July, 1907 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



163 



duced hitherto, notably the Coldstream 

 apples and the Summerland peaches, 

 has attained a high standard. The 

 apples from this valley obtained the 

 highest awards at the Royal Horticul- 

 tural Society's Show in 1906, the awards 

 being for the attainment of a certain 

 fixed standard; not as is erroneously 

 supposed, in competition with exhibits 

 from other parts of the world. This 

 is encouraging, but the high price 

 secured by the fruit in open market is 

 even more satisfactory. The price of 

 the best irrigible land' at present is 

 from $150 to S200 per acre. An article 

 on the climate and irrigation will be 

 published in another issue. 



SETTLERS TO THE PROVIXCE 



The Vernon district is popular with, 

 settlers from England and eastern 

 Canada, and the same may be said of 

 Kelowna. The newer settlements lay 

 themselves out to attract the ever 

 increasing number of farmers in the 

 prairie provinces and Manitoba who 

 are turning further west in search of 

 less rigorous conditions. Summerland 

 and Peachland find great favor amongst 

 settlers from the prairie provinces. 

 Summerland attracts a particular class 

 in virtue of the absence of a liquor 

 license, and the establishment of a 

 Baptist College in the newly-formed 

 municipality. 



EXPENSES OF LIVING 



The cost of living is high to eastern 



ly speaking, about $5,000 are required 

 for everv ten acres of land to cover all 

 the expenses of culture, planting, fenc- 

 ing, modest buildings, living, and so 

 forth, until the orchard produces some 

 income at the end of five or six years. 

 The net profit to be expected from an 

 orchard in full bearing has been esti- 

 mated variously, but always without 

 consideration of the important and in- 

 constant personal factor, which rend- 

 ers all such estimates unreliable. It 



. The Fruit House, Coldstream Estate 



Photograph by H. Gordon 



is, however, beyond question, that 

 skill and industry' may receive hand- 

 some reward in this pursuit. Experi- 

 enced growers of vegetables and small 

 fruits may utilize the spaces between 

 the trees to obtain a return during the 

 earlv years; a careful study of market 

 and labor conditions is necessarv be- 



The necessary common labor is scarce 

 and dear. The question is becoming 

 serious, and already orchards are show- 

 ing evidence of neglect forced upon 

 the owners by the difiiculty of obtain- 

 ing labor and by the high rate of wages. 



MARKETS 



The chief market for the produce 

 of the valley lies in the northwest prov- 

 inces and Manitoba. The favorable 

 geographical situation of the province 

 indicates the wide possibilities for the 

 opening up of other markets. There 

 can be little doubt that markets will 

 be found for all fruit of good carrying 

 and keeping quality. 



TRANSPORTATION 



The means of communication through- 

 out the valley — railways, lake steam- 

 ers and roads — are scarcely adequate 

 to the needs of a rapidly growing and 

 important agricultural and horticul- 

 tural district. It is a truism that en- 

 terprise in these directions . brings its 

 own reward. There seems an excel- 

 lent opening for the establishment of 

 a system of light electric railways 

 connecting the chief centres and giv- 

 ing them outlet north and south. 



PESTS AND INJURIES 



The provincial authorities exert them- 

 selves to prevent the incursion of pests 

 and have so far succeeded in prevent- 

 ing the arrival of the San Jose Scale 

 and other foreign scourges. But the 



A British Columbia Home and Young Orchard near Victoria , 



Photograph furnished by R. M. Palmer 



inadian and English eyes, but is no fore embarking on this branch of hor- boast that pests are entirely unknown 



iore than in the west generally. The ticulture. The districts of Armstrong can no longer be made ; ' the usual 



DSt of caring for the orchard cannot and Enderby excel in the production troublesome and injurious ones are aris- 



estimated with accuracy, but rough- of some vegetables and strawberries. ing from within. 



