The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-04-07
Raise First. Class Fruit.

We would exhort, says the Rural Home,
every one, who attempts to grow fruit, of
| whatever kind, whether for market or for
the family, to set out with the determina-
ton to grow the very finest of the kind
First: There Is no profit in growing infe-
rior fruit of any species for market Most
OF our markets are yearly oversupplied
wi h inferior fruit and they cannot afford
to pay much for it. Even where their sell
ing price is quite an advance n the price
| they pay the grower, they are very liable to
| have quite a proportion of the purchase
! decay on their hands, so that their total re-
| ceipts may fall below the cost of the fruit
| at very low price, But first-claSs fruit is
| seldom left long in the hands of dealers,
| though they may put price OH it that one
would think would repel buyers. Few
| housekeepers have the power TO resist the
| attractive force of beautiful fruit
Second; The farmer growing fruit for his
| own table will feel himself so much better
| repaid for his efforts if he can pick extra
| fair specimens of the species, than if com
| PEELED to put up with small, gnarly,
| wormy, ill-colored specimens. He will feel
| piAOS Al tuC OtSHSS
| on his table with such fruit, and
| he will enjoy 1.-the entire meal bet
ter and diges, and assimilate it better with
| such an attractive and delicious dessert
| awaiting its close The farmer is entitled
above all others to such luxuries, for he
makes greater efforts and sacrifices TO OBJ
| tain them than any one else. He plants and
| cultivateS and prunes, and makes war upon
| insects and fungi, in heat and cold, years
| before reaping returns, not knowing but
| that all his labors will be for Others to en-
| Joy. The farmer should certainly enjoy the
| best that the soil can produce.
| Third: But perhaps the greatest enjoy
ment of fine fruit by ths farmer and his
| family will be in seeing it grow. in watch
| ing its development, from the bud to the
| fully marured fruit. 1t is grand object
| lesson of evolution, the primal law of ma
| ture, and the farmer who properly compre-
bends his relation to his children. his duties
and responsibilities. will make the garden
| grand school room, more hallowed than the
| Academic Groves of Grecian youth. For,
| after all is said about schools and teachers
| there is a great portion of the education and
! training that parents have no rights to dele
| gate to others.
Now. how can the farmer assure fine
| fruit? In a general way, by doing all that
| he can in assisting and directing nature in
| producing it. If the soil is not already
abundantly supplied with requisite plant
! food, supply it from the best that stable can
| make. Then keep the soil clean and mellow,
/ Al rnhhar Chan HanriUa
the trees and fruit of needed
nourishment. Then attend to the
pruning; see that branches do not
grow too thick in the top, excluding sun
| light. and sub-dividing too much the plant
| food brought up from the roots.
| Last-but by no means least-sse that the
tree does not attempt to carry more fruit
than it can carry through to the highest
perfection. Nature is ever prodigal, and
| above all other considerations provides
with extreme liberality against the extinc-
| ton of a species A fruit tree, in order to
insure against the extinction Of its species
generally produces more fruit buds than
can grow to perfection. Then when the
buds open into flowers there is a marvellous
nrenaration Of pollen for fertilizing the
ovaries that produce the seed. Generally
not one-hundredth, not one-thousandth part
of the pollen, provided can be used, the re-
mainder returning SO the earth for other
use. OF those germs of fruit that are fruc-
titled with pollen, but portion can find
room for full development on the tree. But,
a ftar insects and ell other enemies OF fruit
,;so hava done their worst, there generally
remains more fruit on the tree than can de-
velop into fine fruit.
Here the farmers band should interpose
and thin the remaining fruit until every In
dividual shall have ample space for develop