Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1882-05-06
SYSTEMATIC FRUIT FARMING.
Some Seasonable Hints OF Interest
to All.

to All.
Probably fruit is popular in every
farmers family, but every family does
not get it, or at least not oftener than it
gets roast turkey, ice cream, or lemon
ade. But there is no sufficient excuse
for this, because for family use it is not
difficult to grow, no matter how hard 1t
may be to make money by raising 1t for
market on large scale. In this refer
ence Is made to fruit other than apples
or currants. These stand neglect and
ill-treatment so well that they manage
to subsist on almost every farm. But
the small fruits and peaches, pears,
plums, cherries and grapes are yet rare
in tens of thousands of homesteads
where they ought to be in abundance,
and might be with reasonable care end
attention, and with comparatively little
effort.
Nearly every old style, anti-progressive.
cow pasturing farmer has what he calls
his garden" a little patch of ground
fenced off by itself, which is plowed and
manfred once Year, then planted TO
vegetables, with currant bushes around
the outside next the fence, with a few
flowers along the walks, and, perhaps. a
few fruit trees next the fence, some
times a few raspberry OR black berry
bushes mixed in with the currants, and
may be "bed' of strawberries some
where. which have become one solid,
matted row in about eight weeks after
planting. After blowing and planting
in the spring the garden looks very we'll,
and gets some care until the busy season
sets IL of corn planting and corn hoe
ing. Possibly it gets fair share of
attention until harvest and haying, but
not longer. Then the weeds grow with
amazing rapidity, outside work presses,
the mornings are short, and if the
"women folks can't look out for the gar
den, it must take care of ITSELF" says the
boss. OF course, the women folks don't
do it to any great extent, and the gar
den lapses. 1t produces some potatoes,
some cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, cab
bages, and flowers, and some horribly
sour currants. Some raspberries or
blackberries may be seen here and there
on the bushes, but only at distance
the canes are so long, sprawling, and
, thorny that no woman, unless wearing a
CLOSE fitting rubber suit, can get within
rod of them, and if bold boys venture
where they are they eat them out of
hand on the spot, if it takes all summer,
and that is as far as the family shares in
them. Weeds grow by millions, and
are finally, about the time their seeds
mature, mown down and piled.
Perhaps the farmer and his sons can
not tell the reason why they all hate
garden work, but they generally find
out when they once get started in the
right way. It is mainly because all the
work has to lie done by hand. The gar.
den is usually from quarter to half
acre III extent, nearly square, with, of
course, very short rows. In blowing
the horse or horses spend most of their
energies and time i'll turning about,
tread on their own or each others feet,
get over the traces on slight provoca-
ton and if proEanely inclined, the
driver swears WITH great unreserve and
freedom aud if there are neighbors in
hearing the rumpus becomes neighbor-
hood talk. When the team goes out it
goes out for year the after culture is
done by hand or not at all, because 8
horse or two turning abont among
flowers, vegetables, brier and currant
bushes is n nuisance.
This garden is n concession to the pas
turing system. Garden truck cannot be
planted anywhere else than in this
seven-by-nine enclosure, because the
stock would eat it mp. It Is the in
grained notion of the average farmer
that every field, and even the door-yard,
must have its turn at being pastured,
as it is too much trouble 10 cut and
carry anything to the stock when they
can get it themselves. If an orchard is
planted (apples, | mean), it is hard
work TO keep cattle out until the trees
are so plainly seen that cattle or horses
will not walk over them.
The better way for the general farmer.
in order to raise fruit for himself, is to
set apart so many acres near his house,
say from two or three to ten, make the
rows as long one way rs possible, and
resolve never to allow any pasturing in
it whatever. Plant the fruit trees in
long and straight rows, and wide apart
very wide, say Is or 100 feet for
apples, and so for most other sorts.
; Between these plant small fruits and
vegetables, also In straight rows, and at
the usual distances. Manure heavily
from the start, and cultivate thorough
! ly. That doesn't mean once q north,
but rathero once . week or oftener. Allow
no grass to grow anywhere, and no
flowers unless planted in long rows,
and where they can share the horse
} culture. With long, straight rows, aad
so arranged that some culture can be
given diagonally or at right angles to
the long rows, the amount of hand
, hoeing becomes very small, and the
dread of garden culture is gone. Not
much can be grown near the trees after
q few years but no matter, they want
culture and manure, and they get both
under this system but planted closely
and by themselves. the chances are that
they will get neither, and be overrun
with grass and weeds. BY planting at
wide distances, so that there will be
waste ground, unless something else is
planted between, there is an incentive
for work among and near them, and for
manuring. The fruit and vegetables
are all in one lot and rs well protected