VAI.LEY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 27U 



RENEWING THE FRUIT GARDEN. 



BY DR. A. L. SMALL. 



[f we koop our I'ruit j^ardcns productive iiiul reap froivi tliciii 

 such harvests of fruit as we are entitled to expect, we must re])laiit 

 much oftener than is usually' practised. The inij)()rtaiKe of tlie 

 frequent renewal of fruit ])lantations is well understood and acted 

 upon by the wide-awake and jjroj^ressive market j^'ardener, but does 

 not seem to be realized by the average possessor of the fruit garden. 

 The usual way is to allow the old plants to stand year after year, 

 bearing each year less fruit and of poorer equality. 



This is the season for planting. Let us commence to reform liy 

 putting out a few young plants of strawberries, raspberries. Idack- 

 berries and grai)es. even if the number of plants of each kind is 

 very small. Prepare your ground well, cultivate and take care of 

 them, and you will be amazed at the amount and quality of the fruit 

 you will get. Next year plant a few more, and so on each year, and 

 you will thus keep u]) a constant annual supply of these fruits. You 

 do not need to go to the nurseryman or tree-peddler for your sup))ly 

 of young plants. Strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries all fiii-- 

 nish you an abundance of young ])lants without any extra care on 

 your part, and young plants of grapes can be so easily grown from 

 layers, that the labor and care of growing them is hardly worth 

 mentioning. 



Do not put off planting this spring because you think you have 

 not time to make what you consider a res])ectable ])lantati()n. if you 

 do. the i)robabilities are that you will be in the same situation next 

 spring, and so put it off from year to year and do without the fruit. 



Almost every man has, at some time of his life, become con- 

 vinced of the value and importance of a fruit garden for his family 

 — a good one was planted, and for one, two, or three years, and pos 

 sibly longer, if well cared for, an abundance of good fruit was sup- 

 plied the family, but after a very few years there was no more good 

 fruit grown, and the inferior fruit produced was hardly worth 

 gathering. 



While the garden was producing an almndance the owner and 

 planter took great satisfaction in congratulating himself that his 

 duty as a fruit planter had been performed for a life-time. That 

 was the fatal error. Had he realized the importance of renewing 

 his plantation, ami practised the planting of a few new beds or rows 

 each vcar. the ])roductiveness of the garden might have been fnllv 

 maintained. 



Of varieties 1 will say l)ut little. Plant anything that you or 

 your neighbors have found productive ami good. 



Attend our meetings this summer and bring sainjiles of your 

 fruit, each in its season, and we will then be better able to decide 

 which are the best varieties for us to plant. 



