Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-06-26
Fruit ON the Farm.

1heTc IS nOtnlng taaJ IndkeS 1dIIH Lie
more attractive than a generous provi-
sion of such fruits as are easily grown
on the average farm. No farmers
family need be denied a plentiful sup
ply of hardy, wholesome fruits; yet
comparatively few enjoy this privilege,
which like many another, Is within
easy reach of the humblest farmer in
this whole broad country. All are not
able to purchase high-priced nursery
stock to any great extent. but there
are other ways of getting supply OF
common fruits for the garden and or
chard. where the planter does not feel
able to puchase direct from the dealers
There are fruit growers in ever neigh
borhood who would~be glad to help
new beginner to such slips and cuttings
as he had to spare, and which would
otherwise be trimmed of and thrown
away The Germans frequently estab-
lish large fruit gardens and orchards
with no delay but the Time spent in set
ting out and cultivating. They learn
to graft desirable varieties, of which
they have obtained slips or scions, into
their OWN home raised, hardy seeding
stocks. They thus add to their horti.
cultural kqpwledge and skill, and a.
the same ffme greatly increase the1r
supply of fruit. By working into the
business in this way, little at time,
they are wonderfully successful. seldom
losing trees, for their experience grows
with the growth and increase OF the
orchard. Some Of the best gardeners
of nay acquaintance are Germans. who
have learned the practical art OF gar
dening and frnit-raising from long
years of personal labor and experience.
Many of their American brothers
might very profitably follow their ex-
ample in this respect, but to the aver
age American there seems to be some
thing very unsatisfactory or distasteful
in this way of gathering fruit about
him. He would rather 60 without fruit
for wears until he is able to buy big
lot from a nursery, and thus do things
on the grand American scale. Nowthis
might doif he. could only buy the knowl-
edge and experience in the same man
ner, that. will be needed to successfully
carry out his liberal plans. He goes
into the work, however, with a great
deal Of enthusiasm and large expecta.
tions. At the start he probably does
the best that he can, considering his
experience and circumstances. OF
course it is not to be expected that he
will do the work properly, and we can
very charitably forgive him for all the
blunders he makes, but Dame Nature
has laid down certain memorable laws,
and failure is the penalty for violation
of these So, however well man means,
and however earnestly he tries to as
sumo in day, or year. a position
which only a lifetime IF experience can
f.x L int
will surely be his portion for
a time. We all have to creep
before we can walk, you know.
Many farmers hold back on account OF
the long time that must elapse before
they can realize any returns in the way
of fruit from orchards newly planted.
It certainly does require an outlay of
capital, with no immediate returns, but
the sooner the outlay is made the sooner
will the returns come in. 1t should be
one of the first pieces of work per-
formed UPON coming into the posses
sion of q farm. There is no other way
that we can get sosgreat a return from
a small piece of land as by judiciously
setting it out to fruit trees and bushes.
Small fruits can be raised while we
are waiting for the trees to come into
bearing. A good supply of them can
be obtained the second year after set
ting out. Raspberry. blackberry and
gooseberry plants can be got for ~. 30 or
s. per hundred now, and others alike
reasonably. No one need go without
small fruits when bushes can be had for
two and one-half cents each. [ recol-
lect once buying half a dozen goose
berry bushes and paying sevenLy-fve
cents 2niece for them, which was the
usual price at that time. / never re-
GREETED the investment, however, and
would to-day pay i've times that price.
rather than 60 without.
The farmer need not buy many plants
to start with, as they can be made to
multiply very rapidly. The main thing
is to take good care of what is started.
This does not require any very great
amount of labor, but it is work that
will not bear sighting. They can be
stuck in rows along the fence, and left
to take their chances among the weeds
and grassi They need q rich. mellow
soil, clean cultivation, and constant
1t Is often good plan TO
plant them among young trees. where
the slight shade they get is beneficial,
and where they are somewhat sheltered
from driving storms. d. B0gato.s,
IN Prairie Farmer.