Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1875-01-15
Making Selections From Samples.

In purchasing dry goods and other
manufactured articles 1t may answer
well enough for the purchaser to make
his selections from samples, but with re-
spsct to agricultural and horticultural
products a man may he very easily led
astray. For instance, man attending
an exhibition of fruits may examine the
various kinds and decide from appear
ances 1--WE have seen many do sol, and
thereby be very much deceived in the
quality. But suppose he has also an op-
portunity of testing quality; he has then
only gained n knowledge of the fruit
ITSELF while its adaptation to soil and
locality, which are usually matters of the
greatest Importance, must still be de-
termined. Fruits exhibited in Virginia
may have been produced in Central New
York, and be of no more value for
culture in the former State than an
orange or fig
This making selections from samples
exhibited at fairs has led thousands
astray, simply for the want of n proper
consideration of the circumstances under
which the fruits were produced. We
have known enthusiasts in horticulture
| who would visit exhibitions of fruits
| from various States, and with notebook
and pencil in hand pass from one table
|
| every handsome variety, and thus make
out their orders for plants without once
considering the question of adaptation.
Many persons have pursued similar
course by making selections from the
plates in agents picture books, gotten
up for the purpose of showing their
customers what beautiful things in the
way of fruits and flowers they had for
sale. With such shortsightedness on the
part of purchasers it is no wonder that
so many make failures where success
would have crowned their efforts if
proper selections had been made. The
fairs, as well as the colored plates of
fruits and plants, are usually of char
acter from which beneficial results
might come, but the knowledge intended
to be conveyed is frequently misapplied
1t is this want OF proper discrimination
and consideration of the value of an arti
Gle offered for sale by samples which
gives the dishonest dealer an opportunity
of swinding his customers. Thousands
of rooted cuttings of the old charter OAK
grape have been sold at prices ranging
from one to three dollars each, simply
because it is of large size, and the seller
exhibited samples of the fruit preserved
in alcohol, which, although attractive in
appearance were otherwise worthless
The best varieties, either in appearance
or flavor, may be valuable in one local
ity and worthless in another; hence the
necessity of knowing something beyonC
the fruit itself
The same rules hold good in the selec
ton of farm animals. The fattest or fast
est may not be the best under all circum
stances. The merIno may be the mos
profitable breed of sheep for one localit!
, and the Southdowns for another. In
| some instances the market for the fleece
would be the principal thing to be consid
, cred, while in other localities this nigh
: be ofless importance than the value of tn,
carcass in the butchers stall. Then agail
| certain breeds thrive much better in
particular region of country than anoth
er, and this point requires close and care
full investigation, in order to insure tn
t best results. We may admire the appear
ance of breed of cattle as exhibited at
fair but admiration must notbe carried
| so far as to make us overlook adaptation
? to actual wants or circumstances. Tn
light, nimble-footed breeds of cattle ar
> better suited to a rocky, hilly countr,
| than those of an opposite type. ThOs
breeds which are most profitable for tn
r dairy are the least SO for beef, and thi
| principle must be considered in all tn,
= various branches of agriculture.
We have frequently seen it stated tina
| a certain number of pounds of corn fet
to hog would give certain amount o
l pork, which may be true with one breet
/ of hogs and not with another The pro
| duction of fat or flesh in animals Is no
carried on with such strict mechanical
! uniformity as to allow"of no difference il
| the processes of growth or laying on o
2 flesh beyond that of quantity or qualit.
of food given. 1t may do very well fo
the raisers of fancy breeds of chickens t
say that certain amount of food can b'
, turned into so many dozen of eggs ant
! so much meat; but the rules given dC
not always work well in practice. Tht
, exhibition of samples is certainly thu
first step toward obtaining specific infor
nation in regard to the article, but i
should always be considered only tina
and nothing more.-NelO York Sun