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Show NEWS OF OUR NEIGHBORS CiiEerei fcj the Editor in His Weekly Roods AN OASIS ORCHARD. We knew Oasis was celebrated t; Its alfalfa and seed, but didn't know an orchard was anywhere near until our visit thero last week, when our attention atten-tion was called to the John W. Reed farm a mile west of town. It Is hidden away close to the river and some distance dis-tance off the road so the casual visitor wmild never suspect Its existence. There Is about two acres In the orchard, or-chard, and some of the trees were 'ilanted by the late John Heed twenty years ago, when people believed nothing noth-ing could be raised in this country but Ifalfa. HI neighbors laughed at the of Mr. Reed raising fruit, but he J I raised fruit elsewhere and he ,iuldn't see why It couldn't be raised there. He had a hard time starting the trees but he persevered until he learned the conditions of success and for the past fifteen years the orchard has been bearing fruit of exceptionally fine flavor. At present It Is owned by .lame Thompson, and he ha not been able to give It all tfie attention It need. The tree consist of apple, IM.ar, plum, prone and each. There are a great variety of plums, and these are grafted tin the wild Pottowottomle slock and are very prolific bearer. Every tree I loaded with fruit. Nearly Near-ly every apple and pear tree also bus un abundance of young fruit. The peach trees do not do so well a they are more liable to winter klU and late spring frost some time destroy the fruit, but some of the tree are In bearing. The trees are planted unu-sally unu-sally close together, which wa done to project them from the winds, but ue.; sad . -iuX b-mk ,jJ03tt ipuud the place and Mr. Thompson's luten-lion luten-lion Is to thin the trees out. Mr. Heed learned that the trees should be planted in the furrows Instead In-stead of the ridges and that the tap root should be cut off or planted on a stone so that the roots ould not go too deep. Of course one great reason for the success of this orchard I thnt It I clofe to the river which provides ample drainage. Hut you don't want to belie've any man when he says that fruit cann 4 be ruined in this country, The old settler said that this country would raise nothing but alfalfa, that grain conuhln't be raised, .but (hat has been proved false. Then they told William Jiisfetieu that he was foolish to try to raise vegetables, and today he is raising th' finest kinds of vegetables of every kind as does nearly everybody every-body elte. Now, i bey say tlnt fruit can't be raided, and that 1 being disproved. dis-proved. This doe not mean that It Is advisable (o put out a lo; of ail kinds of fruit, trees i,n new land. .Wall Mil your land ha been cultivated a few years then begin sImw and expedient expe-dient tl'l you know your land and what It will raise. It will probably be found by ex.erlonce that this soli will raise a tar greater varieiy of pro. ducts than h Is now given credit f ir. We don't believe that exer!ence elsewhere else-where counts for very much here. |