88 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



January, 



The Cause of Low Prices of Fruit 

 and the Remedy. 



\E.rlrart of paver b// r. W. hiell read before the N. J. 

 State Hortievlturol Soeiety.] 



The cultivation of fruit in this Country has 

 attained such proportions that, if we are to 

 believe the statements of some growers, it is 

 no longer profitable. If this is true we 

 should investigate the cause and then like 

 sensible men apply the remedy. 



The cause of this depression in prices, I think, 

 is the production of such large iiuantlties of poor 

 fruit, which must be sold for a i>rice less than the 

 cost of production; thousands of quarts of Ber- 

 ries, tons of unripe Grapes, thousands of barrels 

 of Apples, Pears, and Quinces which are not fit 

 for consumption are sent to the market with the 

 idea of getting some price for them. 



Growers make a great mistake in shipping un- 

 ripe Grapes to market, for at this time of year 

 the market is fully stocked with other varieties of 

 ripe fruit, and there is but little demand for the 

 ripe Grapes, and none for the imripc. The con- 

 tinued shipping of the inuipe Grapes to market 

 has the effect of; depressing the prices for a time 

 after the ripe Grapes replace the unripe. If such 

 varieties as the "Champion", "Hartford", and 

 "Elvira" were exterminated from our vineyards 

 and only the later varieties cultivated and allow- 

 ed to ripen before being picked, the growers 

 would realize a greater profit from his vineyard 

 than he now does; or if these sour varieties were 

 permitted to ripen it would add to their value as 

 then they might be sold for wine. Each grower 

 vies with the other to get his grapes on the mar- 

 ket first, and the consequence is that the returns 

 on the sale of the fruit do not pay for the labor 

 expended upon it. 



Premature, wormy and imperfect Apples,Pears 

 etc., are another objectionable feature in the 

 trade, and the continued shipjiing of these fruits 

 has the same effect upon the market as noted 

 aljove in speaking of \mripe Grapes. It would 

 unquestionably be far better to keep this fruit at 

 home and send to market only the ripe and per- 

 fect kinds. Not only would better prices be ob- 

 tained, but the chance of having the fruit seized 

 ti.v the agents of the Board of Health would be 

 reduced to a minimum. Each year these agents 

 seize large quantities of unripe fruit and there is 

 no redress for the shipper. 



During the Sti-awberry season there are many 

 dealers from other cities whose business is to ship 

 to their customers, and I have frequently henrd 

 these men say that "Although there arc so many 

 berries in market, we cannot procure enough de- 

 sirable stock to fill our orders." The remedy, in 

 my opinion, would be to plant less acres, to devote 

 more care in securing fruit of a better qualit.v, 

 and cease shipping premature and unripe fruit. 



Producers .should remember that the taste of 

 consumers is becoming cultivated and now the 

 demand is for the best fruits. Each year it is 

 more difficult for dealers to dispose of the im- 

 mense quantities of inferior fruits. 



Frequently the form of a package is objection- 

 able to the purchasei-s, and one who aims at suc- 

 cess in fruit oultin'e must meet the wants of pvu- 

 chasers. Of late years the gift packages have be- 

 come so popular that many refuse to buy fruit 

 in package on which a deposit is required Choice 

 fruit sells better in small gift packages than in 

 larger ones. Some growers ship their poor fruit 

 in these small packages thinking that if the size 

 of the package affects the price secured for good 

 fruit it will also help the price of poor; but that 

 is a mistake. 



To establish a reputation the grower m ust give 

 the packing of the fruit his personal attention, 

 for some employees think it folly to be so partic- 

 ular. The result is that the brand is ruined with- 

 out the knowledge of the owner. 



A. careless person can do much harm by driving 

 over rough places without any regard to the ten- 

 der character of the fruit. I would suggest to 

 the shippers of tender fruit that they follow their 

 drivers occasionally to the station and examine 

 the fruit before it leaves for the market. I know 

 from personal experience that a large amount is 

 injured in this way that is attributed to the trans- 

 portation companies. 



Another essential point for the shipper to con- 

 sider is the selection of acommission merchant to 

 sell his fruit. This being done he will do well to 

 inform the merchant of varieties and (luautity of 

 each fruit he proposes shijiping, and to obtain all 

 the information he can upon the best methods of 

 preparing and shipping the fruit; also the kinds 



of puckaires to be used in order to place the'fruit 

 upon the market to the best advantage. 



