FRUIT RAISING ON THE FARM 139 



great many farms where enough fruit may be produced to 

 supply all the home needs and often furnish a considerable 

 surplus for sale. Like the farm garden, the farm orchard 

 has been much neglected. There was a time when most 

 farms in the Northern States included apple orchards, but 

 these have been neglected until good farm orchards are now 

 rare. The neglect of orchards may be accounted for in part 

 by the difficulty of keeping fruit trees free from disease and 

 injuries occasioned by insects. Such injuries are much more 

 common now than formerly. But in spite of these difficulties, 

 the advantage of having fresh fruit for home use is, alone, 

 sufficient to encourage the maintenance of a good variety of 

 fruit on every farm where climatic conditions are favorable. 

 Several things are necessary to the successful establishment 

 and maintenance of fruit production on the farm. 



Variety and succession. Since the chief object of the 

 farm orchard is to supply the farm home, attention must 

 be given to securing a variety in kinds of fruit, as well as a 

 succession of ripening periods distributed through several 

 months. In making such a selection, it will be necessary to 

 consult bulletins and circulars from State Agricultural Ex- 

 periment Stations, and catalogs of reliable dealers. 



Succession may be secured first, by planting several kinds 

 of fruit such as apples, pears, peaches, cherries, and small 

 fruit; second, by planting several varieties of each kind, 

 such as fall and winter apples, early and late peaches. But 

 in making such a selection, adaptability to the climate of 

 the locality in which they are to be grown must be considered. 

 Hardiness sufficient to withstand the cold of winter is an 

 important quality. 



After the various kinds of fruit stock have been decided 

 upon, they should be purchased from a reliable nursery which 



