THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
61 
FRUIT GROWING IN MICHIGAN. 
An address to HORTICULTaRISTS GIVES POINTS TO NUR¬ 
SERYMEN REGARDING THE DEMAND OP CERTAIN SEC¬ 
TIONS FOR CERTAIN KINDS OF STOCK—POSSIHILITIES OF 
THE FUTURE OF MICHIGAN—QUESTIONS OF VARIETY, 
QUALITY, QUANTITY AND ADAPTABILITY. 
One of the most valuable discussions of the season 
was that presented at the recent meeting of the Michigan 
State Horticultural Society by S. D. Willard, at Geneva, 
N. Y. His subject was, “The Possibilities of Fruit 
Growing in Michigan.” His treatment of the subject 
contained matter of interest to many in other sections 
and was filled with pertinent points by which growers 
and dealers may profit. He said; “In the economy of 
nature no one state in this great commonwealth has been 
so admirably adapted and provided with all the essentials 
for growing such a diversity of fruit products, while at the 
same time enjoying the advantages to be derived from 
markets so easily and economically reached, the demand 
for which, twenty years hence, no living man of to-day 
can estimate. Certain it is that the general fruit grow¬ 
ing interests are not keeping pace with the increase of the 
people, who, as they become more highly educated and 
civilized, will consume in their living a much greater 
amount of fruit and less of those foods of a carbonaceous 
character. 
“Fruitgrowing has too often been regarded as a sort of 
sideshow of farming, and treated with a degree of 
neglect which would only insure failure when applied to 
any other crops. It has been regarded as a fit field of 
operation for him who, failing in everything else, might 
take this up as a last resort; but the successful fruit¬ 
grower of this latter part of the nineteenth century re¬ 
quires a combination of practical good sense, with intelli¬ 
gence in his profession, second to that possessed by no 
other man, no matter what may be his calling. It is a 
lack of required knowledge and attainment, more than 
anything else, to which may be ascribed discouragements 
and crop failures in fruit growing. We want a more 
intimate acquaintance with all varieties of fruit adapted 
to our soils and climate, their habits and structure, their 
diseases and the insect life that preys upon them —in 
entomology as applied to our business, and we will give 
you results less unsatisfactory than those that too often 
characterize the slip-shod orchard culture of to-day. 
“We are living in a wonderfully progressive age, in 
which science as applied to fruit culture may yet play a 
part we little imagine. Let no man ignore the grand 
work being done by state and government in our behalf. 
We suggest, would not a more general intermingling of 
varietes in our commercial orchards be a step in the right 
direction ? It is said that, so closely allied are the plum 
and cherry, the pollen of the one will fertilize the other. 
If this be so, this may in a measure account for annual 
crops of each in a small orchard planted in alternate rows. 
When we consider that our experimental stations, agri¬ 
cultural colleges, as well as departments of agriculture at 
Washington, are all actively engaged in efforts to solve 
problems of vital interest to the wide-awake fruitgrower, 
we think we have great reason for encouragement, and 
one should prosecute this work with great zeal while 
availing himself of all required knowledge now at his 
command. 
“ We would not be misconstrued, however, nor would 
we wish to mislead any as to the profits in fruitgrowing. 
It .has its downs as well as ups. Low rate of interest 
means low prices for everything produced, hence war 
prices should not be anticipated; but we do mean to say 
that no investment can be made in this or any other good 
fruitgrowing state, in the way of soil tillage, that will pay 
a larger percentage, one year with another, than when 
judiciously expended in growing such fruits as are adapted 
to the soil on which they are planted. 
“Note, if yon please, this question of adaptability. It 
is important; none more so. A disregard of it has been 
productive of failures beyond computation. We believe 
so thoroughly in the adaptability of certain portions of 
your state for growing certain fruits with such unerring 
success that, were we twenty years younger, we should 
not hesitate to push some interests of this kind in a very 
large way, on land now waiting for the work of the 
skillful cultivator; only to afford returns that can not be 
over estimated. Nowhere east of the Rockies can the 
stone fruits, as well as some others, be grown and 
marketed with the same success of profit as on'the east 
shore of your great lake. 
“The merchant must cater to the wants of his cus¬ 
tomers, and just so with the successful fruit grower. The 
markets require the very early and late sorts as well as 
those whose styles fit them for retailing from the fruit 
stands, and in the production of varieties that meet these 
requirements, as a rule, look for profitable returns. We 
would not be understood as ignoring quality, but if com¬ 
pelled to discriminate as between quality and quantity, 
with style and good handling properties in favor of the 
latter, we should assuredly cast our ballot in favor of 
quantity in planting the commercial orchard. To illustrate 
more fully the idea we wish to convey, let us take the 
currant ; that variety having the strongest foliage, that 
will best resist the depredations of the currant worm, 
that will produce the largest crop to the acre, that will 
make the most jelly from a given amount of fruit, of the 
most attractive color, and hence will give to the pro¬ 
ducer the largest returns for his labor, is quite beautiful in 
appearance, and yet, if to be eaten from the hand or from 
the table, would be regarded as the poorest in quality of 
any currant grown (indeed, I should regard it as totally 
unfit for table use), and yet in my opinion it should rank 
high in the commercial orchard. I refer to the Prince 
Albert. For table use, Moore’s Ruby, as a red, and 
