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290 



THE ILLIJSOIS FARMER. 



1862 



The Best Region for the Summer 

 Fruits. 



The question is often SBked, where is the best 

 location to grow Summer fruits for the Northern 

 markets, tiking Chicago as the great distribut- 

 ing point? For the past ten years we have giv- 

 en this question careful attention, and now be- 

 lieve that we can answer it in a satisfactory man- 

 ner. Some of the small fruits like the currant, 

 delight in a cool damp climate, while the peach 

 is pleased with a hot sun and a more vigorous 

 range of latitude. What i- wanted is not to se- 

 lect one particular place, a township or so, that 

 may become famous for its summer fruits, but a 

 tange of country that shall give an abundant 

 supply throughout the entire season. 



On no one line of latitude can this b^ accom- 

 plished, for with few exceptions the period of 

 any particular fruit is only about three weeks. 

 In this case there would be breaks in the line of 

 successton, and periods in which the market 

 would be bare. Untoward drouths would often 

 cut off the supply. But this would not be the 

 case when we select a line of longitude, running 

 ttirough a f«rtile country adapted to fruit 

 culture, and such is the country along the line 

 of the Chicago Branch of the Illinois Central 

 Railroad, commencing near Chicago and ending 

 at Villa Ridge, in Pulaski County, a. distance of 

 three hundred and fifty miles. Its constant suc- 

 cession of climate, modified by alternate eleva- 

 tions and depressions, its various soils and al- 

 most inexhaustible fertility point to it not only as 

 the great source of supply of the summer fruits 

 tut the great fruit growing region of the North- 

 west. 



This is not all; running as it does, due South, 

 we can almost perceive a change in the progress 

 of the season at every station. 



In the shipment of all perishable fruits, time 

 is of the first importance, and cheap freight the 

 second, and in those two consist the eliments of 

 success: Should we diverge off to the South- 

 west, we largely increase the distance to reach 

 the same parallel of latitude on the same level. 



This adds to the cost of transportation and 

 the time between the picking and that of reach- 

 ing the customer, and in many cases this latter 

 would prove fatal, as the fruit would be sour on 

 arrival. Therefore, though a South-western, or 

 a Southeastern location be selected, these would 

 be good, but the direct line South is the best, 

 and in a time of close competition would turn 

 the Boale in favor of the latter. While the sum- 



mer fruits command a high price and the market 

 not fully stocked, the difference is not so per- 

 ceptible, because the growers on both routes 

 make a fair profit, but the time is not fair dis- 

 tant when the n?arket will be fully supplied, and 

 those who can furnish the cheapest will have the 

 trade. A difference of one or two cents a quart, 

 a few hours time in the transit that will bring the 

 fruit to market in a better condition, will settle 

 the question of priority and profit. 



Strange as it may appear, the profit of fru't 

 growing along this whole line of three hundred 

 and fifty miles is pretty well averaged. Those 

 from the South end have high rates of freight 

 and extra cost of package to off -set the high 

 price. It is, therefore, a nice questi( n to decide 

 which point in the whole distance is the most 

 valuable, when we take the whole range of fruits 

 into consideration,but when wo take a single fruit 

 the case is different. No one would think of 

 growing peaches for market near Monee, nor 

 currants on the hills of Egypt, while strawber- 

 ries are a favorite at all points. 



We will take up some of the leading summer 

 fruits, and point to their particular location, and 

 the season of maturing. And first of 



THE CURRANT. 



This fruit delights in a cool, moist climate, 

 and is particularly valuable along the Lake 

 shore, but here it comes so late that the more 

 Southern fruits crowd it to one side, the straw- 

 berry being in market from the South nearly a 

 month ahead of ic. Mattoon, a hundred and 

 eighty miles South, is the Southern limit of this 

 most valuable of all summer fruits. Not the 

 limit of its growth, but the limit of its profitable 

 culture. From this point it can be sent to mar- 

 ket the first of June. Ten days after the straw- 

 berry is ripe at Cobden. It then comes in di- 

 rect competition with this fruit, which, at that 

 time has become cheap and abundant in market. 

 When we say that the current is the most valua- 

 ble, we do not mean to be understood to say that 

 it is the most popular. At the season of its ma- 

 turity its clear acid is of great value in warding 

 off the diseases incident to summer, and tnus as 

 a prophylactic is of inestimable value. Its value 

 for wine within the range of its culture, is not 

 second to that of the grape. It carrres well to 

 market both in its green and ripe condition, and 

 must be in better demand both for thetable and 

 for wine making in the city. It can, therefore, 

 be profitably grown within the range indicated. 



