The sun. [volume], September 07, 1913, FOURTH SECTION PICTORIAL MAGAZINE, Page 7, Image 41

About The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916

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THE SUN, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1913.
MAGIC OF MODERN METHODS
TURNS BARREN WASTES OF THE
WEST INTO GREAT APPLE BELT
TO
i w ra v. si BsiaBB
Miss Lorena Wade -Colorado's
THE great fruit belt of the world
has been slipping to the West
for several years. This is par
ticularly true of the apple crop.
To-day King Apple is securely In
trenched west of the Mississippi River.
Ti.e .hunter la due not alone to fhe
wonderful growth of orchards In the
last twenty years but also to the fact
that Western orchardists have been
inick to adopt the latest Ideas in han
dling and marketing fruit. In fact, the
mere raising of fruit Is of minor im
portance In the eyes of the modern or
clmrdist. The questions of picking,
packing, cooling and marketing are the
factors that count most. A majority of
the failures in the fruit business are
due to neglect of these points, and It
will be found that the fruit kings of
the West have succeeded as much from
tin Ir shrewdness as business men
Ih. ir ability as apple raisers.
The year 1912 was marked by a
etrioui shortage in the apple crop of
Kur. Climatic conditions were bad
In this country, but so many young
ami vigorous orchards were Just com
ing Into bearing in the West that the
crop was nearly normal. The total
' appk crop of the United States for the
year s officially estimated at 39,000,000
barrels, against 36,665.000 In 1911. Ac
oording to the census of 1910 there were
Army of Students Earning Money
IT is customary to call the summer
i i'Ii- in which the college student
i- at liberty the vacation period.
Il really isn't anything of the kind
, 'or many American students It might
better be culled the labor period, for it
during these mouths that the student
Wit), a love of independence seeks em
ployment whereby he may pay his col
lege gxicuiei for the following year.
And in many cases his work is of the
aardi it kind
They nuke B formidable army of
workers, i ins., students, and they are
Mgsgwl In all kinds of industries They
The less lucky
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65,792.000 bearing apple trees in Amer
ican orchards.
The fruit raisers of California have
taught valuable lessons to orchardists
all over the world. They have shown
the value of Intensive agriculture and
of singleness of purpose In fruit raising.
Like the Callfornian. the orchardist
of the Rocky Mountain States Is a
fruit raiser to the exclusion of nil other
products. He makes fruit raising a
specialty, wtnereas the old time orchard,
dear to memory, was only a side issue
on the farm. If the farmer could span
time from his other crops he attended
to picking and shipping, but generally
something else interfered, and countless
barrels of fine apples were left to rot
on the ground.
The modern orchard affords u Sharp
contrast. Perhaps it is a small tract of
five or ten acres, all In Jonathans,
Wlnesaps or another of the fancy
growths that Hiave proved so popular In
recent years. In the comparatively
warm Irrigated countries the trees are
from thirty-three to thirty-five feet
apart, as against forty feet In New
York State and other fruit growing
localities where apple trees attain their
largest growth and live longest.
In the fruit growing localities of the
Nort'hwest the trees are placed even
closer together, affording self-protection
against the steady winds. Much at
tention is paid to the care of the soil
roll up their sleeves, abandon all aca
demic pride and set to work at anything
that will bring them a fair return.
In every part of the country they may
be Been working as tutors, salesmen,
canvassers, waiters, laborers, baggage
men, motormen, conductors, and with
very few exceptions they make good at
anything they undertake. In these ef
forts they are greatly assisted by the
employment bureaus which are a fea
ture of every large college. Nowadays
a poor young man may commence his
university education with "no gold in
bis coffer" and yet feel reasonably cer-
serve M writers.
between trees, and In late yearn it tins
been the custom to grow Canada peas,
cow peas or mime other leguminous
crop In the orchard to restore the nltro
Ken to the soil.
One of she chief reasons why fruit
raising In Irrigated regions has proved
ao successful Is the fact that the lack
of rainfall makes the destruction of
Insect pests a matter of certainty.
Spraying la one of the Western or
chardlst'a regular tasks. On some of
the big fruit ranches of the West It
Is no uncommon thing to see a dozen
spraying wagons lined .up In the or
chard fighting Insects that threaten to
destroy the crop. Spraying wtoere there
Is little rainfall is far more effective
than In a region where a ahower Is apt
to undo nil the orchardlst's hard work
In a few hours. The spraying Is gen
erally done with self-boiled Ume-t
phur and lead arsenate for the fungus
diseases and insect pests that threaten
the life of apple and peach.
rrunlng la another matter thnt la
never neglected on the up to date or
chard. In pruning It Is aimed to se
cure a low head and wide branches
even about the trunk. Pruning season
Is a busy time In the great orchard dis
tricts, and an army of men are kepi
busy for many weeks trimming the
trees in order to get them Into perfect
bearing form.
