22 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[February, 



and extremes of temperature. The United 

 States, with a great diversity of climate, and 

 soils of the most fertile to be fonnd upon the 

 face of the globe, presents but few regions in 

 which fruit-growing i.s at present prosecuted 

 to any considerable extent. Mucli greater 

 interest is manifested in fruit culture in tlie 

 countries of Europe, and the importations of 

 foreign fruits lo this country amount annually 

 to millions of dollars. "Fruit is too much of 

 a luxury" is the cry to-day among the labor- 

 ing classes who are unable to ]>ay the higli 

 prices usually asked in the household markets 

 of thediflerent cities of this coimtry. Pears 

 at ten cents apiece, or the first arrivals of 

 strawberries at tifty cents per box, while they 

 may tempt the eye of the workingman, are 

 too expensive to enter largely into his daily 

 diet. Increa.se the production of fruit in this 

 country, and with lower prices the consump- 

 tion will increase to such an extent that the 

 fruit-grower will realize a greater profit than 

 he would upon a contracted base of opera- 

 tions. Too many fruit trees cannot, there- 

 fore, he planted. Let "fruit for the million" 

 be the battle cry of the fruit growers of Penn- 

 sylvania for tlie decade upon which we have 

 just entered. 



The Granary of the World. 

 The great valley of the Mississijjpi must 

 become the granary of the world. The tide 

 of emigration flowing armually into Kansas 

 and other sections of the Union beyond the 

 Mississippi will reclaim the western prairies, 

 and the golden harvest of wheat produced 

 upon the great wheat lands of this country, 

 the plains ot Kansas and Nebraska, the 

 valley of the Red River of the North, the 

 fertile lands of Iowa and Minnesota, and other 

 portions of our great and glorious country, 

 will provide sufficientlv for the wants not only 

 of the i)eop!e of the United States. Imt as 

 well for the over-populated countries of 

 Europe and other sections of the globe. 

 With the great production of cereals through- 

 out the western country, the cheap tvansiKir- 

 tation of freight, and the discrimination in 

 freight rates by the various carrying- lines 

 against the East, it will be impossible for the 

 agriculturists east of the Allecheny mountains 

 to contend with their Western brethren in the 

 cultivation of grain crops. Attention must 

 therefore be directed by the farmers of the 

 East to more remunerative products of the 

 soil, and of all departments of agriculture and 

 horticulture, nothing can be engaged in to 

 greater advantage, with less liability of over- 

 stocking the market, than fruit-o-rowing 

 During the most prolitic fruit seasons that 

 this country has ever experienced nobody has 

 ever heard of the market being overstocked, 

 except in a few rare cases in some of the cities 

 when the more perishable varieties, as for 

 instance peaches, have arrived late in the 

 week and encountered a Saturday night glut. 

 Decaying and imperfect fruit, delayed for 

 lack of proper transportation facilities, have 

 also arrived in bad condition and been sold at 

 a sacrifice, but fruit in lirst-class condition 

 has invariably found a remunerative market. 

 Besideii, fruit-growing has become a regular 

 business, so that those engaged therein know 

 how to take advantage of the market in order 

 to realize the liest prices and largest profits. 

 Refrigerator houses, for the preservation of 

 fruit for long period*, are constructed ui)on 

 new plans, and the markets can be, supplied 

 with certain varieties of fruit in all seasons 

 of the year. 



The Canning Business 

 has also assumed immense proportions and 

 instead of the varieties of fruit which are 

 canned being limited to a few kinds, the 

 scope includes almost every variety now 

 grown. Apples and pears in cans are lam-ely 

 m demand for export, and (ind as read'y a 

 market at home as canned peaches. Dry'int^ 

 establishments upon improved jirinciples, also 

 throw upon the market large quantities of 

 fruit m a shape that they can be successfully 

 handled and shipjied to almost every clime 

 American fruit finds a ready sale in European 

 countries, and of late years a growing trade 



has been developed. Immense cargoes of 

 apples are consigned every fall to England, 

 France and Germany, and this foreign busi- 

 ness in fruit is destined to largely increase, 

 particularly if an effort is made to supply the 

 demand. As to 



The Profits of Fruit Growing, 

 a few instances in Berks county, which have 

 come under the writer's notice may be cited. 

