West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1888-04-13
FARM NOTES.


chard, and those who live where the
climate is favorable intend to plant
pear, peach, and plum trees. Some
who appreciate the value of large
fruits and have the means to do so
plant trees that will produce them
almost as soon as they commence to
improve their places. Still, the
great majority of western farmers
pay hardly any attention to the pro-
duction OF fruits that grow on vines
and bushes. If any are raised for
the supply of the family the work
is done by women and children.
There are various reasons why far
mers of mature age do not become
interested in small-fruit culture.
When they were boys but little at
tention was given to cultivation cul-
tivating bushes and vines that pro-
duce fruits. On the old farms
where they were brought up there
was probably a row of gooseberry-
and currant-bushes inside the gar
den fence that had had a struggle
for existence, but which produced
some fruit. Strawberries were OBJ
tanned in the field and blackberries
and raspberries in the pasture or
clearing. Possibly there were some
fox-grapevines on some part of the
place that were supported by the
branches of forest trees. But little
attention was given to improving
varieties ofsmall fruits by judicious
selection and cultivation. There
were but few works on the subject,
and these were difficult to obtain.
Agricultural papers had little TO
say about the culture of the small
fruits. Boys brought up on farms
had little time and few opportuni-
ties to learn how to raise superior
small fruits.
Most farmers are only interested
in producing crops that have a COM
mercial value. Apples, pears, and
peaches can be disposed of almost
as readily as grain and potatoes.
The first can he kept for many
months in their natural state, or
can be dried or made into cider. A
piece of land planted to apple trees
can be made to pay like field
planted to corn. No money, how
ever, is generally realized from a
vineyard, a strawberry-bed, or a
plantation of blackberry, raspberry,
currant, or gooseberry-bushes. Far
mers who live at some distance from
a railway station can derive no prof
it from sending small fruits to dis
tant city. The demand for them in
country villages is small, and prices
are precarious. Their value in pro-
noting the health and happiness of
the family is not properly appre-
ciated. Again-mOst farmers look
on the production of small fruits as
very small business. They acknOwl-
edge the value of fruit-trees, but
thev do not appreciate the worth of
bushes and vines that produce the
small fruits. They do not like to
set outstrswberry- plants or to prune
bushes with knife.
Still, most farmers will find small
fruits are more profitable to raise
than large fruits. The best varie-
ties of apples, peaches, and pears
can be raised only in a few favored
locations. Even in these climatic
changes often kill the trees before
they attain q size to produce a crop
of fruit. During the past two
years full Is per cent. of all the
fruit-trees in Northern and Central
Illinois have died. The cold in win
ter, the heat of summer, the long
protracted drOughts, the high winds,
and the swarms of insect enemies
have all affected them.
During this period so destructive
to orchards small fruits of nearly
all kinds have done we'll, while APP
Piles and pears have been scarce and
high in the market. Grapes and
berries have generally been very
plenty and cheap. Many farmers
who had expended much labor and
money in planting orchards received
no returns from them, but few who
had an acre in vines and bushes
failed in having an abundance Of
fruit of the most excellent quality.
Bushes that produce fruit are very
hardy as we'll as very productive.
They are also propagated easily and
are very productive. Most apple
trees produce large crops only on al
ternate years, but strawberry and
grape-vines and berry-bushes bear
fruit with almost as much certainty
as they produce leaves. There is
more certainty Of crop of straw
berries than of any farmer at
tempts to raise A currant bush
that has chance to grow and which
is kept free from insects, never fails
to produce fruit. Bushes are less
likely to be injured or killed by high
winds. sleet, or extremes of heat and
cold than fruit-trees are. They shade
the ground and keep it moist, and
being low, receive little injury from
winds.
With a fair amount of grape and
strawberry vines and berry-bushes a
farmer can have a supply of fresh
fruit from June till January at