OP DWAJRF FRUIT TREE CULTURE. 77 



the wisdom of going slowly at this stage, but at the same time the 

 acknowledged merits of those dwarf trees are amply sufficient to 

 justify any progressive orchardist in testing the question on a limited 

 area for his own satisfaction, and I am now planning a series of 

 practical tests to secure reliable data upon this very important 

 phase of the subject and I expect the results will far surpass the 

 wildest imagination of the most optimistic orchardist, for no one 

 has yet reached the limit of the results possible to obtain from in- 

 tensive culture of any crop. Many years ago Orange Judd of the 

 American Agriculturist gave a prize for the largest crop of potatoes 

 to be grown on one acre, and if I recollect rightly, I think there were 

 720 bushels from one measured acre in the prize crop, while the 

 ordinary potato crop for the United States does not reach to more 

 than 100 to 150 bushels per acre, and I expect to see in the near 

 future (when the dwarf fruit trees come into actual competition 

 with the old and effete style of standard trees) the experience of 

 the potato grower far surpassed by the up-to-date dwarf fruit tree 

 orchardist. 



In the foregoing I think I have made a fair comparison and 

 have been fairly conservative in my figures, and, I trust, have made 

 the subject sufficiently plain for the reader to arrive at an intelligent 

 idea on the subject. I think I have shown sufficiently valid reasons 

 to justify an unprejudiced trial of the two systems subject to your 

 own conditions. Far be it from me to recommend you to rush into 

 this work wildly, but go to work conservatively and try a few 

 dwarf trees to make sure you are right and then go ahead for ail 

 there is in it. I will tell you frankly at the first word that if you 

 are a slack handed fruit grower you had better let dwarf fruit trees 

 alone, but if on the other hand you will take an interest in the work 

 you will soon regard these little bushes as little pets, and watch their 

 progress and development under your guilding care, and will grow 

 fonder and prouder of them year by year. In such case they will 

 amply repay all your efforts and prove a grand success outside of 

 any pecuniary return. So far I have considered the two systems 

 as opposed to one another and have not touched on the combination 

 of the two. This is a very important phase of the question and 

 worthy of careful consideration. We know that in starting a com- 

 mercial orchard of standard trees we require to wait five or ten 

 years to reach the bearing age, but what are we to do for a profitable 

 return in money from the land in the meantime? The practice has 



