The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1914-05-08
VIGOROUS OLD AGE

Those of our people who have fail.
ed to see the aged apple trees in the
old Okanogan Smith orchard in all the
richness and extravaganza of bios
somed beauty this spring have missed
marvelously and wonderously lovely
sight, such as is rarely to be seen
anywhere in the most favored fruit
growing districts. Such riot Of
white and pink coloring, a blending OF
shades that can only be produced by
| the miracle working hand of nature
was we'll worth travelling a long dist
ance 70 see, and when once seen was
| something never to be forgotten.
| These mammoth trees, grown high
and broad and sturdy, with girth OF
bole and spread of branches that can
hardly be eQualed in any orchard in
| the state, were all loaded with a
| wealth OF flower this year. But there
was one in particular more symmetri-
cal In the sweep OF its ladened limbs
than any OF its neighbors, which was
a veritable bank OF solid flowers. A
Jew steps away limbs OF the tree could
not be distinguished through the heavy
veil OF blossoms, and the leaves were
so completely lost in the ruck of
flowers that they were indistinguish-
able. The frontage OF the spreading
branches measured some thirty feet,
which gives slight idea OF the ground
space under the outrageous foliage
OF this ancient monarch OF the orch
ard. If One-tenth part of those buds
|aye, hundredth part-finally develop
into fruit those sturdy limbs will hard
ly stand the strain of the enormous
load.
But this is not rare instance Of
the prOlificness Of the apple trees in
the Smith orchard. One would ma
turally suppose that fruit trees so
hoary with age would lose some. of their
fecundity, or if they fruited at all the
product would be meagre and OF in
different quality. Such is not the
case. No young trees could make a
prouder showing in the season of
blossom; no young trees can produce
more or better fruit. And it is not
a case OF spOsmOdic bearing, either.
For more than fifty years those trees
have yielded their annual harvest, and
almost invariably the harvest has been
prolific. All the trees have not wholly
escaped the ravages OF time. Big
scars upon the trunks show where
some limb has lost it's vitality and
had to be amputated. In places where
the ulcer of decay has made its ap-
pearance on the trunks the diseased
parts have been cut away, yet in every
instance the lustiness OF the aged mon
sters is shown by the healing of the
wounds and the growth of new wood.
These trees seem impervious to the en-
croachment of time, and seem vigor-
GUS enough to round out a full CEN
tury.
When one considers the little care
this orchard has received during the
years of it's existence the wonder is
that single tree survives. They are
receiving more attention in their old
age than was ever given them before.
They simply grew up unkept and un-
cared for. Such neglect nowadays in
orchard culture would be looked upon
as little short of criminal. How is
their robust vitality, their continuous
fecudity, to be accounted for? 1t IL
simply the soil and the climate. Cli-
mate and soil are responsible for this
convincing object lesson that fruit
culture in this valley is an industry
that is certain to reward those who
embrace it. The Smith orchard is
in indisputable evidence of the long
evity of fruit trees and bearing ca
capity to insure long and continuous
returns from any and every orchard
that may be planted and half way car
ed for in this part of the fertile Okla
hogan valley.