, 1863-05-22
FRUIT CULTURE TN COOK
COUNTY.
TABULAR Statement OF
PRODUCTS,
Interesting Letter from a Fruit
Grower.

By the request Of tho Hon. Isaac Newton,
Chief Of the United States Bureau Of Agri.
culture, to the Chicago Historical Society, M
effort has been made by that Society
| to secure authentic accounts Of the ex.
tent Of the cultivation of frEits in Cook couu.
ty. Although subject Of inquiry belonging
more appropriately to other institutions, the
labor has been scheerfully undertaken; and
twelve Of the twenty eight towns hare made
their returns. We regret they could not have
been complete, and We hope that effort may
get be made to render them SO.
Although-some one hundred and eighty
years ngo-European explorers predicted that
tko southerly shores of Lake Michigan would
be one OF the finest fruit-growing regions OF
the world, especially Of the grape, the ac-
tual results, SO far, have been meagre, indeed.
Is the fault In our soil and climatic disadyan-
toges, OF is it III onrsclycs, not ret comprc-
lendjng the conditions On which SUCCESS NAV
be assurcd7
The returns, given below. may seem incon-
siderable, compared with the achievements Of
older communities. But let us not forget
that all our towns are newly settled, and that
fruit is luxury, which must yield to'sterner
necessities. beginning has been made.
May We not mark it just as it Is; and perhaps
one day years hence-it may he curious to
look back, aud see what Waa at first atteMpt.
ed amidst every disadvantage.
OF Grape Culture. the returns are so few rs
not to be fully tabulated. In Il word, we
have, substantially, no vineyards in Cook
county. A few vines are found, in private
gardens, in every town. Evanston reports
three acres Of vines-two acres Of two years
growth. and one acre Of 1862. New Trier re-
ports thrcc acres Of Elnes-oHe acre Of four
years growth, two acres Of three years, one
Is all reported. So much, SO fur. for the
grape i'll Cook county-surelya poor return.
I'VE omittrd to add, that Schaumburg re-
turns half acre in grares) Alas! for the
split of European prophcey! May VIC ask
again, rs the real fault in generous. exuber-
be stated that one town only {1-emout) reports
the yield of grapes to the acre, namely, one
Thousand pounds.
Perhaps key may be found to the failure
in grales, as in otller important fruit
crops. 1t is, in a word, here: We have
had no good, Experimental nurserlcs-no gen
crous, Intelligent, public spirited men to
start such nurseries, On any adequate scale
studying our climate. trying experiments.
verify ing old theroies here, and establishing,
new tnu just theories, based on our own cx-
pe1iencc. Of the twelve towns reported, Ley
den, Els dT4ve and hanover report one MIR
sery each; Evanston and Jefferson report,
two. The rest report none. Nearly al! Of
thcse are chiefly for the apple. not exclusive
II. So VIC have few experiments, and without
such, what can be hopeds Even those nur-
series started are new, and without prolonged
experience. They may yet achieve important
results.
But this is not all. One reporter {Mr. Ar.
nold, of Rich) writes: t'Thorc are large q,1 an
titles Of fruit trees bought every year. II
Eastern nursery-men had not swinlled us,
there would have been twice as many trees in
Western nurseries. There were fsi sSout 'spm sfrl
teen hundred sold here this spring {1sG3 }"
Mr. Arnold here reveals Gil important truth,
| the East; Western nurseries for the West. ~
Give us our own n1irscrymen, our own nur-
Eerice, our own selections Of trees ALREADY &C
| climated and tested. 1t is full time to rsnem
Der that nature has her own laws here, as
elsewhere; and it is for us, and not for those
Of other climatic mcridians, to study and
solve them. "HnrseFics for the West and
for Cook county, is our great need.
1t will be noted in the tables below, that
tue roach full below all fruits, in the returns
Of the several towns. According to the uni
fnrm reports, the peach, for the past eight
Grove, by Messrs. Allen g. Curtis, reports q
| good crop Of peaches nine yeara ago It has
failed everywhere since. Tho sanlo gentle
| 1nen, with those Of other towns, report Il
promising crop for 1S63-this coming year
| So there is yet hope. We arc not told what
experiments have been made Of varieties, stop
ping their growth early in fall, of lit:ering
trees aftertle frost is well in, to keep back the
spring growth, Of trimming peaches on trcl-
likes "a practice common in the South of
Flnnce and elsewhere, producing the finest
peaches. In word, that luscious fruit, the
where, which demands the wisest and best
care OF the most yigilant aud experienced, has
proved, for the pAet few years, failure iu
Cook county. Shall NC, for that reason, give
itnp, and forever relinquish one Of the most
delicate and healthful Of fruits: Let us try
again.
Ofthe general culture Of fruit In Cook coun.
ty, given bsloH, the report Is certainly en-
ceuragipg. 1t is the beginning, indeed. But
it is commencement honorable to the coun.
Z. Tue apple leads, the pear promises well,
the plum falters gut why, when We have ma
statistics, when it ought to be largely culti-
yated for dwarf trees. Cherries follow next
In number to the app1e-a fruit needing spc-
eial attention, especially rs the intense solar
rays in our region damage it. demanding
low branching and proper selection Of stocks
and varieties suited TO our climate. The re.
| port Of small fruits, MS strawberries, &C., Is
certainly encouraging. For profit aud ccr-
tainty Of crops In this climate, there Is no dis
| courngcment to culture The sole question
ls-and question for experienced nursery
men to determine hat varieties and modes
ofcu1turc arc best adapted to this county,
Wa have presumed to introduce, with these
extensive remarks, the fol1owin. tables, They
will speak for themselves. We would close
By enireating that larger and 5tttc+ nuyse75<s