1910. 
306 
FORCING DWARF FRUIT TREES. 
Probably one of the most interesting 
and certainly one of the most attractive 
forms of gardening under glass, is the 
forcing of fruit, or as it is called in the 
old country, “orchard house culture.” 
This method of fruit growing has been 
practised for a great many years in Eu¬ 
ropean countries, where uncertain sea¬ 
sons have made it almost a necessity in 
order to get any fruit, but very little of 
it has been done in this country, though 
one see it occasionally on private estates, 
or by an enthusiatic amateur. As a gen¬ 
eral rule, however, the growing of fruit 
under glass could not be considered as 
a paying business proposition, for the 
cost of producing the fruit would be out 
of proportion to the price received for it, 
and yet practically all of the hothouse 
grapes that are on the market now are 
imported from England, in which coun¬ 
try they are grown as a commercial crop. 
We are soon coming to a time when this 
question will receive the attention of the 
greenhouse men, and we, as well as 
England, will have our commercial fruit¬ 
forcing etablishments. As a business 
proposition in this country at least, it 
would be best to place such a business 
as near as possible to a cheap coal sup- 
PEAR TREE GROWN IN.POT. Fig. 123. 
plv rather than too near the market, as 
coal is one of the large items of expense. 
I his form of gardening requires great 
efficiency on the part of the gardener, 
and we have very few native Americans 
trained for this sort of work; but the 
gardeners of the old world, especially 
England and Scotland, are as used to 
the growing of fruits as of flowers or 
vegetables under glass, so it is to them 
we turn when in need of a trained, or¬ 
chard-house gardener. On the estate of 
Thomas Proctor, of Topsfield, Mass., 
who is an enthusiastic amateur fruit 
grower, has been erected one of the fin¬ 
est orchard houses this side of the water, 
where splendid fruit is raised under the 
skilful management of James Marlbor¬ 
ough, one of the most competent of Eng¬ 
lish indoor fruit growers. Mr. Marl¬ 
borough is thoroughly in love with his 
profession, and willing that others should 
know of some of the methods which 
have brought him success. 
In most cases the fruit houses are per¬ 
manently planted; that is, the vines or 
trees are set in deep well-prepared bor¬ 
ders. and allowed to remain as long as 
useful, so that a house must be all 
TI-1PC RURAL NEW-YORKER 
peaches, all grapes or all nectarines. In 
Mr. Proctor’s fruit house, however, an¬ 
other method is practiced. All trees, 
vines, etc., are planted in pots or tubs, 
varying in size according to the tree, 
never smallerthan 10 inches in diameter, 
and rarely larger than two feet. All of 
the trees that are used are dwarfs, and 
are trained as pyramids, in vase form or 
fan-shaped, as the gardener wishes. The 
stone fruits can be fruited in pots in 
from two to three years from the bud, 
while apples and pears take from four 
to five years. During this period, when 
the trees are developing, great care is 
necessary in order that the trees do not 
become stunted or in any way injured, 
and the skill of the gardener is needed 
at all seasons to keep the trees in the 
best condition. The English nurseries 
make a specialty of growing these dwarf 
trees for forcing, and make shipments 
of them usually in the Fall to their cus¬ 
tomers. As soon as the trees are re¬ 
ceived at the greenhouses they are potted 
up in a well-prepared potting soil com¬ 
posed of two-thirds sod and one-third 
rotted cow manure; a handful of old 
mortar is put in each pot, as this seems 
to be the best form of lime to use. The 
trees are then placed under glass in a 
very cool house, the pots plunged in salt 
marsh hay, and covered with at least one 
foot of the same material in order to 
keep the soil in the pots from freezing 
and breaking the pots. The greenhouse 
is well ventilated on bright days, and 
the plants are looked over every 10 days 
or so, to be sure that none of them is 
dry, but no heat is applied to the house 
until starting time, which is generally 
about March 1. At this time the night 
temperature is raised to about 4.5 de¬ 
grees, and as soon as the buds swell is 
raised again until as the fruit matures 
the heat reaches a maximum of 70 de¬ 
grees which is enough to ripen the fruit. 
