CHAPTER III. 



THE PLANTING AND CARE OF THE ORCHARD. 



Selection of Varieties. — When a decision has been reached 

 as to the kinds of fruits which are to be grown and a location has 

 been selected, it is necessary to choose the particular varieties 

 which are best suited to the purpose in mind. Those which are 

 grown for home use or for a special nearby market may be quite 

 different from those grown for shipment to a distant market. 

 It often happens that varieties of tlie very best quality do not 

 carry well or are not of attractive appearance; these should be 

 grown for home use or for the special market where quality is 

 the first consideration, while for the distant market the only 

 varieties which should be grown are those which ship well and 

 are attractive. Quality is rather a secondary matter in a mar- 

 ket fruit, though discriminating buyers are often willing to pay 

 a premium for varieties of particularly good quality. 



Varieties of fruits to grow. — The varieties of fruits best 

 adapted to a given location cannot be named without special and 

 careful study. Some varieties are very profitable in one local- 

 ity but close by, in another locality, they may be a failure. The 

 matter of selection of varieties for profitable culture is one of 

 the most important subjects the fniit grower has to consider. 

 There are many new varieties of fruit introduced each year and 

 only a few of them are any better than old standard sorts, while 

 the greater part have very serious faults. 



Among the varieties of fruit in cultivation, we may distin- 

 guish two general classes: 



(a) Varieties of great vigor and productiveness, adapted for 

 a wide range of country. These are oftentimes somewhat infe- 

 rior to the best in quality but are of good appearance and good 

 enough in quality for the average market. Among such vari- 

 eties may be named the Duchess of Oldenburg, Talman Sweet 

 and Ben Davis apples; Bartlett and Anjou pears; Lombard and 

 Quackenboss plums; Crawford and Elberta peaches; Cancord 



