Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-04-22
Too Many Varieties.

The great error of most persons who
attempt to raise fruit consists in setting
out too many varieties of trees, bushes
and vines. Not unfrequently prospect
i've fruit-raiser sends to nurseryman
for his catalogue. He makes up his
mind how many trees he will plant of
each kind of fruit, and orders one tree of
each variety. He pursues the same
course in relation to grape-vines, and,
though he may order more than one cur
rant or raspberry bush of each variety,
he is tolerably certain to include all the
varieties in his list. He judges that each
variety of tree, bush and vinemust have
some distinctive excellence, or else it
would not be propagated and recon-
mended to purchasers. Being an en-
thusiast, he resolves that his orchard,
vineyard and fruit garden shall produce
everything desirable.
He obtains his much diversified nur-
sery stock and proceeds to set it out.
He soon notices that great amount of
sickness prevails among his trees, vines
and bushes, and that the death rate ex-
ceeds his calculation. Some of them
survive, however, and sooner or later he
ascertains that only one out of ten of the
many kinds of apple trees he set out is
of any value. Some fail to grow, others
are quite too tender to endure the heat
of summer or the cold of winter without
protection, while still others do not pro-
duce any fruit after they have reached
the bearing age. He never obtains the
variety of fruit he expected from his
great variety of trees, and never raises
any considerable amount of fruit, for the
reason that very few of his trees and
vines that survive prove to be productive.
In this portion of the west the only
cherry tree that is profitable is the early
Richmond. The cherries are not profta-
BILE as crop to send to large cities, as
the market is over supplied with them.
It is a most desirable fruit, however, to
raise for immediate use at home or for
canning. Unless one expects to prepare
for and to carry on war against the cur
culio it is useless to set out any varieties
of plum trees except those whose fruit is
protected by thick skin. The prospect
of deriving any profit from pears on most
of the western prairies is very poor. Still,
the value of a productive pear tree is very
great, and a farmer is justified in run
ming considerable risk in order to obtain
one. 1t is best to consult person in the
vicinity, who has been successful in rails
ing pears, in relation to the varieties to
plant. Pears rank as Injuries, but, as
ordinarily produced. they are very ex-
pensive ones.
The Concord grape vine is as hardy,
as productive, and adapted to as wide an
extent of territory as any that is grown.
Its fruit is superior in all respects. Most
persons will derive more benefit from
twenty vines of this variety of grape
than from any equal number of vines
each of different kind. The smaller
the number of varieties of fruit trees or
vines one has the less will be the labor
required to take care of them, since
every variety requires somewhat differ
cnt treatment. Amateurs and persons
of leisure may derive pleasure from Gull
tivating great number of old varieties
and experimenting with new ones, but
the majority of persons can spend their
tine to much better advantage. They
want supply Of fruit without the ex-