446 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ JUD* 4 , 1891. 
over, the local market is particularly good from the fact that 
one-third of the population of the State is engaged in mining at 
from 7000 feet to over 11,000 feet above sea level, where gardening 
is out of the question, while another third is resident in cities. 
This state of things seems more likely to increase than otherwise, 
and hence the good prospects for local fruit farms. 
The following items will also be intere^ting to English readers:— 
The man who planted the first Apple tree in Colorado in 1863 was 
William Lee, a native of Surrey, now residing about four miles 
from Golden m Jefferson County, Colorado. He carted his first 
Apple trees over 600 miles across the plains from the nearest nur¬ 
sery before the railroads were built. One of the most successful fruit 
growers and market gardeners at Boulder City about thirty miles 
from Denver, is John Brierley, a Lancashire man. In the town of 
Colorado Springs, William Bush, baker, an Englishman (I do not 
know what county he comes from) has a garden 150 feet long by 
100 feet wide. A few years ago he read a paper on fruit grow¬ 
ing before the State Horticultural Society, showing that his garden 
contained seventeen Apple trees, seven Cherry trees, six Pear trees, 
four Plum trees, 100 Gooseberry and 100 Currant bushes, and several 
Grape Vines, while two-thirds of the ground was planted with 
Strawberries. From this small town garden he took in one season 
640 quarts of Strawberries, 500 quarts of Currant^, and 400 quarts 
of Gooseberries, exclusive of what was consumed by the family. 
At Wheatridge, four miles from Denver, oue of the finest orchards 
is that of David Brothers, formerly farmers in Suffolk. At Canon 
City, in Fremont County, John Gravestock from Hertfordshire, 
has a fine orchard and vineyard and nursery stock. So other 
Englishmen throughout the State might be mentioned who have 
Lad years of local experience in fruit growing and could be con¬ 
sulted by any emigrant. 
The proper way for a practical man with capital, more or less, 
is to come out to Colorado and see for himself, buying nothing 
until he has looked round thoroughly. He will learn more and 
realise it better by seeing than he possibly can from reading about 
it. On the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado at 
various places, and more particularly at Canon City and vicinity, 
he could see numerous fine young orchards. At Canon City, Judge 
W. B. Felton, a friend of mine, has a ten-acre orchard and fruit 
farm, the first stock of which was planted in May, 1881, yet in 1889 
he cleared from the ten acres, after paying all expenses, over 
3600 dols.—that is, more than £70 sterling per acre, his Apples alone 
from 5^ acres amounting to 4750 bushels, which sold for over 
£800. A visitor on the western slope in Montrose, Mesa, and Delta 
counties, particularly in the valley of the Grand River, can see 
stone fruit and Grapes to perfection in orchards of from five acres 
to 160 acres in extent. For instance, among the newer orchards 
Messrs. Hughes & Rose four years ago planted 13,000 Peach trees 
on 160 acres of land, which it is anticipated will yield this season 
from present appearances 60,000 boxes of Peaches, worth gathered 
in the orchard 3s. per box. It is a well recognised fact that ten 
acres of Apple or Peach trees in Colorado will pay much better 
than ten acres of Oranges either in Florida or California. 
Land suitable for fruit growing can be obtained on reasonable 
terms in various parts of Colorado, which existing orchards prove 
to be suitable for the purpose, and of course an Englishman 
coming here should look all round and satisfy himself before 
locating. I have just returned from a visit to a district about to 
be laid out in orchards, particulars of which will doubtless be 
interesting to your readers as illustrating how things are sometimes 
done here, and how an industrious, enterprising, and practical man 
can make a start even on a small capital. I may say that I am in 
no way personally interested in the property except as a possible 
purchaser of a small portion of it. On the north bank of the 
Grand River in Garfield county, about sixty-five miles above the 
town of Grand Junction (already celebrated for its Peach orchards), 
is Grass Valley, containing about 15,000 acres, with a gentle slope 
to the south, and protected from the north, west, and east by cliffs 
and hills ; in fact, a sheltered ncok among the mountains, and the 
beau ideal of an orchard site. The soil is a fine alluvial deposit of 
great richness and depth, rich in gypsum, lime carbonates, and 
oxide of iron. In colour it is part a dark brown and in part a red 
colour, such as produces in California and Colorado the largest crops 
of fruit. The trans-continental railroads, the Denver and Rio 
Grande, and the Colorado Midland from Denver to Salt Lake city, 
traverse the valley with frequent trains, and the local station is 
called Antlers, as the district yet abounds in deer, and antlers are 
common. A company has built an irrigating canal, twenty-one 
miles long, conducting an abundant supply of water from a moun¬ 
tain stream, so as to make 15,000 acres of the valley land capable 
of cultivation, as is the rule all over Colorado, where sunshine is 
nearly perpetual, the rainfall being only about 14 inches per 
annum. In Colorado we do not simply go to church and pray for 
rain for the crops, then do nothing ; but also go to the irrigating 
ditch and turn the water on from the mountain streams, which 
are supplied from streams and melting snows. 