The story of some of the early West-
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ern orchards reads like romance. An
excellent example Is found in the cele
brated Ashenfelder orchard of several
hundred acres near Montrose, Col.
Twenty years ago title mesa on which
this orchard stands was barren, save
for sagebrush. Nobody had any Idea
that fruit could be raised in the Un-
I
Thousands of Young Men Are
Conductors, Motormen and Tutors and Putting Aside Their
Earnings for Use During Coming Term
tain that he will come through without
much difficulty.
Perhaps one of the softest jobs is that
of the Princeton man who offers to guess
your weight within three pounds or weigh
you free at Coney Island. He does a
thriving business, which is greatly stim
ulated by a quick sense of humor and
an abundance of tact .
Any man who can run a business of this
The railway companies welcome the college
student.
Wonderful Growth of Industry Due to Scientific Means
Employed by Orchardists -Constant Care to Keep
Trees in Good Condition and to Deliver Fruit
to Consumer in Height of Perfection The
M Apple Queen of Colorado"
compahgre Valley. The land was not
even taken up for settlement until
John Ashenfelder, who operated a mule
pack train to the mining camp of Ouray,
in the Ran Juan Mountains, selected
the mesa as a place to grass hla worn
out stock.
Out of curiosity Mr. Ashenfelder
planted a few apple trees. The results
astonished him, and the mule pasture
speedily developed Into one of the larg
est and finest orchards In the West.
The Government has spent millions
of dollars turning the waters of the
Gunnison River through a tunnel Into
the I'neotnpahgre Vulley to water fruit
lands adjoining the Ashenrclder orchard
and the land which was thought to be
worthless for anything but graxlng has
soared to phenomenal values. An army
of ni a are employed In the Ashenfelder
orchard spraying, pruning and irri
gating. Hundreds of pickers and pack
ers are employed In harvest time.
Countless boxes of apples are shipped
from the rancn. besides peaehe, pears
and apricots, and the land which was
used as a mule pasture has become one
of the show places of the Itocky Moun
tain fruit country.
The problem of getting harvest help
in the fruit regions Is a serious one.
Frosts generally come early and there
Packing apples the
must be no delay in getting the fruit in
storage. It Is by no means uncommon
for schools to be dismissed and church
congregations excused In Grand Junc
tion, Palisade and other western slope
fruit centres of Colorado in order that
fruit may be gathered In time. In
Canon City, where the Colorado State
to Pay the
Working During Their Vacations as Waiters, Street Car
kind successfully deserves to wind up
in the diplomatic service. This student's
income is derived chiefly from oliesr
ladies whose weight he wilfully and
craftily underguessts. Under ordinary
circumstances this would mean the loss
of 5 cents, but the fact is that his failure
is generally rewarded.
A woman comes along who must weigh
ut least isu pounds I hediploui.it guesses
penitentiary is located, the warden lias
even turned his "trusties" Into neigh
boring orchards when a heavy frost Im
pended In order to expedite the work of
saving the fruit.
The last spring frosts that visit the
high plateau region of the Western fruit
country are the bane of the orehardlst.
In order to combat these frosts much
attention has been paid to orchard heat
ing In late years. Various makes of
orchard heaters are used, some of them
burning oil and others coal.
A call to the orchards In the spring
is sent out by the ever vigilant Weather
Bureau when frost Impends. Business
men close their stores and children Mock
from the schools to help. The entire
valley is alight by nightfall und Is a
sight never to be forgotten.
It is the general opinion of fruit rais
ers in the West that orchurd heating has
passed the experimental stage and has
proved Its value past all doubt. The
temperature in an orchard can be raised
several degrees, according to the num
ber of heaters used. B is no small task
to keep an orchard full of heaters ulluht.
and where frost has threatened for sev
eral successive nights the strain on fruit
raisers is great, lint those who have
heated their or. hards have had their
reward in good crops, while neighbors
"Western way."
who scoffed at the idea have scored
total failures.
After a good harvest in any Western
fruit raising community there is u time
of rejoicing. Generally there Is a local
fruit fair and a fruit queen is chosen
from among the pretty girls of the sur
rounding countryside. These fruit
Coming Year's Expenses
her weight at 141, and when she takes
her seat iu the swinging chair he so con
trives 'liat the scales show only MM
pounds. If she is with an admirer the
result is a voluntary fee of perhaps a
quarter.
It is at the seashore and the summer
resorts generally that the student worker
is particularly in evidence A favorite
scheme is for a number of students who
A Princeton man who guesses your weight at
Coney Island.
queens from the various apple raising
communities attend the big apple show,
which Is generally held In the State me
tropolis, and there is lively balloting for
the supremo favorite.
The present apple queen of Colorado
is Miss LoTSM Wude, from the I'uonla
fruit district on the western slope. She
was winner in an exciting voting con
test at the Denver apple show, with
rlvuls from Canon City and other fruit
raising districts.
