1364 Department of Agriculture 



Lastly, the fruit grower, of all tillers of the soil, should know 

 the plants he works with ; should have an insight into their life 

 processes; should know how they are affected by external condi- 

 tions ; should understand the more or less distinct individuality of 

 each tree. Fruit plants are various in kind and trees of one kind 

 are often quite unlike because the conditions under which they are 

 groA\Ti are dissimilar and because plants are inherently variable 

 and plastic. It follows then that conditions must vary for every 

 person who grows fruit and that there must be more or less diverse 

 ideals, diverse methods and diverse results. But certain forces, 

 embraced in what we call " good care," have brought all fruits 

 from the wild to their present state of domestication, and these 

 forces, modified and refined as we gain new knowledge, must be 

 kept in constant operation. 



U. P. Hedrick 



Horticulturist, Neiu York Agricultural 



Experiment Stcution, Geneva 



The following statements and tables arc given by the United 

 States Census Bureau in 1910 and are the latest reliable estimates 

 made. 



By reference to the production of various counties a fair idea 

 of the availability of certain areas for the growing of the dif- 

 ferent kinds of fruit may be obtained. 



Orchard fruits, grapes, nuts, and tropical fruits: 1909 and 

 1899. — The following table presents data with regard to orchard 

 fruits, grapes, nuts, and tropical fruits. The acreage devoted to 

 these products was not ascertained. In comparing one year with 

 the other the nimiber of trees or vines of bearing age is on the 

 whole a better index of the general changes or tendencies than the 

 quantity of product, but the data for the censuses of 1910 and 

 1900 are not closely comparable and the product is therefore com- 

 pared, althongh variations may be due largely to temporarily 

 favorable or unfavorable climatic conditions. 



