18 BIENNIAL REPORT 



ORCHARD STATISTICS. 



The inspectors have made a very thorough inspection of the orchards in 

 Bavalli, Missoula, Flathead and Yellowstone counties, where most of the 

 fi-uit trees are found, but were unable to visit all the orchards in other coun- 

 ties, where but few trees are planted, and they in widely separated locali- 

 ties. Mr. Harlan reports by far the larger number from Ravalli county, there 

 being 245 orchards, containing 342,415 trees of 156 varieties. 



Missoula county comes next with 209 orchards and 152,529 trees, and 

 Flathead with 208 orchards and 56,560 trees. 



The totals for the state as returned by inspectors are: 



Six hundred and ten thousand trees, of which 555,545 are apples, 12,647 

 pears, 22,677 plums, 17,820 cherries and 1,650 peaches. 



This total should be increased by probably 10 per cent, for small and 

 outlying orchards not visited. These figures do not include the planting 

 of the past season, which is estimated at 250,000, making a grand total of trees 

 now planted and growing in the state of 900,000. 



There is no reason to doubt that this rate of increase will be kept up for 

 the next five or ten years, by which time the industry will have assumed 

 enormous proportions. 



That it is a permanent one, no one conversant with the facts can 

 doubt, and that it is as worthy of encouragement as sheep or cattle raising, or 

 any other branch of husbandry, is beyond dispute. 



Something over 110,000 bushel boxes of apples were grown in the state 

 in the past season. A fair crop of pears and plums, and an enormous crop of 

 cherries were grown. 



Less than ten per cent, of the trees have arrived at full bearing age. 



There is no reason to doubt that within five years the yield of the 

 orchards of Montana will exceed half a million boxes, and a 

 million within ten years, which at a fair valuation of $1.00 per box, would 

 make a million dollars annually paid out to the citizens of our state instead 

 of being sent to other states, for by far inferior fruits. The standard Cali- 

 fornia apple box of 10x11x201/^ inches inside measurement has been adopted 

 in this state and the same is now used by California, Oregon, Washington, 

 Idaho and Montana. It was found impracticable to obtain statistics that 

 would be accurate or do justice to the small fruits. Suffice it to say 

 that strawberries are grown and marketed in immense quantities, while in 

 quality they are unsurpassed by the berries of any other state. 



Large quantities of the finest blackberries, raspberries, currants, goose- 

 berries, etc., are grown and succeed wherever planted. Small fruits have few 

 or no active enemies in Montana, and the future possibilities for the industry 

 are very great. 



The reports show that the orchards of the state are practically free 

 from serious disease or insect pests, and it is the hope and belief of the 



