Northern Fruits and Fruit Growing. 85 



dent. Tme, accidental success in horticulture is better than none, 

 but very unsati-^factory is the pursuit of any calliug without a 

 knowledge of the fundamental principles which govern that 

 department of industry, narliculture is no exception to this 

 fact, and our western fruit growing has been largely of this kind 

 of work, experiment after experiment, trial aft^r trial. Success, 

 ignisfatuus like, ever receding, never found, in short a "going it 

 blind," and all fur the want of a true knowledge and faithful ob- 

 servauce of the laws of vegetable growth. 



Purposing to make this paper intensely practical, I will not stop 

 to inquire the why and the wherefore of these natural conditions, 

 but taking these facts as they appear, wuU endeavor to show the 

 practical side of successful fruit growing in central and northern 

 Wisconsin. Premising with my oft repeated proposition : First, 

 that fruit is a necessary adjunct of our diet ; and, pec;)nd, thit as 

 a rule the masses must grow it, or have it grown within easy reach, 

 or go without it. 



Northern fruits have some strong points of disiiuction from 

 tho-e grown south. Thf y are more meaty and less pulpy than 

 southern fruits, and it is this which gives northern fruits their 

 superior keeping quality. Oar northern climate develops starch, 

 the southern develops sugar. The most intensely acid fruit, as 

 well as the very sweet juices, are the products of the south, as 

 the lemon and the banana. But our northern fruits are milder 

 and more suitable as food than any we can import from the south. 

 We find also a differeuce in the quality of the same varieties. 

 The further north an apple or pear can be grown, the more firm 

 and finegrained its texture, and if well matured, its juices are 

 also richer and its coloring more perfect. Losing in size, but 

 gaining in specific gravity and concentration of juices by northern 

 growing. 



Still more apparent is the difference of habit and constitution 

 which adapts one species and variety to a northern climate, while 

 others of same species are totally unfit for the north. This shows 

 us that we must have natural hardiness or endurance to be suc- 

 cessful in a given climate and soil. Example native fruits : 

 Siberians, Russians, the cranberry, blueberry, currant and apple, 



