CHAPTER III 
IMPROVED UV. UNIMPROVED LAND—PRICES OF LAND— 
CAPITAL REQUIRED 
IMPROVED OR UntmprRoveD Lanp.—Almost every man 
who is thinking about growing fruit in British Columbia 
finds himself sooner or later face to face with the question, 
Shall I buy raw land and clear it myself, and after that 
plant my own trees, or shall I buy an orchard that is 
already planted, or even an orchard in full bearing? The 
answer is partly a matter of temperament, partly a matter 
of capital, and partly a matter of business calculation. 
The man who cannot command the requisite amount of 
capital for a planted, or even for a partly planted, 
orchard must of necessity content himself with raw 
land, because raw land, it need not be said, costs con- 
siderably less than improved land (vide p. 18). But 
even though a man does possess the necessary amount 
of capital, it does not therefore follow that he will be wise 
to buy an orchard that is already in bearing, or a young 
orchard recently planted. Some people are naturally im- 
patient and eager for tangible results. To such the long 
wait whilst the trees are growing up is likely to become 
very irksome and trying. Naturally, they prefer to buy 
an orchard that is actually in bearing or within measur- 
able distance of bearing. On the other hand, there are 
quite a number of people who would consider the selec- 
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