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Show TIIE BOX ELDER NEWS, SEPTEMBER 16, 1908. THE FRUIT INDUSTRY ; NEW INDUSTRIES : : : : : While Box Elder County is rich in the fruits of farm and garden, other revenues are derived aside from fruit, grains and vegetables. - ; BE- COMING MOST IMPORTANT IN BEAR RIVER VALLEY. ; ; ; ; : PROFITS FROM ORCHARDS. The income received from the best beariug orchards sounds very much like a Get Rich Quick scheme. We hope this question will be thoroughly discussed by our experts from the Agricultural College, and our practical fruit growers during the session of the Farmers Institute this week. It has been stated that land which is in proper condition for raising alfalfa or grain can be set with apple trees, and all work paid for at current wages until the income from the fruit will yield a profit above all expenses, for about $75 an acre. This means that the trees, after the sixth year, will yield a We have prevailed upon Mr. Moroni Mortenson, of Bear River City, to favor us with a short sketch on this important subject, Mr. Mortenson has developed a flock of sheep that is the pride of his neighborhood, and is admired by judges of sheep everywhere. His article follows : This subject is one that has often occopied the thoughts of agriculturists, as a general proposition, but its practical application has been very limited in the West. This is due to several reasons, one being the opportunity that has heretofore been given of grazing large flocks on the open profit above expenses, and we are told that from the tenth year the income will be from $5 to $15 per ranges. Another reason, perhaps, for the lack of farm flocks is the belief, shared by many farmers, that it is not a paying proposition. The writer has kept a small flock of sheep on the farm for several years and will endeavor to state some principal reasons for so ing of soil fertility, the inevitable result must be a total impoverishment of the soil and consequent bankruptcy of the owners. In view of the above facts, the farmer and horticulturist, if he would be permanently successful, must maintain and possibly increase the fertility of his farm. The best way to do this is to sell dl bisjiay and pasture products on the h6of. Contrary to the usual idea, sheep can be pastured on irrigated alfalfa without loss by bloating, if care is taken to have their hunger satisfied when first turned out. I believe, however, that a mixture of lucern and grass would be better pasture than lucern alone. If given reasonable care and shelter, a good ewe will give her owner from 50 to 70 per cent profit each year, over and above the cost of her feed and in some eases doing. One of the main objections urged by many against the practice is that most farm lands in this section of the country are too to permit of pasturing sheep on them profitably. Answering this objection, the writer can do no better than quote from Shepherd Boy, one of the best known authorities in the world on every subject that pertains to sheep. The editor says: It is a fallacy to suppose that sheep cannot be made profitable on high priced land, since on some of the richest farms in England sheep are kept in large numbers, and it is a question if the rent of some of them could be paid without the help of the flock. Certainly there is no other kind k of on the average farm that gives so prompt and sure returns, with so little labor, as high-price- d tree, and counting one hundred trees to the acre, the income wdll vary from $500 to $1,500 per acre. We shall accept the yield of five boxes to the tree and the price $1 per box, as the higher estimates scrubs. are doubtless exceptional, and this Should these general remarks will bring an income of $500 an cause any interest whatever we acre per year, and then allowing shall be pleased, in a later article, that there will only be a half crop to say something of breeds and of each alternate year, the average our method of fencing for pastannual income will thus be $375 ures. as well as other details reper acre. This, on an actual ingarding the management of a vestment of about this f flock. amount of money, including the MORONI MORTENSEN, s land, and all price of Willow Grove Farm. other expenses of bringing the or1 chard to its tenth year. Some successful fruit growers claim that BLOODED HOrS. with careful irrigation and drainWhile Mr. W. S. Hansen of age, they can grow more than a Fielding is perhaps best known in sufficient amount of potatoes and the West as a scientific and sucsugar beets between the rows durcessful breeder of Rambouillet ing the first fcyr years after setsheep, he by no means confines ting the trees, to p?y all expenses himself to that work. Mr. Hanof the orchard. If other