TKe Cream of tKe Hootenay 



One of a series of articles on fruit growing in British Columbia, written by a staff representative of Tiie Canadian Horticulturist, 



who recently visited the leading fruit districts of that province. 



Eighteen Duchess Apples 



on a Fifteen-inch 



Branch. 



ALOXG the banks of the Columbia 

 River, in what is known as the 

 Kootenay District, is located one 

 of the best fruit sections of British Colum- 

 bia. Some of the best lands in the prov- 

 ince are, as yet, 

 of butlittle value 

 owing to draw- 

 ^ ,. jjji^v backs that will 



W ?!^t|v '^^ removed in 



^j^K'^T time. These in- 



clude poortrans- 

 portation facil- 

 ities, distance 

 from market and 

 other similar 

 handicaps. 



The unusual 

 advantages of 

 the fruit lands 

 near Robson are 

 bringing that 

 section to the 

 front rapidly. 

 The land is rich 

 and easily 

 cleared, good 

 markets are 

 readily avail- 

 able, and the 

 transportation facilities are the equal of 

 any section in that province. Robson is 

 situated on the Columbia River. It is 

 one hour and ten minutes run on the 

 Canadian Pacific Railway from Nelson, 

 a city known as the inland metropolis of 

 British Columbia. Within one mile of 

 Robson is Castlegar Junction, which 

 gives direct connection to the boundary 

 country, Rossland, Nelson and the 

 main line points east and west. Steam- 

 ers bound for the Arrow Lakes, and 

 making connections with points on 

 the main line, leave Robson daily. 

 Transportation facilities are ideal 

 when compared with lands in other 

 sections of the province where the 

 growers have to depend on a 

 freight steamer that calls at inter- 

 vals or when they have to drive 

 many miles to market their fruit. 

 Our representative had heard 

 much about Robson, and decided 

 that the best way to get at the true 

 facts of the district was to visit the 

 land. A day was spent in going 

 over the property in company with 

 five other gentlemen who were in- 

 terested in fruit lands. One of the 

 party, a Mr. Snider, had spent $500 

 in looking over fruit lands in other 

 parts of British Columbia. He 

 was so impressed with the soil 

 and possibilities that he bought 

 two lots and asked to have others 

 reserved for him. Others in the 

 party have since purchased lots. 



Many of the settlers were busy clearing 

 their property and erecting houses for 

 their families. This is an easy task owing 

 to the small timber on the land and the 

 close proximity to a sawmill where 

 lumber can be purchased and "rafted" 

 to the owner's waterfront. 



Most of the soil along the river is of 

 .excellent quality and is suitable for the 

 culture of all kinds of fruit usually grown 

 in that latitude. The lower land is sur- 

 veyed into long, narrow strips, with an 

 average acreage of fifteen acres. Each 

 lot has a river and road frontage. The 

 north end of each lot abuts the upper 

 bench which rises gradually to a height 

 of about 400 feet. The land can be 

 cleared at a cost of from $30 to $80 an 

 acre. The land is valued at $100 an 

 acre, which is very reasonable. 



NO IRRIGATION NECESSARY 



The average annual precipitation of 

 the district is about 28 inches, and, 

 what is of more importance, the rainfall 

 is fairly evenly distributed throughout 

 the year. May and June each average 

 about two and one-half inches of- rain; 

 July, one andone-quarterinches; Aiigust, 

 three-quarters of an inch, and Septem- 

 ber one and one-third inches. 1907 has 

 been rathefa wet year. In August as 

 high as seven inches of rain was recorded. 

 It is evident, therefore, that suflicient 

 moisture may be calculated on for filling 

 out the fruit and producing a heavy 

 crop. Irrigation, therefore, is im- 

 necessary. 



In addition to the rainfall a consider- 

 able amount of moisture percolates 

 from the mountains and, on some lands, 

 forms a natural sub-irrigation system. 

 Even in an exceptionally dry summer 



the soil, on much of the land, is moist 

 enough to grow the most tender crops. 

 The land has a gradual slope to the 

 Columbia River, which makes a costly 

 system of drainage unnecessary. Abund- 

 ance of good drinking water is available. 

 A great natural advantage possessed 

 by this land lies in the fact that it faces 

 the south. It is protected from the 

 north by a high bench of land that 

 makes it an almost ideal spot for the 

 culture of tender fruits or early vege- 

 tables. The protection afforded from 

 the north winds makes the temperature 

 several degrees warmer than in other 

 places less favorably situated. 



.MILD WI.NTERS 



No fear of winter-killing need worry 

 the Kootenay fruit grower. For the 

 last three winters the lowest recorded 

 temperature in Nelson has been six 

 degrees below zero, and that was in 

 February, 1907, when British Columbia 

 experienced one of the worst winters of 

 modern times. In an average winter 

 in this district, zero is very seldom 

 recorded. The winter seldom com- 

 mences before December or extends 

 beyond February. In March, as a rule, 

 cattle can find a hving in the brush on 

 the clover which runs riot and grows 

 abundantly everywhere. Late frosts 

 are practically unknown. 



It should be carefully noted, however, 

 that these mild winters are confined to a 

 comparatively small area", and that one 

 hundred miles or so from the centre of 

 the Kootenay a much lower tempera- 

 ture is met with. The Kootenay dis- 

 trict is a sunny district. It is not in ths 

 Drv Belt, and does not suffer from 



Bird's-eye View of Robson, B C, with the Columbia River in the Distance. 



14 



