296 ILLINOIS STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The essayist of the day was Mr. Fred. Hayden, who read the 

 following : 



SOME OF THE MANY CAUSES WHY FRUIT GROWING DOES 



NOT PAY. 



Without pretending to be free from many of the faults herein men- 

 tioned, I have thought this a more interesting topic than any which has 

 occurred to me. 



One of the greatest causes of failure lies in attempting to cultivate 

 too many acres. You should carefully calculate the cost of cultivating in 

 the best manner every fruit that you grow. No half-way culture will 

 pay, except in rare cases. For instance, I know of a noted horticulturist 

 who planted seven acres of strawberries. He set the plants in poorly pre- 

 pared, lumpy soil ; let weeds get ahead of him, and consequently lost 

 several hundred dollars' worth of plants and labor, as he only marketed 

 a few crates from the whole field. Had he expended one-half the labor 

 on one acre, he might have made a fair profit. Again, I have known men 

 to plant five acres of tomatoes, spreading the labor on five acres that 

 should have been condensed into one, and selling only one hundred and 

 fifty dollars' worth of fruit. Had they put the same labor on one acre, 

 they would have sold more fruit with much less cost. 



Another cause of failure is in growing inferior varieties, from want of 

 knowledge themselves and from too credulous a belief in others, who 

 have poor varieties that they wish to sell. Test every fruit fully before 

 you go in deep. Out of the hundreds of new things that I have tried 

 within the last ten years, but very few have proved valuable. 



I believe that it is a great mistake, also, to plant apple, pear or peach 

 trees on valuable land in or near Alton, with any expectation of deriving 

 much profit from them. Those fruits should be grown on land away 

 from town and of less value ; and only the small fruits, well cared for, 

 should be planted in or near town. 



Do not hire men to work among fruit when good boys, from twelve 

 to eighteen years of age, can be had for less than half the money, and are 

 really more valuable than men, as they learn quicker and are more active 

 than older hands, and the work is mostly light. 



Some fail to gather and market the fruit in time, always going to do 

 it to-morrow, until the fruit is spoiled or the market glutted. Others do 

 not pack in the proper way, when, of course, no matter how good it is, it 

 can not be sold for a fair price. Still others ship to dishonest commission 

 merchants, which can be avoided by a little close inquiry. 



And I say, with my friend Riehl, do not expect to succeed with any 

 one special fruit. You may succeed one, two or even three years in suc- 

 cession, but my word for it the seasons will come, and often, when from 

 some cause you will have no income or crop. Strawberries are one of 

 the surest of fruits, yet they are subject to many dangers, such as frost, 

 when in blossom, drought in summer, the grub, and sometimes an over- 

 crop gluts the market; but if you have a good crop of other fruits com- 

 ing on, you won't miss the strawberries. 