The dealer is generally much better informed 

 on these points than the shippers, who would fre- 

 quently save mone.v if they would consult with 

 the merchants more frequently. Every shipper 

 should be on the most friendly terms with his 

 dealer as their interest is mutual. 



No shipper should hesitate to ask for the infor- 

 mation he needs, or take offense when the dealer 

 points out the defects in package or custom of 

 packing. I consider it a part of his duty to note 

 and inform his patrons of these deficiencies, yet 

 I have frequently known persons to get angry at 

 their dealers for mentioning these items and quit 

 shipping to them. One of the great mistake ship- 

 pers make is to keep their dealers in ignorance of 

 the quantity, or time he intends to ship. 



If the shipper Iiad notified the dealer of the 

 quantity he proposed shipping the latter could 

 have instructed him as to the quantity to send at 

 once. Not only this, but the dealer could proba- 

 bly have arranged with his customers to take it 

 on arrival, at liberal prices. One curious feature 

 of the fruit trade is that tlie shippers demand a 

 daily report of sale from the dealers, yet at no 

 time during the season do some give the dealer 

 one notice of their intentions— of the quantity 

 they intend to send, and be it little or much, a full 

 price is always expected. It does not seem to en- 

 ter the mind of some that the non-arrival of the 

 usual quantity affects the dealer, or may be a 

 disappointment to the purchaser who had been 

 accustomed to get it regular. 



Onions From Sets. 



[Extract of paper by J. S. Qray, read before the Min. 

 nesota Horticultural Society. ] 



Land should be manured in the fall at the 

 rate of seventy-five tons of cow manure to 

 the acre. Now the feed of the cows from 

 which we obtain the manure is largely nitro- 

 genous, being bran, shorts and ground 

 cockle from the flour mills. In growing a 

 crop requiring so much nitrogen as does the 

 Onion the manure from the cows fed as 

 above stated has always given good results. 



We prefer to plow in the fall it convenient; if 

 not, as soon as possible in the spring. In spread- 

 ing the manure should be well broken up. AVe 

 sometimes do this with a harrow and roller, going 

 over several times if necessary, so that when 

 plowed and harrowed the manure will be in fine 

 particles and well mixed up with the soil. The 

 laud being plowed, harrowed ami planked down, 

 we mai'k with a twelve inch marker and stick 

 the sets three inches apart and down a little be- 

 neath the surface. After planting we tread the 

 rows with our feet, heel to toe, right on top of 

 the sets; the pressure firms the sets and breaks 

 up any little clods of soil that otherwise might 

 in a dry time cause a drying out at the roots. 

 The planting being done, in a few days we take 

 a steel rake and rake lightly over the whole 

 pat<.:h, which can easily be done without disturb- 

 ing any of the sets if the work thus far has been 

 done as before advised. This raking makes an 

 even, mellow surface and destroys all surface 

 sprouting weeds, which in Onion culture is t)f 

 the greatest importance. When the sets have 

 become well rooted we apply a top-dressing of 

 dry wood ashes or of wood ashes and bones, the 

 ashes and bones having been previously packed 

 in barrels and sufficiently moistened with water 

 to reduce the bones to small particles as fine iis 

 if ground. The rains will leach the ashes and set 

 loose such an amount of plant food from the 

 manure that the crop will now be seen to grow 

 exceedingly rai>id. Wheel-hoeing and weeding 

 will now be in order until such time as the crop 

 is large enough to market. The pulling, clean- 

 ing, tying and marketing will cost five cents per 

 dozen bunches, and we are satisfied that with 

 every convenience for doing this work it cannot 

 be done for less. The sets will cost at g.'i.OO 

 per bushel, ten bushels per acre, $5.5. 



Varieties. The market gardener must raise 

 such \'arietics as his market demands. The Min- 

 neapolis market demands a white Onion, there- 

 fore we grow almost exclusively the White Port^ 

 ugal with a small quantity of Yellow Strasburg, 

 to come in a few days earlier. 