 Mr. Christopher Shearer, the heading fruit- 

 grower of this county, who was formerly en- 

 gaged in business in Reading as a car|)eiiter 

 and master-builder, removed some years ago 

 to Tuckerton, five miles north of Reading, 

 where he established several fruit orchards 

 on a farm of 100 acres. lie has met with 

 great success, and annually realizes much 

 larger profits than could be" obtained in any 

 other department of agriculture. The pro- 

 ducts of his fiirm amounted during the year 

 1870 to .'S12,000. Thomas M. Coleman, Esq., 

 of the Philadelphia Ledger, recently visited 

 this farm, and wrote an interesting article in 

 regard to it. 



Henry Wagner, of Brecknock township, 

 Berks county, turned his attention ten years 

 ago to fruit-growing, and now has forty-five 

 acres in cultivation in fruit trees— apples, 

 pears, grapes, plums, cherries and peaches, 

 the last mentioned being the principal crop. 

 Following is given as the yield of a iieach 

 orchard of sixteen acres on his premises. 

 The orchard was planted in IKfJO, and in 1872 

 yielded some peaches. In 1873 about 160 

 baskets were sold. In 1874 the yield was 1,600 

 baskets of peaches which were sold in the city 

 of Reading, eight miles from the orchai d , at 

 an average pri£e of SI. 60 per basket. In 1875, 

 .3,000 baskets were disposed of at an average 

 price of 85 cents per basket; in 1876 (the best 

 season,) 4,300 baskets were sold at an average 

 of 75 cents per basket; in 1877 the crop was a 

 failure, and the yield was only some 300 

 baskets. In 1878, 1,200 baskets were sold at 

 fl to $1.20 per basket; in 1870, 1,100 baskets 

 were .sold at an average price of 70 cents per 

 basket, some remarkably Hue Late Crawford 

 peaches having brought'.'iil.25 per basket. It 

 will thus be seen that in six years — from 1874 

 to 1879, both years inclusive— the sum of 

 $10,755 was reaUzed from sixteen acres of 

 land, or .fl,792..50 per annum being at the 

 rate of $112 per acre per annum for six con- 

 secutive years. What other crops would have 

 produced the same returns V Mr. AVagner 

 could not have succeeded with grain crops 

 upon his farm, as the soil is light, but at the 

 same time peculiarly adapted for fruit grow- 

 ing. He is of the opinion that the 



Market Cannot be Overstocked 

 with fruit. On account of his success other 

 farmers in his neighborhood have established 

 fruit orchards, until they can be counted by 

 the scor:', and hundreds of baskets are thrown 

 upon the Reading market every season, and 

 are sold at handsome profits to the growers. 

 Although car-loads of peaches from Maryland 

 and Delaware arrive in Readinsr durint; the 

 season, the prices for the superior fruit niised 

 within a few miles of the city areinaiiilaiiied, 

 and are unaffected by the southern crop. 

 What was Done in Berks. 

 For the purpose of stimulating fruit-grow- 

 ing in Berks county, the Berks Couiitv .-Vgri- 

 cultural and Horticullural Society, a"t llieir 

 annual meeting in Januiir\-, 1876 unaiiiiridusly 

 ado|)ted resolutions offering $300 for the 

 planting of choice fruit trees, divided as 

 follows: S200 to the per.son planting the 

 great(!st number, and $100 lo the person 

 planting the next greatest number. At a 

 subsequent meeting, in order to encourage the 

 smaller class of friilt'growers, .$100 additional 

 was offered, $60 of which was to be given to 

 the person having the be.st regulated orchard 

 of not less than fifty trees, and .'ii;40 to the 

 person having the next best. The time al- 

 lowed for persons to notify the Committee of 

 their desire to compete was until November 

 1st, 1877. Due notice was given of the offer 

 of premiums by advertisements in the differ- 

 ent papers of the county, and a carefully 



jirepared list of the different fruits adapted to 

 this locality was published for the information 

 of fruit-growers, but the competitors were 

 not obliged to adhere strictly to the list The 

 following standard of value was adopted ■ 

 The apple and pear were considered of like 

 value and accepting either as the standard 

 the Committee required the planting of two 

 cherry trees, three trees of plum or quince or 

 four peach trees, respectively, to equal the 

 standard. The awards were reported at the 

 annual meeting in January, 1879, as follows: 

 Christoplier Shearer, the first premium of $200 



liavine" 



av- 

 ni, 



,,, §■ Pl'^'led 2,1)00 peach, 1,049 apple, ,576 pear, 

 43l> plum anil 22ci cherry trees. 



