The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1885-06-20
Fruit
Farmers Should Devote More Attention 90
Fruit Raising.


Fruit Raising.
The question at the. head of this
article is often asked, and answered
in various ways. A common answer
Is, Fruit does not pay on my farm or
in my locality. In sense that may
be correct. 1t is correct to the extent
that fruit growing ON some farms and
in some localities never has paid. The
proper statement, however, would be,
''has never paid" 1t may be that it
has not paid because no systematic eff
fort has been made to make it pay.
The reason. or the principal reason,
that we do not grow more fruit in the
West Is because we can grow other
things more easily than we can fruit
in general. Fruit, requires that degree
of attention which we have not yet
learned to give our crops in this great
fertile region. Our main farm crops
grow with but little attention. We
have plenty of land and it is very fer
tile. We begin to plant and sow and
continue as long as the season will
let us, and we get pretty good aggre-
gate crop, as rule, under any eircum-
stances, because we have such large
acreage. If we had less land, and it
was less fertile, our system of farming
would be as unlike our present hap
hazard method as day is unlike night.
We should then be compelled to be
methodical and to calculate what would
pay the best. The result would be that
very often at least we should find that
the same amount of labor bestowed
upon fruit as would be bestowed upon
other crops would return much better
profit.
Fruit will not grow without atten-
ton. That is certain. Fruit culture
is constant warfare against the nu-
merous enemies of fruit culture. 1t is
a constant study. But ordinarily it
pays for all the trouble it necessitates,
and it will pay better as the years go
by. We shall overcome some of our
most serious difficulties in time. Much
of the disappointment in fruit growing
in the West has been caused by that
personified exaggeration, the dishonest
tree peddler. He is abroad yet and
exceedingly lively. But he is not near
as dangerous as he formerly was. That
is to say. he does not find as many VIC
tins as he once did. Such journals as
the Western Rural have exposed and
denounced him so frequently that his
occupation is not so profitable as it
once was. 1t is very seldom now that
he is found representing reputable
nursery. Formerly he did. But he
travels on his own hook; and we desire
again at this time to warn our readers
against buying trees and plants from
men who can not show their creden-
tials from some nurseryman who adj
vertises in our columns, or some one
of equal responsibility and reliability.
1t is a safe way to write direct to head
quarters and learn from the nursery
whether or not the man is its agent.
If he is, then hold the nursery strictly
responsible for all the agents repre-
sensations, and if 1t does not stand by
his representations, let us know.
With care in selecting stock, and
proper conditions and care, fruit Gull
ture is to be commended. We ought
to grow more fruit. AS often said by
us, we should all at least try to grow
what fruit we need for liberal home
consumption. It is in the interest of
health and longevity to do so. We
eat too much meat in this country.
PROFESSIONALLY farmers would be
longer lived if they consumed more
fruit And 1t will often be the case
that a start in fruit culture for the sole
purpose of providing for home con-
sumption will often result in making
the grower grower of fruit for the
market and put money in his pockets.
BY such beginning he will often
demonstrate possibilities which he had
no idea he possessed. When the spring
comes, suppose the reader makes a
start. Try the small fruits on small
scale and see if you do not find it prof
table, even though you do not sell q
quart. Western Rural.