id 



February, 1908 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



39 



'atic cultivation would assist in conserv- 

 ing the moisture in the soil. 



All of the land at Kelowna being sold 

 by the land companies has facilities for 

 irrigation, if such is required. The rain- 

 fall is not as heavy as at the northern 

 end of the valley, nor can Kelowna be 

 said to be in the dry belt. The temper- 

 ature is never cold such as is experienced 

 in Ontario and the summers are not 

 excessively hot. Plowing starts about 

 the first of March and our representative 

 was able to pick sweet peas and dahlias 

 when there on Oct. 22. 



Fruit growing is not in an experi- 

 mental stage in this district. Kelowna's 

 export of fruit last year was over 1 , 1 14,000 

 pounds. As the value of land is best 

 judged by results it should be mentioned 

 that tomatoes grown on one acre of 

 land (5,000 plants) sold for $1,700; 

 one-half an acre of strawberries were 

 sold for $626. Several growers gave 

 ample proof to our representative that 

 the returns from their land had been 



valley have learned the lesson that 

 good fruit properly packed is what 

 the markets demand, and they are 

 endeavoring to meet this demand. 

 Splendid crops of tobacco also are grown 

 in this district which is bringing high 

 prices on account of its good qualities. 

 On every side evidence can be seen 

 where the early settler has come and 

 cleared the land and in most instances 

 they are now comparatively wealthy 

 men. Hard work is necessary, but the 

 reward is large. 



The steamer stopped next at Peach- 

 land. This part of the valley, as its 

 name implies, is a suitable location for 

 the culture of peaches. During last 

 summer the first large shipments of 

 peaches were made from this place. 

 Within the past four years thousands of 

 peach trees have been planted here and 

 at Summerland, a few miles farther 

 down the lake. The excellent climate 

 and soil, in addition to the splendid 

 system of irrigation, makes Peachland 



I gi' 1 1>->;-, 



in'w: Tl^i 'i»V7r..'i^p^ f>sW rvsiliiKk 



Young Fruit Orchards at Penticton, B.C. 





equally as good. Fruit from this sec- 

 tion has won prizes repeatedly at the 

 large British Columbia and British 

 fruit shows. 



The product of the district is looked 

 after by four large fruit packing estab- 

 lishments. The largest of these is 

 operated by Messrs. Stirling & Pitcairn, 

 who buy and pack fruit independent of 

 the local fruit growers' exchange. This 

 firm has such a good reputation as 

 packers of good fruit that Prof. F. E. 

 Sears, of the Ma.ssachusetts Agricultural 

 College, recently ordered a box of 

 apples to be sent to the college at Am- 

 herst for the purpose of demonstrating 

 the most perfect plan in the packing 

 of apples for export as practised at 

 Kelowna. During last summer this 

 firm shipped cherries as far cast as 

 Montreal, where they arrived in excel- 

 lent condition. The Kelowna Farmers' 

 Exchange also ships large quantities of 

 fruit. The growers in the Okanagan 



and Summerland splendid locations for 

 peach orchards. 



At the southern end of Okanagan Lake 

 is Penticton, a town that is rapidly 

 coming to the front through its bright 

 prospects as a fruit centre. The prop- 

 erty that is attracting the most atten- 

 tion is the old Ellis Ranch. This estate 

 comprises some 30,000 acres of land, 

 extending from twelve miles north of 

 Penticton to the international boundary 

 line, a distance of fifty-six miles. Nearly 

 25,000 acres of this land can be brought 

 under cultivation by irrigation. The 

 2,000 acres of bottom lands have been 

 under irrigation for some time, and have 

 been producing some excellent mixed 

 crops. A large reservoir has been con- 

 structed that supplies water to the 

 upper benches (as the higher lands are 

 known), on which hav,e been planted 

 thousands of peach and apple trees. 

 Our representative spent several days 

 in the vicinity of Penticton, and in- 



spected a large part of the land and 

 system of irrigation in company with 

 L. W. Shatford, M.P.P., a well-known 

 authority on fruit growing in that sec- 

 tion. Land was seen that, previous 

 to the practice of irrigation, had never 

 grown a crop. Since the moisture has 

 been supplied the land has grown some 

 of the largest peach trees ever seen by 

 our representative. Nature has sup- 

 plied the right kind of soil. 



The Southern Okanagan Land Co. 

 have a system of selling their land 

 whereby a purchaser may contract with 

 them to plow, plant, fence, prune and 

 cultivate the orchard until it is in bear- 

 ing, at which time the owner can build, 

 his home and live on the property. 

 Several orchards that are cared for in 

 this manner were visited by our repre- 

 sentative in company with Mr. W. F. 

 Kydd, of Simcoe, Ont. Mr. Kydd, who 

 is a well-known fruit grower in Ontario, 

 said that for sturdy growth of trees, 

 cultivation of the soil, absence of weeds, 

 and general thrifty appearance, he had 

 never seen the equal of the land that has 

 been planted and is being cared for by 

 this company. 



Eastern fruit growers must not forget 

 that in buying unimproved land in 

 British Columbia they must be prepared 

 to do pioneer work as many of their 

 fathers did when eastern Canada was 

 settled. They can look for quicker and 

 greater returns, however, owing to the 

 facilities afforded by advanced civiliza- 

 tion, and the larger markets for the 

 fruits produced. — W.G.R. 



Onion sets is a term applied to small 

 onions that are planted out in the spring. 



Mushrooms should show in from five 

 to eieht weeks, and the bed continue to 

 vield for two or three months. 



Closely allied to the onion is the com- 

 mon garlic. It can be grown in the 

 north, but is not so largely used here as 

 in southern countries. 



Swiss chard or leaf-beet is grown in 

 the same manner as the common table 

 beet. The fresh leaf stalks are cooked 

 and served like asparagus. 



If onions for an early market are re- 

 quired, I start them in a hotbed some 

 time between February 15 and March 1, 

 and transplant them to the outside about 

 April 15. I plant them three inches 

 apart in rows 30 inches apart. Plenty 

 of cultivation is required to secure best 

 results. Onions like a sandy loam bet- 

 ter than a black loam, but a good crop 

 can be grown on either soil. They 

 should be ready for market some time 

 from July 1 to 15, depending on the 

 season. — J, MacNamara, Bracondale, 

 Ont. 



