yn 



THE ORCHARD A RECREATION AND SOMETIMES A 

 SOURCE OF PROFIT 



EVERY farmer worthy of the name would have 

 about him enough fruit trees to supply at least 

 the needs of his family for the year. It is well known 

 that there are many localities where the character of 

 the soil and the contour of the surface are peculiarly 

 favorable to orchard products. On the other hand, 

 there is hardly a farm in the United States which will 

 not produce some kind of orchard fruit in sufficient 

 abundance for family use. There are vicissitudes of 

 the weather which are obnoxious to all orchards, even 

 in the most favored localities, but a fruit tree which is 

 properly cultivated and properly nourished will have a 

 power of resistance which is quite phenomenal. In 

 this respect the tree and the human body are quite alike. 

 The well nourished body is very resistant to disease. 

 The well nourished tree is peculiarly resistant to the 

 vicissitudes of the environment to which it is exposed. 

 One broad principle should be laid down as the basis 

 of tree culture, namely, the tree should be nourished 

 in such a manner as to promote its vigorous growth in 

 the early part of the season. Plant food and cultiva- 

 tion should be so adjusted as to secure a complete hard- 

 ening of the new vegetation before the frosts of autumn 

 set in. It is a mistake to manure a fruit tree and 

 cultivate it and water it in such a manner as to have 



it still green and growing when winter approaches. ' 



46 



