126 HORTICULTURAL MANUAL. 



139. Fruit-growing Neighborhoods. The amateur or 

 commercial fruit-grower who finds that any one of the 

 orchard or small fruits succeeds unusually well in his 

 vicinity should encourage his neighbors to increase their 

 plantings. Union is strength in fruit-growing to an 

 unusual extent. The locality that becomes noted for the 

 methodic growing and shipping of any given fruit, nut, 

 or other horticultural product has advantages in ship- 

 ping, selection of market, and in the way of procuring 

 the neatest, best, and cheapest shipping crates, baskets, 

 barrels, etc. 



The neighborhood also can combine in the saving of 

 what would prove waste products in a single orchard by 

 drying, canning, cider, vinegar, and in other ways. The 

 best-selling fruits in any market are from neighborhood 

 combines where the gathering, sorting, and packing are 

 systematized. 



Another special gain in neighborhood fruit centres is 

 in the educational way. Spraying soon becomes syste- 

 matized, and the same is true of alternating varieties to 

 secure cross-fertilization, home propagation from the 

 selected trees of given varieties, irrigation of small fruits, 

 orchards, and gardens, and indeed in all lines pertaining 

 to profitable fruit-growing on their soil and in their 

 climate. 



