173 An American Fruit-Farm 



bling of a soil and its constant use, care, and 

 cultivation. 



Stupid indeed is the would-be fruit-grower who 

 ignores the soil, neglects cultivation, and yet expects 

 fruit. He leaves the land wild yet demands fruit 

 possible only from highly cultivated soil. As the 

 supreme purpose in fruit-growing is fruit, the su- 

 preme rule is to do the things that end in fruit. 

 Climate fixes the site of the fruit-farm. This 

 site is never undrainable land, unless one intends 

 to raise aquatic fruit, such as fish, ducks, or geese. 

 A plant has two periods, ever in succession during 

 the life of the plant: one of activity; one of repose. 

 Its active period is the fruit-grower's opportunity. 

 During this growing period, and then only, can it 

 feed, assimilating food of such kind and in such 

 quantity as shall produce leaf, stem, flower, root, 

 tuber, seed, or pulp desired for food. Nor can the 

 period of the growth be changed : there is a time, a 

 limited, defined time in the year, during which the 

 plant grows, if it grows at all. Spring and early 

 summer are the period. The plant starts vigor- 

 ously in spring but gradually ceases growth that 

 fruit may mature and the plant be ready to renew 

 activity another spring. This means that the 

 plant is capable of feeding and growing only during 

 a brief part of the year and, indeed, a brief part of 

 its own life. Unlike an animal, a plant feeds 

 continuously part of the year and rests the re- 

 mainder. I mean, of course, plants of the temperate 

 zone. For instance, no fruit plant cultivated in 



