Show champion tree bears ton of fruit an apricot tree seen and a half feet in circumference planted by a mormon colony 57 years ago still stands in an old orchard liard in southern nevada nenad and last bear ear this tree bore a ton of excellent fruit I 1 I 1 said jamese ballantyne of ogden at the new windsor today alma eldredge james P sprunt and myself measured tins this wonderful tree ly mr ballantyne Ballan continued in 1853 a colony from salt lake like readied led a beautiful little alley near where the flourishing railroad town of las vegas now stands they at once proceeded to plant out orchards and cultivate the tile fertile soil all the time these pioneers thought they vi were ere in the confines of utah three icara later they discovered their mistake and on account of exceedingly cee high taxation finally they reluctantly gave up their homes abandoned their orchards and with many regrets no doubt returned to salt lake city but owing undoubtedly to the favorable atmospheric conditions and the wonderfully fertile and deep soil tile abandoned orchards grew and th thrived ried A few years ago senator W A dark of montana got possession of a large tract of land near las lu vegas included within this domain is this historic 57 earold mormon orchard there are probably four or fi fio e acres of trees that old apricot tree trunk measures more than seven feet in circumference is as soung and healthy a looking mature fruit tree as I 1 saw judging it by the size of its trunk when I 1 say the whole tree is viell proportioned you may imagine wh what d a size it has for a fruit tree and in 1909 it boio boic a ton of most excellent apricots they ii were ere good sized sweet and juicy there are many other interesting trees around there the soil is a black r sandy andy loam and cry deep generally evidences on every hand bana point to its unusual productiveness ti veness then the climate is so mild the farmers arc are working out in the open nearly the year around it is quite a con contrast trist to utah where the farms are barely touched from november to the following april deseret nes ne no s |