CHAPTER XXIII 



FRUIT GROWING 



Each tree 



Laden with fairest fruit, that hung to th' eye 

 Tempting, stirr'd in me sudden appetite. 



MILTON. Paradise Lost, 



THERE are many types of fruits, as well as many varieties 

 of each type. If fruit can be grown on the general farm where 

 the farmer and his family are making their home, much pleasure 

 as well as profit may be derived from the orchard and small-fruit 

 garden. The use of fruit adds much to the satisfaction and 

 healthfulness of the daily menu. Among the great pleasures of 

 farm life is the picking of fresh fruit for use on the table. Canned 

 fruits put up at home are likely to be more wholesome than those 

 purchased in the market. If enough fruit can be grown to allow 

 for a surplus to be sold in the markets, members of the family 

 may receive benefits therefrom. There are few if any lines of 

 farming that are more profitable than successful fruit growing. 



Methods of propagating plants used in fruit growing have been 

 described in an earlier chapter. 



Orcharding. Tree fruits, such as peaches, apples and pears, 

 are commonly grown in orchards. The old apple orchard is a 

 common sight on all farms in those parts of the country that have 

 been settled by man for a number of years. Too frequently it is 

 noticeable that the only treatment the orchard has had was the 

 setting of it. Trees were apparently expected to yield good 

 returns of fruit without any care in the form of pruning, cultivat- 

 ing, fertilizing and spraying. In many cases the orchard area 

 was compelled to yield returns in the form of other crops, such as 

 hay. It is surprising that under such treatment many of the 

 trees actually lived through the ordeal and gave enough fruit to 

 encourage the owner to set more trees from time to time. There 

 are now so many examples of successful orcharding in nearly all 

 parts of the country that it is needless to say here that there is 

 more net profit from trees that are properly cared for. 



Starting the Young Orchard. Whether the young orchard 

 is to be for home use or chiefly for market fruit, the soil should 

 be well suited to the trees and the exposure, if possible, should 

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