Semi-weekly herald., 1912-06-17
FARMINGTON COUNTRY WILL
SHIP LARGEST FRUIT CROP
IN ITS HISTORY


SHIP LARGEST FRUIT CROP
IN ITS HISTORY
The Herald is pleased to acknowl-
edg the receipt of business and So
cial call yesterday evening from Mr..
G. A. Norton of Pennington, N. NJ.
Mr.. Norton is president of the Farm
ington Fruit Growers association,
which position he has held for sew
eral years. While in Durango he was
the guest of ID. X. Mckinney and
family, Mrs. Mckinney being his
daughter.
Some two years ago we had the
pleasure of visiting Mr.. Norton at his
beautiful ranch home near Farming
were shown his magnificent orchard of
some thirty acres, consisting of ap-
pies, peaches, pears, plums, cherries
and berries of all kinds. He has
fine orchard and has done much to de-
velop the fruit industry in San Juan
county, New Mexico. He is tire
less worker and booster for that sec
ton, but he does not belong to the hot
air class. 1t is general understand
ing where Mr.. Norton is known that
you can depend upon what he tells
you and we took the liberty to as
certain the facts concerning the fruit
conditions and prospects of that coun-
ty.
When we called on Mr.. Norton two
years ago we learned that he was one
of the pioneers of central Kansas, that
he had driven cattle over the same
hills that we did when we were a boy
Of ID. We remembered of hearing
his name mentioned as one of the cat
tlemen of that section. He knows
central Kansas well, having bought
and sold cattle there for years. A
number Of years ago he decided to
come to the Pennington country and
engage in the fruit business. That he
has made a success of the fruit bust
ness as he did in the cattle business
is evidenced by his beautiful and valu-
able orchard.
Mr.. Morton informed us that P. b.
McAtee, general agent for the Denver
& Rio Grande in the San Juan coun-
try, has spent week down in San
Juan county, New Mexico, investigat-
ing the fruit conditions there and the
crops prospects for the season. He
is now there and will continue the
work, going from orchard to orchard,
tions the railroad company will have
to make in order to handle the enor-
nous crop. Mr.. Norton accompanied
Mr.. McAtee in the work of investi-
cation for several days and until he
was called to Durango on business. He
praised the work of Mr.. McAtee very
highly and suggested that the rail-
road company was doing everything
possible at this time to determine the
needs Of the San Juan county people
in the way of shipping facilities The
company as well as the fruit grow
ers down there realize the situation
which is by far the most favorable at
this time of any year in the history
Of the county.
Mr.. Norton's estimate of the fruit
crop for this year is 500 per cent
greater than the fruit crop of 1909,
there. He estimates that the crop for
shipment will not fall far below 1000
cars, which is at least three times as
much as has ever been shipped out Of
the county in any one year.
He believes that peaches will be the
leading crop, with apples second, cher
ries third and pears fourth. There
will be large crop of berries Of all
kinds, but perhaps the greatest in
crease will be in the peach crop.
This enormous yield will necessitate
the putting forth of every possible
effort to secure fruit pickers and
packers. Durango and the neighbor-
ing sections will be called upon to
furnish pickers and packers. Those
who will be available for that bust
ness, beginning the first Of August,
will do well to confer with Mr.. Nor
ton at Pennington, SO that they may
get an idea of the supply. 1t may be
found necessary to send east for pick
ers and packers, but every available
person in this section should be en-
ployed first. No doubt there will be
work along that line for all availa-
BILE persons in this section for some
two or three months.
There has been but little smudging
down there this spring, owing to the
mildness of the weather. The spray
ing which began when the trees were
in bloom will be continued through
July and into August.
Mr.. Norton has more than local
knowledge of fruit conditions. He
said that it is estimated that Mont
rose. Mesa, Delta and Garfield coun-
ties will ship out 10000 car loads Of
fruit this year, which will be double
the shipment of any previous year.
He left this morning for the west
ern slope ON buaiueaR