CAN WE MAKE IT PAY? 275 



fruits. The apple trees that will return one hun- 

 dred dollars at the end of five years will return five 

 hundred dollars at the end of ten years and eight or 

 nine hundred dollars at the end of fifteen years. It 

 all depends upon your being able to get along with 

 a small income during the first two, three, or four 

 years of your country life. 



I have seen very much better chances than I have 

 outlined, where an old place comes into the market, 

 somewhat out of repair perhaps, but with a good 

 deal of fruit already obtainable. The care of such 

 a place requires patience and scientific principles of 

 pruning as well as feeding the trees. In Florida I 

 have noted a large number of bearing orange and 

 grapefruit groves sold at a nominal figure, but re- 

 turning a very handsome sum the very first year. I 

 can find places in New England where the income 

 would be just as liberal from apples and pears. A 

 peach orchard often drops into the market, in Dela- 

 ware or Maryland, and an apple orchard in Mis- 

 souri or Oregon that is as good as clear profit. 



Growing for market in these days is quite a dif- 

 ferent problem from what it was before the railroads 

 undertook to carry our produce a thousand miles to 

 sell it. It compels our trusting middlemen with our 

 crops. Where, the market is five thousand miles away 

 or five hundred even, the ordinary grower loses 

 entire control of his fruit or grain as soon as he puts 

 it on board the cars. If he gets an inadequate re- 

 turn it is very difficult to sift the case and secure 



