The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1884-03-06

BY !. A. BANKED
SALIVA. Ks, March sth, 1854
What know about fruit raising IN
Saline county. Kansas. Well to starr
! out 7 will commence IN my boy-hood
DAYS hack in Ohio. when father used
a. live on rented farms when ~
would move oha new place the frsl
thing would do would be 70 procure
n sHpPly Of fruit trees and plant them
atauf the yard and fence corners.
had natural taste for fruit culture,
and In after Year, ] began % plant for
myself, and handle fruit trees, and be
came more acquainted with the differ
ent varieties adapted to that locality
But soon found that the high priced
land and the frequent failures Of the
fruit crop, was not the place fora man
with but little capital. So set out 20
find a more favorable state for a poor
man. So on the 5th Of March, 1877.
my self and family LEFT our old home
in Butler county, Ohio, and the 9TH Of
the same month landed IN Salina, Sc
line county, Kansas, and after locking
around we bought q farm A miles
northwest Of salina, on the Saline
river bottom, all raw prairie, and
about the 18th Of May began break
Ing sod, and Of courss the frst thing
was to get some ground broken for an
orchard. I had one acre broke for
that purpose, and the next winter I
had II rsplOEed The next thing |
did / interviewed several Of our most
prominent fruit growers as 90 varieties
best adapted to this climate, and after
! had gathered ali the Information
desired, I bought my trees. Ofeourse
did not have the money 10 buy
many, but l bought an assortment.
Among them were thirty-seyen apple
trees two yeaFs old, which planted
as was accustomed 10 do, and at this
date they are all alive and thrifty, and
two years ago they began to set fruit,
and last year quite q number Of them
bore fine specimens Of fruit. After
seeing the growth Of the few / had
planted, for a year or 80, I began to
plant out more and more. have
now 1900 apple trees for my own use,
and market.
am satisfied that this is a fruit
country, especially in Saline county,
and fruit raising for market win be
among the best paying occupations
that farmer can engage In, as we
have a market right ct our doors. On
the west the mining regions Of Colo
RADIO, as we are nearer that market
than any other fruit growing state,
consequently we have that much the
advantage. have known apple trees
set at two years old on the second
year after, produced one-half bushel Of
perfect apples, and have also known
crab apple trees to produce perfect
fruit the first year after planting.
Fruit trees grow much faster here
than they do in the east. / spent q
few weeks ct my old home In Ohio
the past winter, and took particular
notice ofthe growth oftrees. knew
trees planted two yeREs before came
away was not 81 large as my trees are,
and mine are two years younger.
The fruit raised here Is perfect, aud
keeps well. We have kept them I'M
til the 18th Of May sound and good.
There was q full crop Of apples in sa-
line county the past year, and the
state at large. As young as she Is,
her rank d only third among the fav-
orable fruit growing states for the past
two years. Peaches are not as sure .
crop as aPples-they are liable to get
nlpped by the frost. Cherries do
splendId--their growth in our county
is double that Of Ohio. All varieties
do nicely except the sweet cherries,
they don't seem to amount to much
as yet. Plums grow wild and can be
gathered by the bushel. All the tame
sorts that have seen tested, have
given the best Of satisfaction. Dwarf
pears do well, and are not effected
with the blight, as they are farther
east. I have known dwarf pear trees,
two years transplanted, that have
produced fine fruit. 1 reoollect Of
one tree Of the age named, that some
Of the fruit was weighed. / pear
weighed l pound II ounces, one
pound 10 ounces, and another pound
II ounces.
In regard to small fruit, strAwber-
ries, raspberries, gOOssberries, black
berries, all do enormously well. The
red currant does not succeed well ex-
eept where il IA protected from the
sun a little Grapes seem to he In
their glory here. They come into
bearing young and are not troubled
with the mIldew, or rot, as they are
In the east, The climate being more
dry, suppose h the cause.
Now would say In closing, that II
persons will plant judleiously, begin
ming with the strawberries, and take
the different fruits as In their order Of
ripaning, ending with the late keepers
Of the apples, the tables in Saline
county may be supplied with ripe
fruit the year around.
As to the growth Of forest trees and
hedge plants, l have eatalpa trees two
years old from seed, the smallest one
six feet high, and maple the same,
and have seen hedge plants that made
q six foot growth the first year after
planting, and remember one apple
tree set IN April, that In the following
ing October the wood growth was 80
inches.
Saline county nov has q population
Of about II, 900, the city OfSallna hav-
ing nearly 5000 The county has
800, 900 acres valley land - level .as The
surface Of the deep, and 81 fertile -
i = 4 4. II