crops are sen has recently imported several ' growm in the orchard before the pereheron mares and intends to trees commence bearing, considerraise this excellent breed of horses able amount of fertilizer should be here at home. used in order to give the best re-- i suits. We hope that the cost and one-hal- first-clas- profit of will be farmdiscussed the thoroughly by so no one will be dethat ers, ceived who engages in the fruit industry here, as it is much better for all that investors know just what to expect, and thus be prepared to meet the expense account, rather than purchase too much land, and be unable to meet payments on land or living expenses. live-stoc- sheep. There is hardly a farm either irrigated or dry, in this county, but that would be immensely benefited by the addition of a flock of sheep they would convert many weeds growing thereon, into wool and mutton. A Nebraska farmer was asked what had become of the weeds that used to grow on his farm, and he answered: I sold most of them at. from five to six cents per pound. The sheep, besides being na- - K1!'. t i fruit growing THE HANSEN LAMBING ''' i I A'ftf v I Nw ,- -. ' BARMS ' ' OF HON. W. F. HANSEN, FIELDING, UTAH two-thir- turally a scavenger, is one of the best soil renovators in the world. All thinking people must view with concern the fact, pointed out by crop statistics, that over large sections of our country there has been for a long time a gradual yearly reduction in the yield of farm crops per acre, and in such cases where little or no attention has been paid to the restor- - even better. In how many other lines of farming and can we do so well? To the prospective owner of a farm flock, the writer w'ould say : Start with but a few head and learn the business as you go. Get the best you can afford if purebred, so much the better, as it costs very little more to feed and care for a choice flock than for stock-growin- g As to other activities, this is what a friendly journalist says: Mr. Hansen has erected a large brick house, with modern conveniences, and probably lives in the most beautiful country home in Utah. continues to build. So far this year he has used six carloads of lumber, and the end is not yet. Mr. Hansen still k who suffered loss of this criminal neglect from valuable properly. s, r V v ds FACTS ABOUT UTAH APPLE ORCHARDS. Only two or three years ago there was no market for Utah apples, and it was difficult for a nursery agent to sell more than a few trees to any one in the Bear River valley. The reason why there was no market was that nobody had enough apples to make a decent sized wagon load, let alone a car load. And the lack of a market for the smaller quantity made the farmer sceptical about the profits to be derived from planting larger orchards and rais ing larger crops. But all that has changed now and the large commercial orchard is the thing most SOME r I . f (CSShtCsr-- i xSJ PEAR TREE. by twelve feet apart, which Mr. Hansen thinks is altogether too close and he is going to take out every other tree in the rows in a year or so. It is all right for a few crops but. after that he thinks eighteen by twenty-fou- r feet is about right. Among the Ben Davis trees the boxes of apples were si ill on the ground, though a man was hauling to the packing house, and under one row it was a fine sight. From the thirty-fiv- e trees he had picked 315 boxes. Counting 151 trees to the acre, at the same rate of production an acre would produce over 1,300 bushels. Mr. Hanson sold his No. at $1.40 a box and No. 2s at $1.25, or an average of $1.3215 a box. At this rate an acre of his orchard would give him about $1,800. Of course the whole orchard will not average quite so well as this, but on the ten acres he will have upwards of 5.000 boxes which will bring him in the neighborhood of $6,500. He banks on the Ben Davis as a money maker, and will probably set out ten acres more of them next twenty-fou- r ls year. HARRY SEEGERS APPLE CROP. Harry Seeger, of Elwood, has an orchard of about 300 trees on two acres of land. Tlfey aremost-l- y Ben Davis, Spitsenbergs and Golden Russets with a few BalcT--' wins. From this orchard Mr. Seeger realized more than $800 an acre, or fully $500 an acre above every expense. Stacy & Sons, of Minneapolis, bought the whole lot. This orchard is only ten years old. WALTER GREENS BANANA THE BOTHWELL FRUIT FARM APPLES, Near Point Lookout, some four One day this fall wre were inmiles west of Tremonton, is the vited by Mr. F. T. Troxell to visit Bothwell fruit farm, of which Mr. the orchards of Walter Green and Louis II. Getz is proprietor. Most Rasmus Hansen, near Elwood, of this orchard is quite young, and and of course went. We came to not in full bearing, but specimens Mr. Greens