the size
of its trunk, when / say the whole
tree is we'll proportioned you may i'm
apine what a size II has for frult tree.
And in 1909 Il bore n ton OF most ex-
cellent aprIcots. They were good siz-
ed. sweet and juicy. There arc many
other Interesting trees around there.
Tho soil is a black, sandy loan, and
very deep generally. Evidences on every
hand point to Its unusual productive
ness Then the climate lis so mild the
farmers are working out In the open
nearly the year around, 1t is quite
contrast to Utah, where the farms are
barely touched from November to the
following April.
"Our business down there was to Sc
lect n suitable tract OF land to be re-
claimed under the Carey act We found
a beautiful piece of land, little over
10000 acres. and have formed the Las
Vegas Irrigated Fruit Land company.
and within so days expect to begin ac-
tive operations down there. 1t Is To-
Gated four miles south of Las Vegas
Irrigation methods, or rather the
source of wator supply in that coun-
try, are rather unique. Instead of hav-
ing TO construct expensive dams, long
canals and big reservoirs, we shall
bore artesian wells. and depend on
them for our supply of water for the
1000 acres.
Certainly 1 think 1t will be success
full; that the supply will be ample;
that it Will be permanent Why, the
country round about there is dotted
with numerous flowing wells. One well
there Is pouring out sufficient water to-
day to irrigatc 80 acres of land; for
fruit lands, this single stream would
answer for 500 to 700 acres. There are
probably 30 or more of these success
full wells in the immediate neighbor-
hood Of our land Their depth runs
from 175 feet to about 500 feet The
cost OF pipe and drilling is 81 to 5?
q foot. This makes very cheap water
compared with the tremendous eN-
pense of the ordinary irrigation
rigs operating in the vicinity of Las
Vegas, the demand for new wells
seeming to keep those outfits active.
THE water flowing from the pipes is
clear and pure rs our Utah mountain
streams, and Is ideal for Irrigation as
well as culinary purposes. 1t Is just
sufficiently warm to make the crops
under 1t thrive. 1t contains scarcely
any mineral, at least none delcterious
to growing crops.
''The farmers cut six crops OF lucerne
down there in a season. Cantaloupes
ripen several weeks before the Utah
product. Peaches mature In June Or
anges, figs and other similar semi
tropical fruits flourish When Salt
Lake valley Is experiencing mid-winter,
the Las Vegas farmer Is out In his
shirt sleeves cultivating his fields. Five
to 10 acres of that land are sufficient.
when handled to the best advantage.
to maintain q family In comfort. and
leave snug sum besides. 1t is indeed
a great and wonderful country.
The railroad is constructing several
big shops one Is 150 by $50 feet,
another nearly as large. In one quarter
of the town there were erected while I
was there over 40 houses for employees.
When the shops are running full blast
they will give employment to hundreds
OF men. and Las Vegas will be one of
the livelest little railroad towns in the
land.
LOS Angeles. a little over 300 miles
to the west. affords a profitable market
for every box or crate OF first class
fruit and vegetables that may be rails
cd in the Las Vegas country for years
to come. Then considerable Is shipped
to Salt Lake and even more distant
points.
Whether the Salt Lake Route builds
Via st. George or by way of PIochc
will not affect the Las Vegas district.
az the new line will join the old grade
some distance cast OF Las Vegas. the
main line In the vicinity of Las Vegas
having been unmolested by the recent
big floods"