122 MONTANA 19U 



trees to the commercial orchards np to two thousand acres. 

 The first commercial orchard in the valley was planted near Stevensville 

 by the Bass brothers in 1870. The first planting- in the State of the Mcin- 

 tosh Red, "The Apple That Made Montana Famous," was made in 1877 near 

 the same town by Amous Buck. These trees are still strong, healthy and 

 productive. 



Next to the Bitter Root valley in horticultural importance comes that 

 part of Flathead county lying- tributary to Flathead lake. Following- these 

 sections we find Carbon county ; Sanders county, from Plains to Trout 

 Creek, and Lincoln county. In Jefferson and Yellowstone counties some 

 valuable orchards are to be found, and in fact in every valley of the state 

 that is sufficiently developed bearing orchards are to be found. In those 

 not having been settled long enough for the trees to have reached a bearing 

 age, many young orchards are located. 



The orchard acreage of the state is approximately thirty thousand acres, 

 about twenty thousand of this being young orchards not yet in bearing. 

 The annual planting of the state for the past six 3^ears has exceeded a 



million trees. 

 Thirty Horticulturally speaking, except the citrus and other sub- 



Thousand tropical fruits. ^Montana presents conditions for the growing of 

 Acres of a large list of fruits, the succe<=;s of their growing being nieas- 

 Orchards. ured by the care with which the growers select the varieties 

 and the location upon which they are to be grown. 



The apple is the principal commercial fru't grown, and Montana Mc- 

 intosh, Wealthies and Gra^'enstines have established a reputation of their 

 own whenever they have entered the markets. Many other varieties de- 

 \ elop a high quality. 



Cherries rank next to the apple in im[)ortance. Manv carloads of sour 

 cherries are shipped annually froni the Bitter Root and Missoula valleys, 

 and also from the Flathead. 



No fruit shipped from the Northwest has created the sensation in the 

 eastern markets that the first carload of sweet cherries did in New York in 

 iQio. The Bing and the Lambert were the varieties. By the expert dealers 

 they were pronounced to be the choicest quality ever shipped 

 Our Sw\''et into the eastern markets. Their firmness, texture, attractive- 

 Cherries ness in size and color and delicacy of flavor placed them in a 

 Made New class by themselves. There are a few locations west of the 

 York Take range where the soil and other conditions seem to be right for 

 Notice. the production of ideal Bing and Lambert cherries. This fruit 

 has proven to be very remunerative to the grower. The largest 

 bearing sweet cherry orchard in the state is located in the Bitter Root 

 valley. The largest sour cherry orchard is on the shores of Flathead lake. 

 During the past three years there have been heavy plantings of the sweet 

 cherries, and the day is not far distant when the eastern markets will be 

 supplied with the luscious sweet cherries from Montana. 



— Get the habit! Tell all the tvorld of marvelous Montana. 