The sets which we prefer to all others are those 

 grown on the Landrcth Jersey l''arm. The stjil 

 there is poor and light manured, if we may call 

 it manure, with Philadelphia coal ashes. The 

 ashes, we ^presume, are used more tor their 

 chemical effect than as a manure. The Cincin- 

 nati sets we consider the next best. The sets 



grown here do fairly well, but the Jersey sets 

 Invariably produce fewer seed stems and the 

 finest bulb. By the .seventeenth o[ July the crop 

 is all marketed. If there" should be any proba- 

 bility of not selling the whole crop in the green 

 state we go between the rows with a cultivator 

 and throw a little soil up into the bulbs. This is 

 done as a protection from the hot sun, and if not 

 done the bulbs would quite likely turn green and 

 their market value be very much reduced. 



The Onion crop being now cleared off the 

 ground is plowed and prepared for a second crop, 

 which may consist of Celery, Celeriac, Thyme, 

 Sage, Winter Radishes and White Turnips. Some- 

 times we have raised an excellent crop of Early 

 Horn Carrots. 



Shrubbery for the Northwest. 



\Extract of 2>(ll'er read by A.B. Austin, before the 

 Society of Northern Illinois.'} 



In planting shruljbery, first get the har- 

 diest varieties, those that are known to 

 stand in your vicinity the various vicissi- 

 tudes of the seasons and try the tender later. 

 Do not get large or fully grown plants, they 

 require to much time too overcome their 

 removal and again get established, thereby 

 liable not to give good satisfaction ; but 

 always commence with small or medium- 

 sized plants and as they grow the interest 

 in them will increase. 



It is very discouraging to fail in our first 

 effort, very often causing an abandonment of 

 the field. Do not set the plants in a sod and leave 

 them to take care of themselves, for they will 

 surely die, but they must be placed where you 

 can spade around them and give to them at least 

 as much care as to a hill of Corn or Potatoes ; 

 they need no more eidtivation than those, but 

 surely need as much. I often recommend to 

 those setting, that a border of flowers or fiower 

 bed be placed around them for several years 

 after setting so as to insure care, the care to the 

 flower's insures the care of the shrubs. When 

 shrubs are planted in masses, for the fii-st few 

 years it is a very good plan to plant bulbs and 

 perennials among them to insure cultivation. 



We have our grounds in which the shrubs, etc., 

 are planted, spaded every year in June and hoed 

 several times after through the season. For 

 best I'csults, plant shrubs in masses and as soon 

 as they begin to crowd, thin them, taking the 

 poorest and lea\ing the best and rarest. Shrubs 

 generally grow hardier for a while with age, so 

 that with care in protecting them for a few years 

 many will endure a much lower temjierature 

 than in their infancy. 



Shelter Belts. About five miles from where I 

 reside is a Wiegelia rosea, thirty yeai^s old, eight 

 or ten feet in height, and when I last saw it in 

 bloom it was a sight worth going several miles to 

 see. This plant was protected awhile. Protec- 

 tion from our cold, dry west and south west 

 winds is desired; it is as much the cold, dry winds 

 in winter as intense cold that destroys plants. 

 The planting on the south or south west side of 

 a building is not generally an advantage, the 

 heat of the mid-day sun, especially in winter on 

 the trunk, t)r trunks very often is injurious ; 

 would prefer to shade them, especiall.v those not 

 fully hardy, to prevent injury to the bark from 

 constant thawing and freezing. A belt of ever- 

 greens on the west side of the lawn or grounds 

 will be found of great advantage to shrubs and 

 to all living beings. 



I speak of this from knowledge. A small 

 Cladastris (Yellow Wood), struggled on, on my 

 place, for a long time. The winter would take 

 off what was gained in the summer, until a belt 

 of Siiruce became high enough to shelter it from 

 the west wind. It has since put on a robust, 

 healthy look and now is as vigorous a tree as I 

 ha\e ; also a Daphne, a little sheltered, has been 

 growing and blooming for the last sixteen years, 

 always the first to greet us in the spring with its 

 fragrance and beauty luitil it seems almost like 

 one our household. 



Selecting Shrubs, Two objects should be held 

 in view; first, bloom and second, good foliage. 

 During the season, some consider the latter the 

 greater object, but plants thatj both bloom well 

 and hold their foliage are to be preferred. With 

 a little care and patience insects can be over- 

 come. If attacked by worms, slugs or other 

 leaf eatei-s, syringe with water in which Paris 

 green has been mixed, but if attacked b.v aphis, 

 more patience will be recjuircd, but they wiU 

 sooner or later leave. 



