Fruits for the Home Grounds 



CHAPTER I 



J THE JUSTIFICATION OF THE FRUIT-GARDEN 



He who plants fruits is a friend of man. Whether he plants for 

 profit in an orchard or for pleasure in a garden, he belongs to the 

 world's producers. Small producers as well as large producers may 

 take just pride in the fruit industry of our great country, for actually 

 the farmer and the small landholder grow most of America's enormous 

 crop of fruits. According to the Thirteenth Census, the value of 

 all fruits produced in the United States in 1909 was 

 Money-value of $218,000,000, or one-third the value of the wheat 

 iruits from , ,, i ir. ,. i • , , 



America's crop; and more than one-halt ot this grand total, 



Fruit-gardens the census statistics show, comes from the fruit- 

 gardens of country and city. We learn that 2,980,000 

 persons reported bearing trees of the apple alone in 1910. Of other 

 tree fruits and of small fruits the number is, of course, much greater. 



But the money-value of the produce of fruit-gardens cannot be 

 fully shown in census figures. The supply of food thus produced 

 for the millions of homes is enormous. In all the world, America 

 has the greatest plenty. The plots of fruit planted on the farms and 

 in the gardens of this country constitute a vast food-resource. 

 Fruits a ^^ it wise to plant fruits which do not have as high 



Necessity of food-value as cereals, starchy vegetables, and meats.'* 

 Healthful Yes, even when the richer foods are in scanty supply, 



Livmg fruit plantations must be maintained, and new 



orchards, vineyards, and small-fruit plots must be set with due regard 

 for the future, for fruits are a necessity as well as a luxury. The 

 medical authorities of the country so call them. They tell us that 

 fruits should form a part of the food regimen of every person. The 

 working efficiency of the whole nation would suffer should there be a 

 falling ofl^ in the supply of fruit. 



In view of this necessity for fruit, no landholder is doing his duty 

 by his land who does not grow fruit for his family's loants, and he is 

 doing loell by his country when he grows a surplus to sell to less fortunate 

 neighbors. 



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