HORTICULTURE 



121 



Many men from the east comiti"- into western conditions have so nmich 

 to forget and so much to learn, that they would be discouraged in the 

 attempt As a rule, the most successful fruit growers in the west come 



from those professions which require exactness, punctuality 

 Fruit-Grow- and good business training. Successful fruit-growing in the 

 ing Requires Northwest demands that certain operations be performed at 

 Good Busi- definite times, and in a specific manner. Improper pruning 

 ness Meth- curtails the revenue of the trees. Delays in cultivation and 

 ods. irrigation retard the growth and development of the fruit. 



Careless, indifferent spraying allows the pests to attack the fruit, 

 which makes it unmarketable at remunerative prices, and, while Montana 

 is freer from fruit pests at the present time than any other fruit section, yet 



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Fruit Farm at Libhy. 



the careless manner of caring for the orchards has been responsible for 

 heavy losses in orchard operations. 



The natural conditions for fruit and vegetable growing are such that, 

 if trees are properly planted and seeds sown as they should be, a bountiful 

 harvest in due time is assured, but with the evolutionary changes of con- 

 ditions which always follow develo]5ment, the degree of success is measured 

 by the skill and aptitude of the grower. 



The Bitter Root valley, includinsr INTissoula and vicinitv, stands fore- 

 most in orchard development. This valley, lying in the southwestern part 

 of the State, has a mean altitude of 3,300 feet, is about one hundred miles 

 In the long, from one to twenty miles wide, and is traversed its entire 



Beautiful length by the Bitter Root river, which empties into the Mis- 

 Bitter Root ^^^^^^ river near Missoula, and represents as many orchard acres 

 Vallev ^^ ^'^ ^^^^ other fruit-raising sections combined. The orchards 



in this valley range from the home orchard of about a hundred 



'Sunshine and success brighten the eye and lighten the heart in Montana. 



