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Show 40 HISTORY OF SANPETE COUNTY. quainted with the natural advantages. Many thousand acres could be planted with profit and in addition to supplying the outside market, a mammoth starch factory among the numerous prospective industries that could be erected and supported in the county. is The county has never been considered a fruit-growing region, but there are about 500 acres planted to various trees and vines, the yield reaching over 18,000 bushels yearly. Some of the most extensive apiarists in Utah are located in Sanpete, there being over 2000 hives of bees owned, and the annual output of honey reaching almost thirty-five tons. The growing of fruit and bees increases every year and soon this county will be entitled to the additional cognomen "the land of fruit and honey."' The rich alfalfa grows luxuriantly everywhere, feeding the bees and furnishing nearly 50,000 tons of hay annually. In addition to the alfalfa hay fully 15,000 tons of wild hay are harvested every year, and used chiefly in feeding 5000 milch cows, 6000 horses and other domestic farm animals used as the servants of the industrious and frugal citizens. All agricultural lands in the county require irrigation to produce crops, hence this modern science has been thoroughly developed by the Sanpete pioneers. The cooperative or community plan was practiced in early days, all farming one field and every man assisting in constructing and maintaining the canals and ditches. Water was taken from the several mountain streams by gravity courses, with but little expense except labor, and distributed equally, according to the area cultivated. Since the passage of the general incorporation act of 1884, there have been thirty-one canal and ditch companies incorporated in this county, having an aggregate of |1,645,130 as capital stock. A majority of the companies consist of the citizens of the towns where ditches |
