120 PROCEEDINGS OF THIRTY-THIRD FRUIT-GROWERS ' CONVENTION. 



the streams and may extend for several miles from the lakes into the 

 mountain canons. 



The greatest areas which are available for fruit purposes lie along the 

 Okanogan Lake, on both shores, east and west, and it is probable that 

 in the aggregate from 25,000 to 35,000 acres may be planted. These 

 lands are now mostly in the hands of speculators and are held at from 

 $75 to $200 per acre and will average probably about $125. The terms 

 on which they are sold bring the payments due in two or three years, 

 which is before anything can be realized from fruits grown on the lands. 



The cost of the land is by no means all the expense, as in many in- 

 stances it requires as great an outlay to remove the stumps and prepare 

 the land for fruit as the original purchase price of the land. Then, in 

 addition, there is the long, weary wait for trees to grow. This is sof- 

 tened somewhat by the raising of berries, or some other product, between 

 the trees while they are too young to bear, and thus far it has been very 

 profitable. 



The orchards through this section, though young, are great produ- 

 cers, the principal tree fruits being apples, pears, plums, some peaches, 

 cherries, and crabapples. So late as the 25th of November I picked 

 apples from the trees at Creston, and while the mountains surrounding 

 were covered with snow down to within a few hundred yards of the 

 orchard, still the fruit was unharmed. 



The statistics as to the fabulous quantity which some of the orchards 

 turned off would sound like a reproduction of the "Arabian Nights." 

 From the very best authority I was told that as much as $1,800 was real- 

 ized from single acres of orchards in a single season, and these state- 

 ments were verified by sworn affidavits. While I in nowise discredit the 

 foregoing statement as to the amount realized from a single acre, still at 

 the same time I would not advise any of our California fruit-growers to 

 sacrifice their orchards at bargain prices to go into this section for the 

 purpose of fruit-growing; not that fruit growing under intelligent con- 

 ditions would not be profitable, but the general lay of the country is 

 such that one will not be surrounded with unique social conditions, 

 which we enjoy to so great an extent in our orchard sections of Cali- 

 fornia. 



The scenery is magnificent— grand. Trips about the lakes are ex- 

 tremely interesting and healthful, and it is a fact that the means of 

 transportation ■ and communication already furnished are all that can 

 be asked or expected for such a rough, mountainous county and one so 

 new and sparsely settled. 



There is no doubt, also, that the marketing facilities for the fruits 

 grown are the best, and will continue to be good, for within a day the 

 products can be landed in most of the larger cities in Alberta and 

 British Columbia. 