Ilc-nry Wagner, tlie second premium of 8100 hi 

 ini;- planted :1 li).5 peach, .525 apple, 28 pear, 25 j'jlu 

 10 riuince and () cherry treee. 



Dr. J. H. Funk, of Boyertown, was awarded the 

 first premium of |60 for the best regulated orchard 

 No award was made of the second premium for best 

 regulated orchard, as those who might have been 

 entitled to it failed to notify the Committee in time. 

 The premiums were ordered by the Society 

 to be paid immediately after the fall fair 

 which was done on the 18th of October 1879' 

 The Effect of Premiums. ' 



'ihe effect of ofteriug these premiums was 

 most marked, and since January, 1876, more 

 fruit trees, it is estimated, were planted in the 

 county than during the previous ten years 

 In tlie vicinity of Reading is is believed that 

 fully 50,000 fruit trees were planted. Instead 

 of the market being affected, however by an 

 overproduction of fruit, all the fruit tliat has 

 been offered has fi)iind ready purchasers at 

 profitable prices. Peaches .sold last season in 

 Reading at 60 cents to $l.r,0 per basket. Ap- 

 ples now retail in our markets at 20 cents per 

 half peck, and pears at 25 cents per half peck 

 The townships of Robeson and Brecknock 

 Berks county, adjoin each other. The soil is 

 of a sandy character, and unadapted to the 

 cereal crops. A portion of the district is 

 known as "The Forest" in consequence of its 

 uncultivated state. Within the past four 

 years, forty-four peach orchards have been 

 established in Robeson township, by as many 

 nidividuals, who have under cultivation a 

 total of 22,090 trees. The orchards oontain 

 from 100 to 1,400 trees each. In Brecknock 

 township there are fourteen peach orchards 

 with a total of 13,375 trees. The two town- 

 .ships have thus a total of 35,465 peach trees 

 The orchards are from six to ten miles froni 

 Reading. 



The Progress Made in Fruit Growing. 

 The committee by whom the fruit premi- 

 ums of the Berks County Agricultural Society 

 were awarded, consisted of IMessrs. Jacob G 

 Zerr, Henry Eppihimer, George D. Stitzel' 

 (:Jeorge K. Levan, John B. Holloway and 

 Henry B. Rlioads. Mr. Eppihimer, the 

 chairman of the committee, rendered efficient 

 service, and was ably aided by his colleagues 

 The cause of fruit-growing in Berks county 

 has been greatly advanced throudi the efforts 

 of lion. Charles Kes,sler, General Georee M 

 Keira, Isaac Eekert, John S. Ricliards~'John 

 Fehr and Daniel B. Lorah, all of whom are 

 deceased, and Hon. George D. Stitzel Hon 

 Frederick Lauer, Ezra High, William Yonno-" 

 and other gentlemen still living amongst us' 

 As to the iirogre.ssmade in fruit-growing in 

 this county, we would refer to the remarks of 

 Peter D. Wanner, Esq., of Reading, at the 

 monthly meeting of the Berks Comity Agri- 

 cultural Society held in Reading on -lanuary 

 3rd, 1880. In 1868, when a candidate for 

 District Attorney, he made a thorough can- 

 vass of the comity, and HEraiii in 1878 as a 

 candidate tor Congress, "the improvement 

 in the way of fruit-growing in ten years," he 

 said, "was simply wonderful. I cain'e to 

 places heretofore familiar, and was unable to 

 recognize the surroundings. Fruit trees in 

 yards and gardens, of all the most improved 

 specimens, with beautiful .shade trees, vines 

 and shrubbery, had a marvelous effect and my 

 delight knew no bounds. This was not only 

 the case in one section, but was a general ex- 

 perience throughout the county. 



A Profitable Branch of Business. 

 At the same meeting, Hon. Frederick 



