The daily sentinel., 1913-11-06
(By A. c. NEWTON.)

mentioned the fact that the worst
knockers we have are right in our
midst-men who have apparently lost
heart and can see nothing good in
the country. A few days ago a real
estate man told me that the country
was going to the dogs and that more
people were going away than were
coming; that we should stop spending
money for parks and other improve
ments Just to keep the laboring men
from starving because We are bank
rupt.
Is II true that We have reached
the end of our string" and this val
ley is going backward from this time
forth2 l do not believe it and will
make the assertion that there are
dozens of good orchards worth more
than $1,000 per acre, exclusive of
buildings. l do not believe that one
tenth of the orchards on the Fruit
Ridges can be bought today for that
sum. On the other hand there are
good many orchards that have been
sold in the past five years for very
much more than they are worth for
fruit growing, because they are not
fruit lands. But they are good for
something else and when purchased
for Just what they will raise they will
return big interest on the invest
ment. In my opinion we are In the
way of beginning new and better
era than ever before in our history,
and in this column l will try and call
attention to some personal examples
of successful effort and endeavor to
arouse the old-time enthusiasm.
/ met George La Grange of Fruit
vale. few days ago and he was
bdsy looking into the matter OF the
creamery; he is going to invest in
some cows, some pigs and in clover
and alfalfa, corn and other feed. He
will aim to sell his Gull fruits In the
shape of pork. He said that IL was
clear to him that there are fruit
lands in the valley. but that all land
was not equally as good for that pur-
pose, and that 1t was up to us to put
the land to the use to which 1t ia
best adapted. We have good land and
cheap water, and there is but one
side to the assertion of the fact that
an irrigated country Is far superior
in every way to one where depend
ence must be had on the rainfall.
well remember the first year
lHdt L lINeu III INOTtHhesttIH lONd--
1888. That section was new and
much of the land unsettled. Many
acres were under water a good share
of the years, and it was worse in
some years. On the corners of the
streets of the county seat l heard
/ dozens of farmers bewail their lot
and wish they could get out without
walking. Hardly an acre of that
4 land can be bought now for 500. The
/ knockers moved out under fore
closure, many of them. Other wide
awake men took their places-men
who were intelligent and who de-
voted their time to analyzing condi-
tions, and who drained the land and
/ found it the very best in the state.
Every country seems to have under
gone the same struggle. The first
settlers thought they could live and
grow rich on the land without much
exertion-that it was teeming with
milk and honey" and only had to be
gathered. This is what ails this val
ley. Too many fruit trees have been
set out with the idea that the set
/ ting out was all there was to it. The
difficulty is greater here because a
neglected fruit tree is absolutely
worthless-once stunted there is
hardly any use in caring for 1t. 1t
is better to dig it up and set an
other. In the earlier days fruit
pests were rare and growers got the
idea that We were immune and the
stuggle when pests came was too
| great and many succumbed. A good
grower said last spring that 1t was
not possible to secure over 25 per
cent of extra fancy apples. know
better. r. S. Carman knows better,
and SO do many other growers. 1t
requires strenuous work, but it pays
but more of this later.
1t may be true that many are
leaving the valley, but there will be
others to take their places, and they
will come with a better idea of what
is necessary. They will investigate
as to the lands they buy and buy
with a definite idea as to what the
land they buy will produce. Hun
dreds of the very best ridge lands
will come under the high line canal,
and If it is properly prepared and
properly set out in small holdings,
we shall have a great fruit country.
and we shall have on the low grounds
alfalfa, corn, wheat, clover and hogs,
and cattle enough to supply all our
needs.
One of the new men to invest here
/ is Mr.. Henry Nissen, a grocer of Oak
Park, ILL.,, who has 20 acres six or
eight miles northwest of the city.
Ordinarily it is poor business for
nonresident to make such an invest
ment, but Mr.. Nissen has brought
! from Chicago a young German and
4 his wife, Henry Priess, who has
worked in the grocery nine years. He
/ is an enthusiast on the matter of ir-
rigation and irrigated crops and the
place looks like a garden after his
work this summer; he has made some
mistakes. but he will not make them
again, and my readers should keep
watch of Henry. ] am satisfied that
he will have something TO show them