Kansas Fru its . 133 



We saw no crescent marks of that little Turk, the curculio, on the 

 apples ; but we were told the plums gave evidence that he was ad- 

 vancing westwartl with the march of empire, and was already across 

 the Missouri. We do not, however, apprehend much trouble from in- 

 sects for many years in Kansas. Where trees grow so luxuriantly as 

 they do in this virgin soil, they have the power of resisting insects, just 

 as a man of vigorous constitution resists disease. When an animal, 

 or vegetable, becomes enfeebled, then the parasites make their attacks 

 with success. If this deduction from our limited observation is correct, 

 then the most successful mode of resisting insects at the east is the 

 thorough cultivation of our orchards, and keeping the fruit trees in 

 vigorous health. But even the careful cultivators at the east must labor 

 at comparative disadvantage with those at the west, as the former are 

 surrounded with a midtitude of old and neglected orchards, that are so 

 many breeding-nests of insects. They may take never so good care 

 of their trees, and still these trees will be much in the situation of a 

 healthy man surrounded by those diseased. 



Some may wish to know about the market for Kansas fruit. At 

 present, the market, beyond the home demand, is in Western Kansas, 

 Colorado, Iowa, and other western sections, where either the soil and 

 climate are uncongenial to fruit, or the trees and vines have not yet 

 come into bearing. The Messrs. Farrell, the great fruit dealers at 

 Leavenworth, assured us that the market was unlimited. They paid 

 fifty cents per bushel for apples, delivered at their store by the market 

 wagons, in an unassorted and untidy condition ; and after being as- 

 sorted and barrelled, they commanded three dollars and fifty cents per 

 barrel. The Kansas farmers are only beginning to learn that fruit is 

 an object worthy of their careful attention. At present the great ma- 

 jority of the farmers are as careless of their orchard products as it 

 seems to an eastern farmer they are of their flocks and herds. They 

 are in the condition of the boy learning to read, who said he knew one 

 letter now, and being asked what that was, replied, " Let her slide." 

 If Kansas farmers do justice to themselves and to their facilities for 

 producing fruit, an eastern, and possibly a European, market is open 

 to them. The price of pears in Kansas last fall was three dollars per 



