COMMERCIAL ORCHARDIXG IN NEBRASKA. 



By G. W. Hervey. 



The commercial orcharding idea that prevailed in Nebraska and 

 some other Missouri valley states twenty-five to thirty years ago has 

 been almost entirely obliterated, through a misconception or lack of 

 understanding in what constitutes successful orcharding frcm a com- 

 mercial, business and practical standpoint. Agriculture, which might 

 be said to embody all features of soil tillage and land uses, has been 

 wrongly interpreted by many of our pioneer settlers. The successful 

 work of a practical or scientific horticulturalist in his efforts of growing 

 and developing orchards, trees, plants and shrubs does not imply that 

 the ignorant, unskilled, untutored in this line of industry can hope to 

 meet with equal • iccess, by merely planting the trees, giving them a 

 little, start in cultivation to direct them forward to maturity, then with- 

 drawing all further attention and care and standing back to see the 

 commercial reward in bowed-down trees — limbs breaking with their 

 weight of fruits. 



This picture, in brief, is the history of commercial orcharding in Ne- 

 braska. Away back in the 80's hundreds of commercial orchards were 

 started in Nebraska, upon no other basis than the discoveiy that the 

 soil and climate were peculiarly suited to the successful development 

 of the fruit trees, that no other district of country could show a moje 

 vigorous, healthy, fine appearing growth of cultivated timber or tree 

 of either fruit or forest variety than were then being grown on the 

 prairie farm. 



This encouraging aspect in tree production and the early bearing 

 inclination of the various standard fruits, that had been tested by prac- 

 tical fruit growers, were the evidence then at hand for the future com- 

 mercial orcharding industry. Upon this basis of cheap lands being 

 quickly raised to a value of hundreds of dollars per acre, the planting 

 of orchards began, and this feature of farm improvement was looked, 

 upon with favor by many as a source of revenue highly advantageous 

 to the farm crop industry as well as a very positive enhancement to farm 

 values. 



Period «f Disiippointments. 



As the commercial orchards came into bearing there was introduced 

 a feature of business qualification that had not been studied, or, in fact, 

 given any attention. The world had been expected to come forward, 

 even to the orchard, in its anxiety and desire to get the fruit. It did not 

 come, though in some instances fruit dealers did come and they bought 



