A Fruit Survey or Mesa County 
5 
Orchard Mesa and Redlands Mesa orchards are, except those men¬ 
tioned, young, and most of them have never borne. On account of 
the uncertainty of irrigation water, many of them have been neg¬ 
lected and are in poor condition. 
TIME OCCUPIED IN SURVEY 
The field work of this survey was begun early in the summer 
of 1915 and finished late in the fall. The data were carefully 
worked up at the Agricultural College in Fort Collins during the 
winter. Due to the enforced absence of the junior author during 
the summer of 1916, the publication of the results was delayed sev¬ 
eral months. 
METHODS USED IN SURVEY 
In order to get detailed information in regard to the situation 
in Mesa County, very complete blank forms were prepared for use 
in the survey. See Page 6 for reproduction of this form. The 
fruit growers were visited personally and the information re¬ 
ceived from them recorded on the blanks. Care was taken to get 
accurate answers to the questions asked. The blanks were filed 
away in order until ready for tabulation. In working up the notes, 
caution was used to put the orchards in their proper sections. Thus 
it was possible to determine with a fair degree of accuracy the 
acreage and kinds of orchards located in each section of the Val¬ 
ley. The trees were divided into age classes, to show approxi¬ 
mately their state of production. The four classes used were, six 
years and under, classed as non-bearing trees; seven to ten years, 
eleven to fifteen years, and sixteen years or over. 
For convenience, the Valley was divided into five districts by 
the range lines, and each named after the town located in it. That 
part of the Valley lying east of the range line which runs about 
one and a half miles east of Clifton, is called the Palisade District. 
That in Range 1 East, or lying between the aforesaid range line 
and that running just west of the Teller School of Agriculture and 
Mechanic Arts, about one mile east of Grand Junction, is called the 
Clifton District. The Grand Junction District comprises that land 
in Range 1 West and extends westward from the above range line 
to that lying just west of the Ute switch of the Denver & Rio 
Grande railroad. From this range line to that one mile west of 
Fruita is the Fruita District, and the fifth, or Toma District, ex¬ 
tends from the latter range line to that just west of the town of 
Mack. The northern and southern limits of these districts are 
marked by the highest irrigation system on the north and south 
sides of the river. These districts are clearly shown on the map. 
U„ OF ILL L/c> 