The gardener’s skill is shown largely 
at all times in this work to keep the 
proper moisture conditions, for with too 
much water or too little the trees will 
be apt to drop their fruit, and even their 
foliage; it is also very necessary to main¬ 
tain the proper moisture conditions in 
order that the fruit may be of the best 
quality. As soon as the trees bloom pol- 
lenization of the blossoms has to be done 
by hand in order that the fruits shall set 
perfectly; not only do the sterile vari¬ 
eties have to be pollenized, but in order 
to make matters sure all of the blossoms 
perfect or otherwise on a tree have to 
be gone over, for there arc no natural 
pollen carriers in a greenhouse. As the 
fruit develops much of it has to be re¬ 
moved, for no one knows better the 
value of thinning than the man who 
grows fruit under glass; not only are the 
fruits removed to give larger size to the 
specimens left, but it is the aim of the 
gardener to have the fruit at regular in¬ 
tervals on the tree, so that the whole ef¬ 
fect shall be pleasing; very often these 
dwarf trees in fruit are used in decorat¬ 
ing at a dinner, and in growing them 
both the useful and the ornamental have 
to be considered. No decoration can be 
more pleasing or unique than that ob¬ 
tained by the use of these dwarf trees 
covered with their beautiful fruits: cher¬ 
ries, plums, apples, grapes, peaches, etc., 
can be served at a dinner direct from 
the tree to the consumer (thus doing en¬ 
tirely away with the middleman.) 
Most of the varieties adapted to this 
forcing are not used in open culture, not 
only because they are not hardy but for 
the reason that they are not good com¬ 
mercial varieties; that too. many of our 
out-of-door fruits have not the high 
quality necessary in a greenhouse fruit. 
Such varieties as Red Astrachan, Yellow 
Transparent and Ribston Pippin in ap¬ 
ples, Clapp’s Favorite, and Louise Bonne 
of Jersey in pears; May Duke, Elton and 
Gov. Wood in cherries can be used with 
success in both ways; one of the main 
points that the fruit gardener under glass 
tries to cover is that of a succession of 
varieties beginning from the earliest and 
continuing to the latest. Fruit can be 
obtained from the houses as early as 
April and from then on until December, 
and one who has once acquired a taste 
for fruit grown under glass will not eat 
much of that grown outside. w. w. 
Massachusetts. 
Fighting' Water 
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TRADE 
Re?. 
U. S. 
SOLD 
BY 
MARK 
Pat. 
Off. 
DEALERS 
EVERYWHERE 
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Established 1817 
Main Mills and General Offices, 13 Neponset Street, East Walpole, Mass. 
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12o2 F STREET WASHINGTON, D.C. 
h •' Cv'— 
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THE JOHNSTON •‘CONTINENTAL” DISK 
HARROWS are durable, workable, economical-indispen¬ 
sable. They not only prepare the soil, but also cultivate the 
crops. They are labor savers, crop incrcasers, and money¬ 
makers. No up-to-date farmer should be without one or more 
of these common-sense tools. Built of steel and malleable iron. 
Solid or cut-out disks; 22 sizes and styles. Equipped with 
Tongue Truck when ordered. 
THE JOHNSTON LINE OF HARROWS 
are backed by 20 years of Harrow-making. 
Orchadists and vincyardisls arc realizing more and more every year that 
the extension head harrows, are more practical for their work than any 
other tool. The Johnston Orchard Disk Harrows are strong, steady, 
durable, simple in construction, light in draft, and easy to operate— 
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pay for itself several times in a single season in increased crops. 
Made in four sizes, 4 ft. 4 in. to 5 ft. 6 in., 16 and 18 in. disks, 
solid or cut-out disks. 
? JOHNSTON HARVESTER CO., Box 100 H BATAVIA, N. Y. 