Nursery Inspection is playing a big
part In raising the standard of fruit in
the United States. There are forty-six
States with nursery Inspection, general
or county officers inspecting all nursery
stock once or twice a yeur. In 1SS1
there were only four States with this
sort of Inspection
The discovery of the San Jose scale
in 1KS3 led to a plan of having all nur
sery stock shipped under certificates.
These certificates are recognized in all
Statis that have stock Inspection. In
some States the nurseryman must file
his certificate before selling. In others,
all stock must be fumigated before being
sold or shipped. It Is recognized that
his country has Inefficient plant quar
antine regulations, but the danger of
importing diseased trees Is minimized
by the severe local stock inspection
winch has grown up in recent years
in nearly all fruit raising States,
The revolutionary changes in picking
and handling fruit have ull come from
California, whose model fruit growers'
exchange handles 14.000.000 boxes of
citrus fruits with a minimum of loss.
The United states Government if now
are musicians to organise an orchestra
and seek engagements iu a summer hotel.
This, sort of employment is well paid
ami a college orchestra is always very
popular. The result is a well spent
summer ami a tidy bit of money saved.
Others who are less lucky htvimw wait
ers, clerks, vorters and bellboys,
At Brighton Reach there are a score
of men from Yale and Cornell and other
colleges, athletes most of them, who work
as life savers. Miuiy of them have fine
records and they are generally to be seen
surrounded by ad mi ring young girls.
The pay in this service is not great, but
Many athletes find employment with the life guards.
engaged In an exhaustive Investlgatio
of the best methods of handling fruits
from tree to murket.
Prompt and efficient precoollng if
recognised as one of the best methods
of securing n minimum of decay anl
deterioration. Precoollng plants have
been erected at great expense by ship
ping associations and by railroads.
Through a vacuum process the natural
heat of the freshly picked fruit is re
moved, bringing the fruit from core ts
surface to the exact temperature of ths
refrigerator car.
Most of the fruit raisers belong is
local associations and must obey Strict
rules as to grading and packing. Triors
is no more shipping of Inferior fruit as
first class and no more rough handling
on the trees or In transit to the storage
plants. Every detail of the apple's prog
ress from the tree to the wholesaler
is watched closely, and the motto of on
of the biggest fruit associations in the
West Is: "Yotl can eut our applet In the
dark." Any IkiX of apples that Is not
up to grade will be replaced by the as
sociation in the locality where It is sold,
and the fruit raiser who shipped the
inferior fruit is subject to a fine. These
are some of the things that have in
trenched King Apple so securely on bit
throne in the West.
Hobble Skirt Furnishes New
est Railroad Danger
FiR several years women passen
gers on street cars and rail
road cars throughout the coun
try have been objecting to the high
steps, asserting not only that they
make it difficult to get on or off cars
but nls.i that they are a source of
danger, particularly In the case of
young children and elderly women.
Now the railroad companies have
started a back fire which may vl'
not nsuit in iyi -'"'' 'complaints
yf iu 'inn. The street car com
panies have not as yet followed the ex
ample of the railroads.
A few days ago the Pennsylvania
Railroad declared that many accidents
to Women White entering or leaving its
cars were directly due to hobble skirts
and high heels. The injuries sustained
have ranged, from slight cuts and
sprains to broken bones.
A new order, which is posted on the
trainmen's bulletin boards at all points
on the main lino of the Pennsylvania
mad, directs conductors and brakemen
to make particular note of the style oi
skirt and the height of bed worn by
any worn. in passenger who may slip
on the steps of a car either while enter
ing or leaving, while her probable age
ami the attending circumstances of the
accident are to be recorded also. No
insistence is made upon ascertaining
the exact age of the passenger, These
data are to be Immedlatelj forwarded
to designated officials of the company,
who an- to place them on Die for future
reference if complaint is made to t lie
company by the passenger injured. Al
ready a number of such report! have
been receive.! by the company n( us
New York. West Philadelphia, Altoona
and Wilmington offices.
"If women passengers on the Penn
sylvania Railroad Insist on wearing
such mantraps. ..r rather womentraps,
as hobble skirts and high heels they
cannot hold this company responsible
for accldl nts which may happen to
them." said an official of the company.
"Aside from the question of whether
the car steps are too high, which we
deny a the case, women passenger!
who wear such contrivance! are, w
think, guilty of contributory negli
gence, and We believe the courts will
so bold."
Even a tombstone will say good thing!
of u fellow when he's down.
Better to have loved a short girl than
never to have loved a tall.
in College
the work lias the merit of affording plenty
of open air sport
Perhgp! the largest percentage of
students take to selling books. These
men earn their title of II. A. before they
actually complete their course. In this
case, however i the it. A. docs not stand
for bachelor of arts, but for book ugent.
The earnings of college men vary. As
a rule their income fur the summer
months amounts to about t'.'iKi, though
many (kiss this mark. One, t'olumbia
student hung up an enviable record not
long ago when for fourteen weeks work
he showed earnings aggregating usi tJJ,