6 
A PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE 
The apple is the orchard fruit of the district. Pears 
are planted to some extent, as are also plums and cherries, 
but these fruits occupy but a small area as compared with 
the apple. That the pear and some varieties of plums 
and cherries will do well in many places in the Northern 
District there can be no doubt, because some orchardists 
have succeeded with them ; they have succeeded by giving 
that extra care which the young trees demand. The 
standard varieties of pears will, when once established, 
endure as adverse conditions of climate as most varieties 
of apples. It is in the first years after planting that 
' special care and culture must be given in order to insure 
continuous healthy growth. 
An estimate made early in the sgason by Dr. Shaw, Sec¬ 
retary of the State Bureau ot Horticulture, places the area 
in fruit in the Northern District at 2,850 acres. From 
observation and extended inquiry, I am led to regard this 
estimate as conservative, and as nearly accurate as can be 
made from the data at hand. 
The area in fruit in Arapahoe County is about 600 
acres, confined to the extreme western part of the County, 
and mostly to the immediate vicinity of Denver. The 
oldest orchard in the county is that of Mr. L. K. Perrin, 
in North Denver; the largest that of Messrs. Stark Bros., 
near Littleton, which covers ninety-three acres, and con¬ 
tains about 12,000 trees, mostly apple. As further exam¬ 
ples of successful orchards near Denver, I may mention 
the Col. A. C. Fisk orchard, in the southern suburbs, 
which contains 3,000 apple, 1,500 plum and 50 cherry 
trees; also the fifteen-acre orchard at Flitch’s Gardens. 
In the neighborhood of Brighton, near the county line, 
north of Denver, are several small orchards, which give 
every promise of success. A sufficient degree of success 
has been attained in the county to demonstrate that where 
water is available, apples, pears, most varieties of plums, 
and the sour cherries can be profitably grown. 
