HARRISONS' NURSERIES 



Making Commercial Orchards 

 An Asset on American Farms 



By GEORGE A. HARRISON, Orchard Director 



FROM the office of the United 

 States Food Admistration 

 comes a daily appeal to "use less 

 wheat, less beef, less Iamb and mut- 

 ton." At the same time, emphasis is 

 laid on the statement that "Fruit is 

 Food," and the request is made that 

 it be used generously. Of course, good 

 Americans will respond so far as they 

 can; but, unfortunately, there isn't 

 enough fruit right now to go around. 

 American farmers must increase the 

 size of their orchards and make every 

 tree produce to the 

 limit if we are to 

 meet the demands. 



Every farm has 

 a few acres of un- 

 used or unproduc- 

 tive land — a 

 "slacker" so far as 

 farm crops are con- 

 cerned — that could 

 easily be made into 

 a productive and 

 profitable commer- 

 cial orchard. Such 

 land ought first to 

 be well drained, 

 then thoroughly 

 plowed and har- 

 rowed. Quite likely 

 an application of 

 lime will be needed 

 as well as a liberal 

 quantity of ferti- 

 lizer. If this work 

 can be done a sea- 

 son in advance of 

 planting, it will be 

 of greatest value. 



Selecting the va- 

 rieties is the most 

 important part of 

 establishing a commercial orchard; 

 for, if they are not adapted to the soil 

 and climate of your section, you are 

 doomed to failure. There are varieties 

 that have proved their worth for cer- 

 tain locations; these should form the 

 main planting. Of course, you may 

 want to try some of the newer sorts, 

 but pin your Jaith to the tried kinds. 



I again repeat that the supply of 

 fruit does not meet the demand. You 

 can sell at good prices all you can 

 grow if you watch the market. Bet- 

 ter still, sell through a central fruit 

 exchange which is in touch with 



George A. Harrison 



markets everywhere and can take 

 advantage of the daily changes. 



A word about prices will be of in- 

 terest here. During June of this year 

 (1918) Yellow Transparent apples 

 grown in our orchards on the Eastern 

 Shore sold on the New York market 

 at prices ranging from $2 to $4.25 per 

 bushel hamper, the average price 

 being about $3 per bushel. A very 

 profitable crop, don't you think? 



With these facts in front of you, can 

 you longer delay putting out an or- 

 chard? For three 

 or four years you 

 can use the land 

 between the trees, 

 thus making it 

 carry the expense 

 until the trees begin 

 to produce. Then 

 your yearly income 

 is assured. 



We are thor- 

 oughly convinced 

 that a commercial 

 orchard is the great- 

 est asset that an 

 American farmer 

 can possess. 



We maintain a 

 "Service Bureau" 

 to help you in get- 

 ting started. If 

 you are interested 

 in planting a large 

 orchard, if you 

 want advice about 

 varieties, or other 

 information as to 

 the practical points 

 of fruit-growing, 

 write us; we will be 

 glad to give you 

 the benefit of our experience. We can 

 steer you clear of costly mistakes, 

 and show you how to bring the orchard 

 into bearing in the shortest time. 



If your proposed orchard is not too 

 far from our town and the nurseries, 

 it might be possible for us to arrange 

 to send an expert orchardist to over- 

 see the preparation of the land and 

 planting the trees. For service of 

 this character we would make only a 

 nominal charge in addition to the 

 man's actual traveling and hotel ex- 

 penses. The results secured certainly 

 will justify the cost. 



