The Winslow mail., 1911-03-25
WORKING FIVE ACRES
Fruit Growing Is Practical Way
to Make Money.
Planting and Cultivation of Young and
Small Orchard Is Simple Matter and
Not Expensive-Work Should
Be Carefully Done.

In our fine western climate out-of-
doors work is both healthful and prac-
t1cal for women to degree not under
stood by those Of the middle states.
The sunshiny days and the dry ground
eliminate the unpleasant elements of
outdoor work and open to women
many avenues Of profitable livelihood
not available to them in the wet,
muddy conditions of the states where
the rain falls so many days of the
year, writes Mr.. Parker Earle, In the
Denver Field and Farm.
My association of many years with
business women of cities, and the
knowledge gained of the grind of
their confined lives in office and
schoolroom has left an impression on
my mind not easily gotten rid of
during my practical orchard expert
ences of the past five years. The i'm
portant question Is: Why do not
more women raise fruit for a living
here where conditions are favorable?
Application of the same business prin-
ciples, which means success in other
lines, means greater success, with less
nerve-wearing conditions, in fruit
growing.
The care of small orchard, the
harvesting, packing and marketing of
the fruit does not require all of ones
time and energy for every day Of
every month Of the year. Some
months are left for leisurely enjoy
ment and study for bettering condi-
tions for the years to come. Fruit
growing should be and is a practical
way for women to make money. For
instance, there is a home market in
every town for strawberries. A small
patch will yield a woman a modest
living if she will investigate soil and
varieties and grow, pick and market
her berries with the same care and in
telligence she must give to any inter
est to make 1t succeed
An acre of Strawberries, we'll grown
and cared for, yields from 5000 to
5000 quarts, according to variety,
which should net ten cents a quart.
This crop Is harvested and over in
prolonged by raising raspberries or
other small fruits on other pieces of
ground. However, a more permanent
business and one that in the end de-
mands less labor, Is the growing of
tree fruits-apples, peaches, pears,
cherries, plums and prunes. For wom-
en-, the small orchard of five acres has
many advantages over larger ven
lures, depending upon the kind of
trees selected for planting an orchard.
The number of trees on five acres will
run from 500 to 1000 or possibly
1,500.
The planting and cultivation of a
young orchard Of five acres is sim
pie matter and not expensive, al
though the work should be very care
fully done. The heavier labor of culti-
vation and irrigation would call for
the occasional services Of man and
team while the supervision and
pruning of young trees can well be
done by the owner herself AS the
trees come into bearing, outside labor,
preferably that of women and young
girls, can be called in for all neces-
sary harvest work
AS for the business management of
the harvest and the marketing of the
crop, the bright woman who has
grown the orchard Is just as capable
as any neighboring orchard owner.
And what can be expected from so
little as five acres? Very little, GER
tainly, for the first two, three or four
years, and yet certain cherries,
peaches, plums and dwarf pear trees
begin then to yield small crops, fully
as much fruit as they should bear
And from this time on one safely may
expect increasing annual crops and
that standard trees, pear and apple,
shall be in full bearing in from five
to eight years.