INTRODUCTION xi 
As for the second source of information, every fruit district in the 
Northwest has been visited and the co-operation of leading horticulturists 
secured. Thousands of letters have been written to all parts of the country 
to secure first hand knowledge from those known to possess valued ex- 
perience. The principal fruit districts of the United States have been 
revisited by the Editor in Chief. 
THE PLAN 
The plan is to set forth in their natural order all the steps and processes 
necessary for the propagation, maturing in their highest perfection, har- 
vesting and marketing of all the commercial fruits and vegetables, with 
all the information necessary for the selection of proper seeds or stocks, 
site, soil and climate, the kind of preparation to make and care to give, 
the sort of cultivation, fertilization and pest prevention to provide for 
and costs of production. All processes are fully illustrated with seven 
hundred and fifty drawings and photos. 
In addition there is provided such information on the history and the 
origin of the various fruits and plants, their physiology and hereditary 
tendencies and environmental requirements, as shall enable the reader to 
understand any special problems which may arise. 
Descriptions of the various fruit districts of the United States and 
their peculiar adaptations are given, together with the latest statistics of 
the industry for each district and for the whole country. Soil and climatic 
conditions are amply treated as well as frost data, with approximate 
dates to provide for and means and cost of prevention. 
METHOD OF TREATMENT 
All fruits and vegetables, as well as other main subjects, have been 
treated in regular alphabetical order. Main articles are headed in large 
black face type; subheads under main subject in capitals; paragraph head- 
ings in small black face type; cross references are in small capitals; 
further subdivisions and scientific names are in italics. 
Main subjects are treated in their logical order and any one wishing to 
find a topic which, for example, would naturally fall under apple, need 
only follow the natural order of the development of the fruit from seed to 
market, in order to find what he wishes to know. 
INDEX AND CROSS REFERENCE 
For the further guidance of the reader, an index has been prepared 
covering over 4,500 subjects. These will be found in their regular alpha- 
betical order in the index at the end of the third volume, and in a great 
many cases also under the particular main or subhead which includes it. 
For example, alfalfa is found in the index under Al and also under Apple 
Orchard as a part of the subtopic Intercropping. 
Cross references in regular alphabetical order in the main body of the 
work are also used in cases of this kind. 
