The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1871-04-18
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD ITEMS
A Franklin County Fruit Farm.

3U acres, with 5,UUU trees, consisting OF
apple, pear, peach, and cherry trees, and
5000 grape vines This he named the
Franklin Garden, and it has now been
bearing for five years.
Last year he had an abundant crop of
pears, peaches, and grapes, and was not
anxious to sell any from the ground, as
he canned his fruit in gallon cans and then
marketed it. His Susquehanna peaches
averaged him So bushel. He sent five
tons to market. He realized $500 for
canned fruit, which was sent to Baltimore,
Philadelphia, New York, Montreal, and
even some to England. His land is a
rich gravel, little mixed with sand, lays
high, h,on southern slope, almost surround
ed by limestone. The trees are grown
on new and improved system, originated
by Mr.. Martin himself, the heads being
SO low that for several years the fruit may
all be within reach from the ground.
The trees grow very fast, in one season
making from three to five feet of wood
in one summer. We measured the diam
eter of smoke-house tree, planted four
years ago, which was "a feet from one
extreme to the other.
Mr. Martin bought two adjoining
farms in 1865, of several hundred acres
each, two miles west of Mercersburg.
The land lies almost all on a southwest
orn slope, nearly touching the North
mountain. A beautiful spring issues out
of the limestone rocks from the south
west corner of the Southern farm. The
water rushes down through the jutting
limestone toward Mercersburg, where it
is sufficient to turn grist-mill. The
land north of the spring consists of loose
gravel and sand mixed with small pebbles
and flint, showing it to have been at one
time submerged.
Mr.. Martin undertook the formation
and organization of company to plant
an orchard with 10000 trees With
this object in view he visited some inhu-
ential men, among whom were Gov. Geary,
FL. M. Eugle, DIR. b. Spangler, of Ma
rietta, Pa, Hon. j. W. Forney, editor of
the Philadelphia Press, Rev. James Col
der, president of Hillsdale college, Mich
igan, Hon. IT, A. Scott, vice president
of the p. r. r. company, and others,
soliciting their cooperation. He met
with success beyond his expectations, and |
in the spring of 1866 he succeeded in
obtaining charter, with capital stock of |
100000, of which $4,000 worth was
sold in shares of $500 each. The remain
ing $50, 900 worth is still unsold, and not |
more than $4,000 worth will be offered, |
as the company prefer not to sell |
more than is necessary to develop the |
property None of the stock has ever
been offered publicly, but has been sold
to chosen members. The tract of land
consists of 40S acres, IT'S of which has
been planted in apple, peach, and pear
trees, and also grape vines, under the |
personal supervision of Mr.. Martin, who
has been general superintendent of the
farm ever since the organization of the
company. 1t is worth long journey to
see this beautiful, thrifty young fruit
farm, which is now beginning to bear
fruit. The orchard is laid out in four
acre blocks. These blocks are divided |
by avenues AZ feet wide, with central
avenue 100 feet wide. The avenues are
all named one way and numbered the
other, after the plan of the streets of Phil
adelphia. Each of the four acre blocks
is planted with some one variety of fruit,
and at the corner of the block is an index
board, showing the number of trees, (196 |
in each block ,)kind and date of planting, /
thus enabling the overseer to direct the
workmen to any block or tree on the farm.
The trees are grown on the same sys-
tenn as that practiced on Mr.. Martins
franklin farm. About 60 acres are in
timber. The yellow locust growing spon-
taneous, and chestnut is plenty on the
adjacent North mountain. The remain
ing 173 acres are in cultivation for regu-
lar farming purposes, such as grain, pas
ture, &c. There are on the farms two /
farm houses and two barns; the houses on
the fruit farm are built of brick, and the
farm buildings of the spring-farm are Of
limestone. There are six other tenement /
houses upon the place, which are occupied
by the families Of the day laborers.
Drainage Equivalent TO Change Of Climate.
Land drainage has been the subject of .
many remarks spoken and written--all of .
favorable character, yet as system in
this country, il has made comparatively
but little progress. The time will come,
probably, in the remote future, if the |
physical condition of the world remains
the same as it snow, when an increased
aud increasing population will necessitate
an improved management of the soil with
q view TO increased productiOn and this