place first and went shown us were as fine as any we into his orchard where several men ever saw. consisted of JonThey were just finishing the picking. athan, Gano, Winter Banana, His crop consisted mainly of WinMammoth Black Twig, Arkansas ter Banana and Ben Davis. Of Black and Ben Davis. All were the Banana he had fifty-nin- e trees of good size and perfect in confrom which he had jicked 600 tour and coloring. boxes of large, marketable apples, In company with others Mr. and wTe judge there were twenty-fiv- e Gets has put in a large cider mill bushels on the ground that and press and will make all imhad fallen while the picking was perfect fruit into cider and vinegoing on. Mr. Green is so much gar. pleased with the productiveness PROFITABLE CORRINE ORand quality of the Banana and the CHARDS. pfice it brings, that he has just ordered 1,500 trees to be delivered Dr. Roche, of Corinne, has an in 1909. He would have had them apple orchard of about twelve planted next spring but the trees acres near Corinne that was set for next springs delivery are all out about ten years ago. They sold out and he has to wait a year. are mostly Ben Davis. The fruit His fifty-nintrees occupy about from this orchard was sold this half an acre of land and at a dol- fall to parties who shipped it to what Denver and Grand Junction, Colo. lar a box (about were something over There they are worth this year) , his crop him an acre. or eleven carloads of boxes $1,200 8.000 Pretty brings River for Bear even salable Valley. apples for which the docgood, tor received $1.40 a box, or nearly RASMUS HANSENS ORCHARD $12,000. He has kept an accurate Down at Mr. Hansens place we account and says the orchard has found an orchard of about ten netted him over $350 an acre. Some ten years ago a Mr. Cleveacres or say 1,500 trees, that have been set ten years. These were land purchased a small tract of mostly Ben Davis, the remainder land not far from Corinne. Five acres were set out in trees, being Jonathan and one or two The trees are set and these trees are now in full other kinds. e RESIDENCE 7'' U.j bearing. During the present year a yield of 1,200 boxes of apples per acre was obtained, these apples selling at 75 cents a box on the tree. From the five acres of apples Mr, Cleveland has made a clear profit of $4,500. The gross returns from the large apple orchard near Corinne, purchased less than two years ago by Adney & Co., is reported to be nearly equal to the price paid at This the time of their purchase. owned orchard was formerly by desired by the apple grower and he is now buying trees by the hundred and thousand where five or six years ago he only bought by the dozen. Those who wrere foresighted enough to set out several acres of apples eight or ten years ago are now reaping a golden harvest that; will continue to swell their coffers for years to come. There are but few such men in this valley but their number is rapidly increasing. ; UTAH APPLES ARE OF FINE QUALITY. So Say the Eastern Buyers. Mr. C. M. Ilolzinger, fruit buyer for Stacy & Sons, of Minneapolis, furnishes the following information of value to Bear River valley orchardists. He says the fruit here, where the orchards are properly cared for, is fully equal, both in quality, and yield per tree, to the' best orchards of Colorado, and apples of that state now command the highesti prices in the eastern markets. Thsfr eight rates from Utah, after tmS son, will be the same as from western Colorado. Owing to climatic conditions the Utah orchards are less liable to damage from frost than Colorado orchards. In the apple districts of Colorado, land readily sells at more than double the present price of land in the Bear River valley. The best bearing orchards, in Colorado have sold as high as $3,000 an acre, and they pay good interest on this price. Owners of Utah orchards do not as a rule take as good care of them as do the fruit growers of Colorado, but if they will do so, and will grow applies in sufficient quantities to ship train load lots, the profits here will be equal or greater than in Colorado, for the reasons stated. Messrs. Stacy, nolzinger and other fruit experts, by purchasing ,160 acres of land in this valley, which they have set to fruit trees, have shown their faith in Bear River valley orchards. APPLE GROWING. Apple growing in Box Elder County is confined almost exclusively to what we term the West Side, that is, the country lying west of Bear River. The land there seems to be. particularly adapted to apple growing. That the people out that way have faith in the future of this industry is amply evidenced by the fact that 140,000 apple trees have been set out this year. At present there are in the neighborhood of 3,000 acres in apples. ' , $ |