XVII 



THE FAMILY ORCHARD 



This book is written from the standpoint of the 

 commercial fruit grower. It attempts to interpret 

 the large wholesale methods of our modern extensive 

 apple orchards. It must not be forgotten, however, 

 that, while the great bulk of the American apple crop 

 is grown in this way, the great majority of people 

 actually interested in apple growing have only small 

 home orchards. Some attention should be given there- 

 fore to their peculiar problems. 



At the outset we must emphasize the great differ- 

 ence that exists between the methods proper in the 

 commercial orchard and those to be recommended for 

 the family fruit garden. These differences are many 

 and important, yet they are commonly overlooked. 

 The small farmer is apt to copy the methods of the 

 great fruit grower, and almost always with unsatis- 

 factory results. Of course, many of the principles 

 laid down in previous chapters of this book will apply 

 also to apple growing on a small scale ; and it will 

 be our task now to point out those modifications of 

 practice necessary in passing from commercial to 

 amateur fruit growing. 



Let us consider first the site of the orchard. The 

 man who expects to grow 5,000 barrels of Baldwins 

 or Ben Davis annually and to sell them in competi- 

 tion with all the rest of the apples in the world, must 

 choose a particularly favorable site. But it is neither 

 possible nor necessary for the common farmer to be 



1S9. 



