378 



THEY SAY. 



Prof. Wm. R. Lazenby said ; In our climate, subject 

 as we often are to great and extreme changes of temper- 

 ature, passing abruptly from extreme cold to almost 

 tropical heat, the system usually becomes more or less 

 debilitated, and in this condition we are predisposed to 

 malarial and other fevers, particularly if we live where 

 the drainage is poor. Fruit, on account of the free acici 

 it contains, is a great corrective for this general debility. 

 These organic acids are antiseptic. They tend to des- 

 troy disease germs that may have found a lodgement in 

 the body. Their beneficial effect may be partially over- 

 balanced by the indigestibility of certain fruits, caused 

 by the coarse and hard condition of the cellulose. All 

 good fruits when perfectly developed and properly ma- 

 tured are, as a rule, easily digested. We know that un- 

 ripe fruit is not wholesome. It does not readily digest, 

 but is likely to ferment and decompose in the stomach, 

 oftentimes giving rise to serious disorders. The same 

 may be equally true of over-ripe or partially decayed 

 fruit. If it is unwise to take into our bodies that which 

 will decay and ferment, ;it is also unwise to use fruit in 

 which these changes have already begun. The question is 

 often asked whether such or such a fruit is "healthy.'' 

 This is bad English, unless you have special reference to 

 the condition of the fruit or fruit-plant itself. We can 

 say, however, that the teachings of chemistry and physiol- 

 ogy, as well as our own experience, show that " healthy,'' 

 mature fruits are uiholesoine, and the best result possible 

 from their use as food is to have an abundance of the 

 best varieties, each in its season, and to know that they 

 are the product of your own skill and industry. 



The Brigdon Peach. — This peach originated in 

 Cayuga county, N. Y., and is being grown quite exten- 

 sively on the shores of Seneca lake. It gave a very re- 

 munerative crop last season. The tree is hardy and 

 the fruit large, remarkably handsome and more produc- 

 tive than the Early Crawford. The foliage is large, 

 green, glossy and peculiar. The flesh of the fruit is 

 yellow, very rich and juicy, with a pleasant flavor ; color 

 of fruit, deep orange-red, becoming dark red on the ex- 

 posed side. It is attractive and has been universally 

 admired wherever exhibited, and has taken the first pre- 

 mium at the Cayuga county fair for three years. Its 

 season is the middle of September, and it is a freestone. 

 — G. W. Churchill. 



Fruit Growers' Compact. — The following compact 

 was recently adopted by the South Haven (Michigan) 

 Pomological Society to aid in the marketing problem : 

 "We, the undersigned fruit-growers, believing that a 

 better system of marketing than heretofore practiced 



may be devised, hereby constitute and appoint 



our agent to look up markets, solicit orders, seek freight 

 rates, and make sales of fruit that may be put into his 

 hands for sale or shipment ; and each of us agrees to 

 pay the expense of said agent, in proportion to the fruit 

 put in his hands by each ; further, that any person may 

 at any time withdraw from this agreement on settlement 

 with said agent and payment of his proportion of ex- 

 penses incurred. " 



Orange growers in some portions of Southern Cali- 

 fornia are beginning to question the supremacy which 

 the Navel orange has heretofore held. As the trees grow 

 older it is found that their bearing capacity does not in- 

 crease as rapidly as does that of a good seedling or of 

 the Mediterranean Sweet. It is true that the Navel thus 

 far brings the highest price, but a good seedling tree 

 will in the end bring in more money. 



Pear Blight Again. — With reference to my state- 

 ment that the injury to a blighted pear tree consisted in 

 the butyric fermentation of the starch in the bark. Prof. 

 J. C. Arthur has kindly called my attention to his own 

 investigations, the results of which he states as follows : 

 " The chemical changes induced by the bacteria in the 

 plant tissues are in part the formation of a gum and 

 disengagement of carbon dioxide, but not of alcohol, 

 butyric acid or any of this series of compounds, at 

 least to any important extent ; and lastly that the change 

 is not putrefactive or alcoholic, but in all probability 

 viscous." — A. B. Seymour. 



Women as Raisin Growers. — A great many Cali- 

 fornia women are investing in raisin vineyards. The 

 favorite plan is an incorporation to secure the land. 

 Stock is issued, and assessments levied upon it. The ex- 

 pense of land, water, planting, and culture can be very 

 closely calculated beforehand, and quarterly assess- 

 ments are made until the vineyard is in bearing. So far, 

 every enterprise of this kind has been a success. 

 Tracts of one or two hundred acres costing from fifty to 

 sixty dollars an acre, are preferred by these associations. 

 Most of the women who take stock are teachers or 

 stenographers, with two or three thousand dollars sav- 

 ings. They can make more, after the fifth year, than 

 by any other equally safe investment. Raisin-grape 

 vineyards are the favorite form of investment for such 

 associations. They do not as yet attempt wine-making, 

 or general fruit-growing. A prune or fig or almond 

 orchard might be as easy to manage as a raisin vineyard, 

 but the system by which raisins can always be sold 

 in the sweating boxes to packing companies, greatly 

 lessens the care and expense. — Charles H. Shinn. 



The Peach and Apricot Orchards of California. 



— By the latest and best estimates there are now growing 

 in California orchards at least 10,000,000 (ten million) 

 peach and apricot trees, two-thirds of which are peaches, 

 and two-thirds of both species will be in bearing the 

 coming season. These trees will soon give a total pro- 

 duct of 40,000,000 40-lb. boxes of fruit, or i5o millions 

 of pounds, yet the best posted commercial fruit men of 

 the state insist that there need be no fear of a glut from 

 overproduction, either now or in the future. In fact, the 

 demand is constantly beyond the production. Nothing 

 but the opening up of some great new country with a 

 climate and soil for the peach, nectarine and apricot 

 the equal of this, will give the world more of these 

 fruits than it will absorb. Where is such a country to be 

 found? Possibly South Arizona and parts of old 

 Mexico will compete. But even then California will 



