The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1888-02-18
Ghe 8armer.
Written for the Democratic Advocate
FRUIT OF CARROLL.
An Experiment Not Obtained by Experience,
but by venturing on Mere Experiment
without Proper knowledge.

1t is fact beyond doubt that the farm
ers of Carroll have expended money enough
within the last thirty years, or since the
introduction of root grated, first, and then
budded fruit, to have had now good and
full supply of the most valuable of all
fruits, the apple. And where are We to-
day, with town increasing, with the ad-
vantage of market house to dispose of
luscious fruits that should be here? Con-
sumption is always on the increase. Our
stores have to look to the city for their
supplies, and where docs this place the
luxury we should have at hand Why
clear beyond the reach of three-ffths of
our consumers. The apple is now luxury
which might be had at fair prices, and yet
be paying crop to the farmer. Compare
apples with wheat. Place each at this
season of the year at 80 cents per bushel,
and how will the record stand? One acre
of wheat to yield at best forty bushels, at
80 cents per bushel, would amount to So.
will not count the cost of producing and
putting the wheat on the market. Any
good farmer has learned that well enough.
Now, one acre will hold, properly planted,
fifty apple trees. The first ten years from
the time of planting the fruit from your
trees should pay all expenses of pruning
and cultivating. At thisage trees that are
well cared for should bear five bushels of
apples each. Now what do we have !?
Fifty trees, at five bushels each, would
be two hundred and fifty bushels, and
at 80 cents per bushel would amount
to 5000, to compare against S32 for the
wheat crop. This basis gives the wheat
about its highest estimate. Now we will
say that the next ten years from planting
you may safely count on ten bushels to each
tree. That would give us five hundred
bushels at so cents per bushel, and would
tally at $500 per acre. How does the ac-
count stand now? Some one is ready to
say: Why, an orchard does not bear every
year. 1t has no need to bear every year
to pay as well as wheat. Take our lowest
estimate of the orchard, and you can miss
five out of six crops, and yet be equal with
the wheat crop. Neither will wheat yield
forty bushels per acre six years in success
sion. As to manure, well kept and titled
orchard requires as much manure as any
other crop. Some one is ready to say that
writer is a crank; l have tried fruit; my
trees all died. Perhaps the same man tried
wheat, and got about five bushels per acre,
and came out in debt At once some one
will say bought of Mr.. - the finest
..stek- lie had; saw the plates myself, and
they Gid nothing for me. Another will
sax,. Il bought winter fruit, and when it
matured for me it was only fall fruit, and
rotted before winter came. Some one is
mistaken. The fact has been well proven
that we can grow fine apples in our county.
Now the question arises, why is it we have
gotten so few winter apples? We viii
answer, first, that when we began to plant
the stock propagated on the root-grafted,
and then the budded system, we as rule
bought our stock of New York or Northern
Pennsylvania nurserymen, tested by them
for their climate, and also the description
and quality issued by them are truthful in
that latitude, without considering the DIFF
ference in our early and mild climate, with
our long season to mature our fruit in.
To prove this we say the Baldwin, the
Spy and Greening are fine winter fruit in
New York, but with us, as a rule, only fair
fall fruit. We might name many other