No. 4.] FRUIT GROWING. 67 



County can produce the veiy finest apples in the world ; it 

 does produce them very often under only moderate condi- 

 tions of culture and care. I am speaking, remember, of the 

 production of fruit from a commercial stand-point. The soil 

 is all rioht. The thing to be considered in o-oino^ into the 

 culture of fruit is, Is the tnan all right ? 



I do not believe that a man ought to be in any branch of 

 agriculture, in mercantile life, in professional life, or in any 

 business, who does not get a daily pleasure out of his business. 

 I pity any man who is in any branch of business or in any 

 profession who is not getting some fun out of his business. 

 Every man ought to get anywhere from six to a hundred per 

 cent cash profit out of his l)usiness, and then three or four hun- 

 dred per cent in fun out of it. Looking at it from that stand- 

 point, I believe no man should go into fruit culture whose heart 

 is not especially adapted to it, because he will not succeed as 

 well as he ought unless he has that kind of heart ; and when 

 the man is all right, his own particular soil and situation 

 require to be studied. I would not advise a man who is 

 located on low, swampy land to attempt peach culture, and 

 I would not recommend a man who is situated on a very 

 light, sandy plain to go into pears on that land. Every 

 man should study his own particular soil, and then he can 

 find some classes of fruit that will succeed there. Then, of 

 course, very much may depend on his market. If he is 

 situated near a small city or village, like, for instance, this 

 beautiful village of Spencer, and wants to supply that mar- 

 ketj I would not advise him to go into a tremendous great 

 apple orchard, and neglect pears, peaches and the small 

 fruits. I would advise him to have a list of the fruits that 

 this market will take and consume through the whole year ; 

 while, if he is on some great railroad, so that he can reach 

 Boston, Worcester, Springfield, and the cities to the north 

 and south readily, then I think it would be better for him to 

 devote his entire energies to a great peach orchard, or a 

 great apple or pear orchard, or small fruits, — strawberries, 

 raspberries, blackberries or currants. He might grow any 

 one of them. All these things depend upon the man him- 

 self, his soil and his situation. I cannot lay down a law as 

 to which he shall take up. 



