The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1913-10-16
PICKING
BIG CROP
AT PARK
CENTER

Wednesday afternoon a representa-
tive OF The Daily Record was the
guest of A. p. Nelson during a visit
TO the Nelson Brothers ranch on Park
Center and inspected the picking. box
ing and preparation for market of
the apple crop there, as we'll as sew
eral other orchards in that locality
The scene was busy one and was
a revelation SO far as the prodigality
of the crop was concerned and OF the
splendid character of the fruit grown
there this year. The Jonathans and
most of the other earlier va
rieties OF winter apples in the Park
Center district are practically all
harvested. but the gathering of the
winesaps, Willow Twigs and other
kinds was in full swing and an ex-
cellent idea OF how the work is done
and OF the yield OF the trees was OBJ
tanned.
Nelson Brothers ranch contains
eighteen acres. fifteen OF which is in
bearing orchard; the remainder con-
tanning trees too young for fruitage
but their thrifty. vigorous appearance
give promise OF gratifying results in
the course OF the next few years. The
orchard has been under the oversight
and supervision of A. w. Taylor and
his splendid management of the pro-
perty Is reflected in its prosperous
condition. The older part of the ranch
was planted to apple trees fifteen
years ago and originally contained
thirteen hundred and sixty Of the
Jonathan variety, but 1t was found
that they we're too thick on the
ground to get the best fruit results
and something like three hundred and
ffty OF them we're cut out a year or
so ago. reducing the number OF Jona-
thans to approximately nine hundred
The other varieties were thinned in
a like proportion, and. as a conse-
quence, the fruit this season is of
superior size and coloring.
Nelson Brothers estimate that they
will be able to market this year be-
tween thirty-three and thirty-four
hundred boxes OF fancy and choice
Jonathans and fully a thousand boxes
of corresponding kinds Of Winesaps;
a total of about four thousand. five
hundred boxes of the best marketable
characters Of fruit. They compute
that sixty-eight or seventy per cent of
their apples will be Fancy and Choice
seventeen and half per cent Stand
ard and twelve and half per cent
culls.
The crop Of Jonathans grown in
Nelson Brothers orchard this year
was not much. II any. In excess of
sixty per cent af a full yield. although
the winesap trees were full to the
limit of their capacity. Looking down
the long rows OF winesaps in Nelson
Brothers orchard one beholds vista
of surprising beauty. The trees bend
with their weight of fruit until they
resemble umbrellas in the graceful
curve OF their branches, some OF
which touch the ground. The bright
crimson OF the thickiy set fruit near
ly obscures the green foliage OF the
trees and produces a picture of such
attractiveness that one fingers upon
1t with the utmost pleasure.
More than score OF pickers. sort
ers and packers have been at work in
Nelson Brothers orchard for several
days and the Jonathans have all been
gathered. boxed and hauled away 70
market. The W'inesaps will follow
suit before the close OF the week and
the orchard Will be denuded OF its
beauty and left to rest until bud and
blossom come again to give assur-
ance OF another yield OF fruit and dol