The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-04-08
Some Ideas on Fruit. Growing.

Some Ideas on Fruit Growing.
Mr.. Editor:-I take great interest in
the Agricultural Department of your
paper, especially in regard to fertiliz-
ers, but more particularly on the SUBJ
ject of fruit. There has been grow
ing conviction in my mind that more
ought to be said, and much more done,
on the subject of Embarrassing. I have
hesitated and waited, in hopes that
older and ADLER hands would take up
this matter and give it thorough ven
tilating; give it, say, small fraction
of the thought and discussion they give
to politics. But we farmers are rather
modest as class and do not look after
the interests of our business, notwith-
standing it lies at the very fountain
head of the country's prosperity, as
keenly as the followers of most any
other industry, think. In this central
part of the state nearly all, or large
share, of the apples on the market are
brought from quite distance and many
from out of the state. have sold to
farmers even, who ought to as quick
think of buying their potatoes. fire.
quently see in this section fine farms
with nice buildings, and think Wash
ington county will compare favorably
with any part of the state in this mat
ter, with few or no fruit trees of any
kind. Possibly we may see few old
apple-trees, sadly neglected, struggling
on under heavy burden of dry branches
and worms nests in their season, try
ing to contribute a small portion of
what it did in the past, and could do
now with little care, toward the sup
port of the family. When we moved to
this town, twenty-five years ago, there
were on my farm perhaps twenty trees
of this stamp. l well remember one
year when we got no more than single
bushel from the lot With little care
full attention we have revived some that
were not too far gone, so that single
one of these trees, that yielded food for
our grandparents, earned me five dol
lars this season. / am aware that much
has been said, and not without cause,
about the unreliability of tree agents,
and the trees sometimes fail to bring
forth the fruit promised, and meet
men who tell me they have made vows,
as strong as the ancient Jews to buy
no more trees of agents. / have bought,
within the last few years, over three
hundred apple-trees, and do not pro-
pose to complain; but to provide for
the future l sowed few thousand
apple-seeds on square rod of ground,
last fall, which, expect, year from
now may be grated at small expense
with cions of the most approved and
reliable varieties, which we can get at
one cent each or less; then in three or
four years we will have some fine trees
ready to set-not to sell, understand.
Now would like to see a greater inter-
est manifested in this fruit business.
There are plenty of fine varieties that
will grow successfully in this vicinity.
Let us raise an abundance for our fami-
lies of plums, cherries, currants and
strawberries, to say nothing of cult
waited blackberries, raspberries, goose
berries, grapes, ETC., and let us have
some to sell, too; let us convince our
children that farming not only yields
bountiful living, but can be made to
pay in money and in pleasure right
here in Vermont-prove to them that
they need not send to California for
their plums and canned cherries. Let
us build up Vermont and stop this con-
slant wall which we hear on all sides
that farming don't pay; let us convince
our children they better not take Hor-
ace Greeley's advice and go West, or
even South to the land of oranges. l
contend no fruit is so useful, nor valua-
BILE for human food, or can be used in
so many ways, as apples. With the
advantages and reputation on butter
and maple sugar, with the deposits of
marble, granite and slate, and abundant
water power for manufacturing pur-
poses, l think we have not very diff
cult task to perform. Let us give it as
much or more attention than we do
fast horses, which are of no value to
the general farmer, or fancy fowls, or
that worse than useless stock we see on
some farms-dogs, of high or low de-
gree. LEVI SWIFT, MiddleseX, Vt.