The company has a 1000 acres farm on which this year they 
are sowing or planting 300 acres of Oats, 100 acres of Wheat, 
100 acres of Indian Corn, 40 acres of Potatoes, 3 acres Onions', 
60 acres Navy Beans, 5 acres of Hops, 20 acres of miscellaneous 
stuff such as Melons, Tomatoes, Celery, &c. ; also planting nearly 
20,000 fruit trees, exclusive of Grape Vines, small fruits, shade 
trees, and 20,000 Apple root grafts. Outside their own farm the 
Company has already sold this season about thirty small orchard 
tracts, ranging from 5 to 15 acres each at from 50 dols. to 75 dols. 
per acre, all ploughed and ready to receive a crop or trees. As 
some people are not prepared at once to go and live there, the 
Company for 200 dols. per acre sell a 10 acre or larger tract, fenced, 
planted with eighty-four fruit trees to the acre of standard varie¬ 
ties of Apple, Pear, Peach, Plum, Apricot, and Cherry, cultivate 
and care for the same for three years, guaranteeing at the end of 
that term 90 per cent, if the trees shall be living and flourishing. 
Even this 200 dols. per acre does not have to be paid at once, but 
can be paid by easy instalments, without interest. The Company, 
on its own orchard land and on the land sold in small orchard 
tracts, plants this spring over 25,000 trees, and other land owners 
in the valley are planting about 20,000. While I was there two 
Frenchmen from Normandy, who have bought 10 acres from the 
Company, ordered 800 fruit trees and 2000 Grape Vines. The 
Company has also laid out 40 acres close to the railroad station, 
as a town site to be called “ Antlers,” in the centre of which is a 
public square on which all shops will face. No lots in the town 
site are sold except to those who will at once build houses, and 
every deed contains a clause against the sale of intoxicating liquor. 
A per-centage of the price of every acre of land sold by the 
Company will be appropriated for the establishment of a public 
library in the town. As this town and valley are on the main 
line of railroad, within easy range of the rising watering place of 
Glenwood Springs, and of the great mining cities and districts of 
Leadville and Aspen, it is easy to see that Grass Valley has a 
great future before it. I may also mention tliat not many 
miles up the valley of the Grand from Antlers are stations 
on the railroad called Newcastle and Cardiff, so named on account 
of the vast local deposits of coking, anthracite, and other coal, 
which are only just commencing to be worked to any extent. 
There are also in the same neighbourhood large bodies of iron ore, 
slate, marble, &c., which, with the coal before mentioned, are certain 
to I’esult in the location of a considerable manufacturing population 
at no distant date. Just above Antlers in the Foot Hills I 
went up to where coal crops out of the ground and farmers go there 
and simply fill their waggons with a spade as at a wharf. 
In Colorado Wheat yields 20 to 50 bushels per acre; Barley, 
40 to 90 ; Oats, 30 to 75 ; Peas, 30 to 60 ; Potatoes, 100 to 400 ; 
Cabbages, from 10 to 35 lbs. each, and often 50,000 lbs. to the 
acre. Upwards of 1000 bushels of Onions (field culture) have 
been produced to the acre, and sold at Ss. per 100 lbs. One man 
got 500 dols. per acre on pickling Onions. Cauliflowers are grown 
15 inches in diameter. Celery makes wonderful crops, and Grapes 
15 tons to the acre. Tomatoes produce 12 tons to the acre 
Carrots, 1000 bushels to the acre, and so on. 
The schedule of prices which prevailed during 1890 was as 
follows :—Strawberries, from 15 cents, to 20 cents, per quart; 
Peaches, Pears, Plums, Apples and Grapes (averaged) 10 cents, 
per lb. ; Cherries, 15 cents, per lb. ; Oats, 60 cents, per bushel ; 
Wheat, 1 dol. 20 cents, per bushel ; Indian Corn, 80 cents, per 
bushel ; Timothy, 15 dols. per ton ; upland wild grass, 15 dols. 
per ton ; Alfalfa or Lucerne, 8 dols. 50 cents, per ton ; Potatoes, 
90 cents, per bushel ; Cabbage, Onions, &c., 2 cents, per lb. 
In the older portions of the State orchard lands, in bearing, 
are held at from 700 to 1000 dols. per acre, while unimproved 
lands adapted to fruit culture, are held at from 100 to 150 dols. 
per acre. 
In conclusion, such places as Grass Valley are well worth per¬ 
sonal investigation by the right sort of men, and if any such come 
from England to Denver and will call on me, I will give them in¬ 
troductions to different successful fruit growers, which will ensure 
their having a good insight into “ Fruit farming in Colorado.” 
The Editor has my address. — TnOM.\s Tonge {formerly of 
lliEanchester, Enyland). 
WASPS. 
A COERESPOXDEXT gave a word of warning in the Journal of 
May 21st, page 407, as to the unusual number of queen wasps which 
appear to have been abroad lately, and he advises a can of water and 
syringe to be always about, so as to damp the wings of the wasps and 
render capture easy. 
In a very large garden, however, something more than this must be 
done, and remembering the old adage that “ a stitch in time saves nine,'*' 
