1884.] THE farmer's small-fruit garden. 35 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 



The meeting was called to order at 2 o'clock, Mr. Barstow 

 ill the chair. 



THE FARMER'S SMALL-FRUIT GARDEN. 



BY J. H. HALE. 



A little four-year-old darling in our family, when afflicted with 

 some slight pain or ache, used often to amuse us, when asl?:ed what 

 the trouble was, by saying "I feel bad, but I don't feel lady 

 Now I mean small-fruit garden, not small fruit-garden, for as a 

 rule farmers' fruit-gardens, or orchards rather, are usually large 

 enough, giving an abundant supply of the larger fruits, such as 

 the common varieties of apples and pears, but are deficient in the 

 small fruits; and it is my purpose here to speak in behalf of these 

 choicest of God's gifts to man, possessing as they do the following 

 advantages over the large fruits : They are more easily propagated, 

 hence are less expensive to start with; bear much sooner after 

 planting. Many of them ripen at a time when there are no other 

 fresh fruits to be had, and as a rule may be depended on to 

 produce a crop every year. Tliey are not only delicious luxuries, 

 but substantial and healthful articles of food. While the plants 

 of strawberries, raspberries,' blackberries, currants, gooseberries, 

 and grapes, either in bloom or in fruit, are often very beautiful, 

 many of them may be trained in forms that will greatly enhance 

 their beauty while not in the least injuring their fruiting qualities. 

 Raspberries or blackberries thickly planted and closely pruned can 

 be made to do good service as a trusty hedge, and no better 

 highway or division fence can be had than a four-strand barbed- 

 wire fence covered with grapevines. We intend to do this about 

 our whole farm within the next year or two. 



Complaint is often made through the agricultural press that 

 farmers as a rule have less fresh fruits than city people. And to 

 a certain extent this is true ; it is not, however, as many seem to 

 suppose, that the farmer sells all his fruit for the sake of the 

 money it will bring, but from the fact that being busy from one 

 week's end to the other with the general affairs of the farm and 

 often being at his wits' end to make both ends meet, having to be 



