114 ' nf Canadian Horticulturist. 



IIKC.IXNERS IN IRLir (;R()\M\(.. 



^ H. C". writcN in the Country Gcnili-man, giving some very sensilile hinis 

 uf to beginners in fruit growing. In the first place, he does not agree 

 yO with the advice sometimes given, viz., that young adventurers in the 

 ,-^ hne of horticulture should adopt some specialty and give their whole 

 ^7 time to the growing and disposal of that one particular crop. Putting 

 b-^ the eggs all into one basket means total loss in case of accident. 'For 

 instance, if one selects strawberries for his one specialty, how often he 

 will meet with great disappointment, owing to gluts in the market or to an unfa- 

 vorable season. 



In his opinion, it is better that a young man should set apart one (|uarter of 

 his land for a permanent apple orchard : then he might set out between the trees 

 in the rows, strawberries, currants, peaches, dwarf pears and blackberries, all of 

 which would come into bearing successively while his apple trees are growing. 

 In his first year he would receive returns for his strawberries ; in his second year 

 he would har\est at least a small crop of raspberries, and in the third year he 

 would have currants for sale. In the fifth he would begin to harvest plums, 

 cherries and dwarf pears, and, in his sixth year, some standard pears and quinces. 



Twenty years ago the writer entered the fruit business with the mistaken 

 notion that it would be wise to give one's whole attention to one or two parti- 

 cular fruits ; and, after planting a large apple and pear orchard, he filled in with 

 some three thousand peach trees, depending upon them to yield returns, while 

 the apples and pears were coming into bearing. Disappointment came, of course. 

 During ten years, there was not more than one or two full crops of peaches, and, 

 as a consequence, the income from the fruit plantations was reduced to almost 

 nothing — a pretty state of affairs for one who is depending largely upon the 

 income from his fruit farm to provide a capital for extending his operations. 

 Since that, he has learned how great a mistake it is to depend wholly upon any 

 one crop of fruit. Fruits are so uncertain that, in order to be sure of success, 

 one must plant many kinds to make sure of one. He has of late years extendetl 

 his plantations to include all the varieties of small fruits and grapes, as well as 

 every kind of orchard tree. 



In our opinion, it is foolish even to confine one's apple or pear or plum orchard 

 to any one or two varieties, however much they have been lauded by others as 

 profitable. The old advice to plant ninety-nine Baldwins out of every hundred 

 ;ipple trees, was followed by many apple growers, and during the last 'iwc years 

 lialdwin orchards have been utterly barren, and the owners have become entireh 

 discouraged with apple growing. The same thing could be said of other varie- 

 ties beside the Baldwin; one year a variety yields heavily and is pretty clean, as, 

 for instance, was the case witt) the Cranberry ripi)in last season, and everybody 

 has been lauding thai particular variety, and ach ising that il be tlie i)rincipal one 



