260 A YEAR IN AGRICULTURE 



or teach commercial fruit growing. We are justified in call- 

 ing attention to the farm home orchard and in teaching every 

 boy and girl in the schools how to select, set out, and care 

 for an orchard, in order that every farm home may have its 

 fruit supply. Unless the farm has a fruit orchard and a 

 good garden, the country people are not likely to be well fed. 

 The boys and girls growing up on a farm without its orchards 

 and gardens are likely to grow discontented with the dull 

 monotony of the food, work, and scenery of the old home and 

 leave, to their own and to the farm's detriment. 



General topics concerning the farm orchard. In order 

 to have a successful home orchard the farmer must know 

 how to care for it. He should know how to select the best 

 site for his orchard, the trees best suited to his locality, how 

 to set them out properly, how to prune, trim, and graft, and 

 how to protect them from diseases and insect enemies. The 

 fruit orchard will not "live by faith alone." Watchful, in- 

 telligent care and considerable work are required to maintain 

 a farm orchard in first-class condition. While this is true, 

 there are few things that bring better returns or give greater 

 satisfaction for the labor bestowed. 



SELECTING THE TREES 



Varieties. The commercial orchardists seldom plant more 

 than four or five varieties best adapted to their location and 

 markets, but the farmer requires many varieties to supply 

 the demands for fruit throughout the year. Early summer, 

 late summer, early fall and winter, late winter and early 



