148 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



FRUIT GROWING: ITS DEMANDS AND ITS ENEMIES. 



BY DR. JABEZ FISHER OF FITCHBURG. 



In considering this subject, it is not my purpose to attempt 

 to cover all the ground that the title might seem to include, 

 but rather to treat of a few of the more important points that 

 I desire to emphasize, which, though essential to success, 

 yet are apt to be neglected or overlooked. There are a num- 

 ber of excellent treatises in the market which give full and 

 explicit directions for all the conditions and manipulations 

 required for the growth of an orchard, vineyard or other 

 fruit plantation. I prefer to begin by considering the 

 especial demands of the plant when full grown, and ready 

 for the production of a crop of fruit. 



Suppose we take an apple orchard of this description, cov- 

 ering an acre of land, and inquire if it has at its disposal all 

 the elements of fertility required for full fruitage. What is 

 the amount of plant food rendered available by the unaided 

 forces of nature during a }^ear ? Is it sufficient for the pur- 

 pose, or must it be supplemented by art? Every neglected 

 orchard in the Commonwealth contains' within itself an 

 answer to this last question. They virtually say, " We arc 

 starving; without help we can do but little; feed us, and 

 we will feed you." 



Let us inquire how much fertility can be permanently 

 depended upon without any additions to the soil. We may 

 obtain from the grass crop an explicit answer to this inquiry. 

 Fair, average upland, fit for orcharding, will yield continu- 

 ously, one season with another, without cultivation or fer- 

 tilizing, we may say two-thirds of a ton of hay. I think 

 this lo be a generous estimate. The average yield of all the 

 hay in the State for the ten years 1880-89 inclusive is 1.00 

 tons per acre, as given in the " Album of Agricultural 



