Febniaiy 29, 1908 



HORTICULTURE 



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SMALL FRUITS. 



A papei' i-ead before the Vermont Horti- 

 cultural Society by Wilfrid WTieeler. 



In taking a view of tlie fruit situa- 

 tion of the country in general, one is 

 apt to underestimate tlie value of the 

 small fruit crop, giving prominence to 

 the apple and orange crop, putting 

 them down as more important contri- 

 butions to the fruit industry — statis- 

 tics, however, show us that the straw- 

 berry alone is grown in as large quan- 

 tities as the apple, and forms through- 

 out a shorter season, as necessary an 

 adjunct to the fruit consuming public 

 as any other fruit produced. 



The Situation in New England. 



From a commercial standpoint as yet 

 in New England small fruits have not 

 attained as much importance as they 

 deserve. The strawberry is perhaps 

 an exception to this rule, particularly 

 in the vicinity of our large cities, 

 where it is grown chiefly to supply the 

 local market, but even then the amount 

 of this fruit grown is small when com- 

 pared with the South and the West, 

 where thousands of acres are devoted 

 to strawberries which are grown and 

 shipped to markets from 500 to 3000 

 miles away. This shows what quick 

 transportation has done for a crop 

 which forty years ago was produced in 

 the home garden. 



-■\t present the people of New Eng- 

 land glow about one-half the small 

 fruit that is needed for their consump- 

 tion, leaving the balance to be supplied 

 from other states. This lack of small 

 fruits is particularly noticeable in the 

 rural districts, where many of the far- 

 mers are engaged in dairying and do 

 not consider it necessary to provide 

 their families with the fruits which 

 are so delicious to eat and so easily 

 grown. Then, too, in those outlying 

 parts of the country there is a large 

 amount of wild fruit, such as blue- 

 berries, rasiJberries and blackberries, 

 which can be had for the picking and 

 which to a certain extent fill the place 

 of the cultivated fruits, but to my mind 

 these are only poor substitutes for the 

 home grown article which can be gath- 

 ered at your back door, and which ex- 

 cels in quality and flavor the unculti- 

 vated varieties. 



Quick Returns. 



Few people realize that the straw- 

 berry, also the currant and goose- 

 berry, can be successfully grown 

 among young apple and pear orchards, 

 thus insuring a quicker return from 

 the land than by waiting from seven 

 to ten years for the larger fruits to 

 bear. Study your conditions and it 



you are growing fruit at all see if you 

 cannot get in some of these small 

 fruits and help out your income as 

 well as furnish you with an occupation 

 a part of the year when the general 

 work of an orchard is more or less 

 slack. 



Small fruits come at a season when 

 they are particularly needed and 

 wished for, and should on that account 

 be welcomed and appreciated, and the 

 growing of them should appeal to 

 those who are interested in fruit cul- 

 ture, not only from an economical 

 standpoint, but also from what might 

 be termed the home garden point of 

 view. Here in Vermont where you 

 have a large summer population the 

 question of supplying it with fresh 

 fruit ought not to be a difficult one 

 to solve, when you have the straw- 

 berry bed, the blackberry and rasp- 

 beiTy patch, and the currant and goo.se- 

 berry bushes to depend on. 



It is often the cases in country towns 

 and especially those near small cities, 

 that the few berries that are raised are 

 sent away and the unlucky house- 

 holder who has failed to supply his 

 own needs from his garden finds it im- 

 possible to buy any fruit near home. 



Yet these people from the city are 

 willing to pay well for something they 

 can't get at home, but with which you 

 can supply them right here on your 

 own farms, namely, fine, fresh fruit. 

 Then, too, where many of the farmers 

 drive every day to railroad stations 

 and large towns with their milk, but- 

 ter and eggs, it would be a source of 

 additional income to add a few boxes 

 of choice berries to the load and either 

 take them to the local market or de- 

 liver them to the householders of the 

 town, for your small city is often sup- 

 plied from fruit sent from Boston, 

 which when it arrives is hardly fit for 

 use and could not in any way compare 

 with the native crop. 



Easy of Culture. 



When you consider that these small 

 fiuits, the strawberry, raspberry, 

 blackberry, currant and gooseberry 

 can be grown to perfection on almost 

 any soil and with almost any exposure, 

 can be made a profitable as well as a 

 pleasant occupation, aside from the 

 other work of the farm, there will 

 really be no excuse for not planting 

 them to the extent of your ability to 

 care for and your market to handle 

 such crops. 



We need more home fruit gardens in 

 New England, and especially gardens 

 where the healthy, pleasant and profit- 

 able occupation of small fruit-growing 

 for commercial purposes is undertaken. 

 Then we would not see our markets 



filled with the products of other states 

 and the money which might be ours 

 going in other directions, not infre- 

 quently out of the country altogether. 

 One other important need in connec- 

 tion with small fruit growing and that 

 is more men, more young, efficient, 

 well qualified men to take up this im- 

 portant branch of horticulture, to take 

 it up in a sensible, thoughtful, scienti- 

 fic way, realizing, of course, that there 

 are drawbacks and disadvantages as 

 there are along any line of work, but 

 determining at the same time to make 

 a success of small fruit growing in New 

 England. 



The Outlook for the Industry. 



The outlook for this industry was 

 never more encouraging than at pres- 

 ent. With a developing country, a 

 shifting population, a grand exodua 

 of the people from the city to the coun- 

 try during the summer and above all 

 with a largely increased appetite 

 among all the people for small fruits, 

 there is a demand for greater efforts 

 on the part of the horticulturist of the 

 country. Then again new uses are al- 

 ways being found for these fruits, they 

 are now used in so many forms of pre- 

 serves, in medicines, and since the pure 

 food acts their juices are actually being 

 found on the soda water fountains. 



A very important point which ought 

 to have the consideration of New Eng- 

 land fruit growers is the shipping of 

 our surplus small fruit crop to some of 

 the southern cities. Some years the 

 larger northern cities are overcrowded 

 with strawberries, while some of the 

 southern markets are unsupplied and 

 would gladly welcome the fruit which 

 is being sold at home at a loss. You 

 ship a perishable article like milk 

 great distances; why not try the ex- 

 periment with small fruits? 



About the Strawberry. 

 Of the strawberry, the most impor- 

 tant of this group of small fruits, I 

 wish to speak somewhat at length. Its. 

 ease of cultivation, its great adapta- 

 bility to soil and climate, the quick re- 

 turns it gives, the beauty and quality 

 of its fruit, all combine to make it the 

 most popular fruit in the world. There 

 is probably no climate between the 

 north and south temperate zones that 

 the strawberry will not grow in and 

 we find it under such varying condi- 

 tions in the hundred acre field and in. 

 tbe city back yard, growing and flour- 

 ishing and producing its wealth of 

 crimson fruit for the joy and refresh- 

 ment of mankind. In spite of the ease 

 with which the strawberry grows, 

 there are a few general directions 

 which should not be forgotten when, 



