MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. 34T 



THE HOME ORCHARD. 



The home orchard and fruit-garden should contain a sufficient 

 number of plants, vines and trees to grow an abundance of fruit 

 for family use. Beginning with strawberries it should also contain 

 raspberries, currants, gooseberries, grapes, cherries, quince, pears, 

 plum and apples, and a number of varieties of each,ripeningin regular 

 succession, so as to keep up a constant supply of good fruit the whole 

 year. It would be a matter of causing health and pleasure if carried 

 into practice. 



Yet, in place of this we find a great many farmers in Missouri who 

 do not grow half enough apples and peaches to do their families, to 

 say nothing of the other fruits. One fatal mistake made by many is 

 the common practice of replanting the old orchard in place of planting 

 a new one every 10 or 15 years. Not over one in ten of all the re- 

 plants set in old orchards will ever reach a profitable bearing age. The 

 mules, calves and stock get the most of them. 



The land for berries and small fruits should be very rich and pre- 

 pared in autumn by deep plowing, pulverize it thoroughly and plant 

 in spring. Cultivate and keep thoroughly clean of weeds and grass. 

 Garden truck may be grown to advantage in the home orchard and 

 fruit garden. 



Keep plenty of poultry and let the chickens have free access to 

 your fruit garden and orchard, they will give you double service, to wit : 

 in their product and in cleaning up insects and protecting your fruit. 

 Bees are also a great help to the fruit-grower, and aid in the fertiliza- 

 tion of the fruit buds, and in addition thereto furnish a supply of fresh 

 honey. 



We hear much about spraying, and I am a friend to spraying, in 

 fact the commercial fruit-grower must spray, but the farmer has not 

 time nor will to do it. We have been spraying for the last 15 years, 

 yet not one farmer in a hundred in Missouri is spraying. So permit me 

 again to urge upon you the importance of clean cultivation and the 

 keeping of poultry. 



If the family orchard and fruit garden is on deep rich soil and 

 cultivated often and in a manner to keep a fine pulverized surface, and 

 two to three hundred chickens are allowed to run in the same, you will 

 have but little damage from insects, and this system of culture will 



