534 ^ ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



take hope, thousands of premises will be without a single fruit tree 

 or ornamental bush. 



Thus the small grower is face to face with a most serious prob- 

 lem. Failing to grow his own fruit, how will he secure a supply for 

 himself and family? Buy it you say. That is indeed the only alter- 

 native, but it is not a perfect solution. Fruit, as an article of diet, 

 is an absolute necessity to the maintenance of good health. It regu- 

 lates the body, cools the blood, tones up the system, and is a direct 

 preventive of fevers. When it must be bought it will be considered 

 as a luxury and consequently will not be supplied to the average 

 famJly with necessary liberality. 



The only solution of this problem lies, I hold, in the application 

 by the small grower, of modern scientific methods of orchard prac- 

 tice whereby he can maintain his end of the business and grow 

 better fruit and more fruit with fewer trees at very little, if any, 

 additional expense. 



In the hope that a recital of the chief points of the cardinal opera- 

 tions of orchard practice in so far as they apply to the small grower, 

 will add to the numerous successes already attained, thanks to the 

 campaign of education conducted for the past few years by the 

 Economic Zoologist, Prof. Surface, I submit the following sugges- 

 tions: 



Since Pomologists agree there are special adaptations of fruit 

 to soils it is but wise to folloAV their direction for the small grower 

 as well as for his big brother, the commercial orchardist. Briefly 

 stated the rule of adaption is heavy soil for Pome fruit, (ai>ple, 

 pear, quince); light soils for stone fruits, (j>each, plum, cherry, apri- 

 cot). Of course some of our fruits are very cosmopolitan, as the 

 apple, for example, which can be more or less successfully grown 

 on a large variety of soils, but it still remains that none of them 

 are indifferent to even slight variations in land and whenever there 

 is any choice within the narrow limits of the small orchardist, he 

 should avail himself of the advantage by planting most largely of 

 the varieties best adapted to his soil. When there is no choice then 

 fruits can be made to grow on soils which are uncongenial to them 

 by working tliem upon adaptive stock. Thus the plum may thrive 

 upon sandy soil when it is budded upon the peach and the pear is 

 sometimes grown on light soils by working it upon the mountain 

 ash. No varieties as a rule should be planted but such as are known 

 to do well in the immediate neighborhood. 



In choosing a site or location for a new orchard reference should 

 be had to elevation and exposure, very high hill lands or very low 

 bottom lands are alike unfavorable because of their exposure to the 

 regions of the weather in the one case, and the danger of buds and 

 blossoms to the killing effects of frosts in the other. The choice 

 location being land somewhat elevated above its surroundings and 

 gently sloping toward the north and west, thus insuring both soil 

 and atmospheric drainage as well as retardation of bloom in the 

 spring. 



In up to date practice cultivation and fertilization go hand in hand 

 in the production of any crop and are absolutely essential in grow- 

 ing a crop of fruit which is a crop after all the same as wheat or 

 corn or potatoes, and being such it makes the same demands upon 

 the soil. 



