130 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



that "Farming combined with Fruit Growing" may, with proper 

 management, be made very successful. 



There are many advantages to be derived from "Farming com- 

 bined with Fruit Growing," and probably they appear more 

 prominently to the grower of small fruits than to the orchardist. 

 One great advantage, and probably the greatest one, is that the 

 small fruit grower is able to concentrate all his force at a given 

 point when necessary. I think there is no difficulty in managing 

 a small fruit farm of thirty or forty acres in,connection with the 

 same amount, or possibly a little more devoted to farm products, 

 with very little, if any, more hired help than would be necessary 

 to successfully run the thirty or forty acres of small fruits alone. 

 I, however, wish it understood that my allusions in this matter 

 are confined to the growing of small fruits, plums, cherries and 

 pears particularly. With apples I have had but little experi- 

 ence, as I have always thought that a fruit 'so universally grown 

 as the apple was not of much use to the professional fruit 

 grower, and I must say from what I have seen of apples in 

 general, I have been led to think that a curse has been left upon 

 them by our first parents that all the efforts of their offspring 

 have been unable to remove, and I know that at the present day 

 the apple is a frequent source of discord and profanity. 



Another benefit to be derived from farming combined with 

 fruit growing is that the person so engaged has a greater diver- 

 sity of crops to depend upon ; crops that will find employment 

 for himself and help, and be a source of income during the 

 winter months, at a time when otherwise he would be living on 

 the profits, (if any), of the past season; or, as is frequently the 

 case, anticipating the crops of the following year. He can also, 

 at the same time, retain such help as he may desire to assist him 

 in harvesting and disposing of his farm crops during the winter 

 months, thereby avoiding the disadvantage of having to take such 

 Tielp in the spring as may be available, whether suitable to his 

 purpose or not. On the amount of land specified he would be 

 able to grow enough wheat to produce a sufficient quantity of 

 straw to use for mulching, bedding for his stock, and for many 

 other purposes for which straw is needed. He could also raise 

 enough corn, oats and hay to feed all the stock that it would be 

 necessary to keep for his calling. That there are not many fruit 

 growers who have this amount of land of their own necessary 

 for the purposes mentioned, I admit, but I have had no difficulty 

 so far, in being able to lease land at a fairly reasonable rate to 

 produce the crops named to meet all my demands. And though 

 it may not at first sight appear to be a strictly Christian principle 

 to take crops from my neighbor's land to enrich and improve my 

 own, I do not think that public opinion has anything to do with 

 a matter of this kind so long as the parties interested arc satis- 

 fied. 



