Daily Kennebec journal., 1894-11-16
Mise Words on Fruit Raising.

A recent address by Mr.. George I.
Powell of New York, was full OF valuable
suggestions concerningg fruit growing.
He believes that the greatest care must
be taken to have the fruit put upon the
market in attractive manner. More es-
pecially is it necessary now that by
cheap transportation- we are brought into
more direct competition with the Cali
fornia growers who are not only well Or
panized but give special heed to prepar-
ing their fruit for shipment. The Eastern
fruit grower must have better organlZa-
tion. Another point he says: We do not
CATER enough to the demands Of the mar
ket too often shipping varieties which 1t
does not want Tastes differ and appear
ance has much to do in determining the
demand for fruit For example, l men
ton the Ben Davis apple which grows to
perfection in Missouri, and ranks high in
the Chicago market. 1t is an inferior
apple in quality, no matter where grown,
but is better when grown in some locall-
ties than in others. The apple belt of
Missouri seems to be favored spot for
it, and it being an annual and very abun-
dant bearer large revenues are derived
from it, as it is always well selected and
packed. | visited one orchard OF 1900
acres, 1000 of which We're Ben Davis and
from which carload after carload of fruit
is annually shipped to New York.
Occasionally we find man who goes to
the extreme in fertlizing his orchard but
he does it with barn manure. We should
Use less of this fertilizer and more potash
and phosphoric acid. Hard wood un-
leachcd ashes, or some of the potash salts
and high grade ground bone will furnish
these plants food. They are needed to
perfect foliage and seed and to color the
fruit. AS rule, if we Will properly
prune and cultivate our orchards, we shall
find we have nitrogen enough, so | would
advise keeping the barn manure OIL ana
giving some other crops the benefit OF 1t.
There is considerable discouraging talk
among some fruit growers, there theme
being surplus" " As rule this surplus
is one of poor fruit, just as there is IA sur
plus OF poor butter This surplus always
existed, and suppose it always will. AS
a rule, however, there is no surplus of fine,
well delivered fruit or butter. The late
depression in business affected fine fruit
somewhat, just as it did all other indus
tries; but the main cause is poor fruit
A recent visit to some of the fruit-grow-
ing sections of Pennsylvania disclosed
the same conditions in the orchards as
are seen here. Some of the orchards there
have borne but little fruit in the last four
years. The scab fungus and the insects
are the causes. The latter destroy the
foliage and the former the fruits year
after year Fine, healthy, well-matured
foliage is essential to the perfection of
fruit: without it no fruit perfect in
growth color or quality can be produced
Spraying will be found the only sure rem
edy We have the same conditions to meet :;
therefore we must study them or give up
the business of fruit growing. We have
the aid of our experiment stations, and
we should employ it, In short, we must
employ it. A great work is being done
in this direction at both Geneva and
Cornell, results of which are carefully and
intclligently given in bulletins from time
to time, and which may be had for the
asking. Every man owning fruit or
chard should have these bulletins, study
them and follow their direction and
formulas closely.
Prof. Bailey has well said: Our motto
hereafter, must be spray, spray, spray
The Pacific coast fruit growers are doing
an immense amount of work IN this ul-
rection. If they are forced to do it, in Il
comparatively new fruit growing territory,
why should not the New York orchardist
in u territory almost n century under cul-
tiyation? We shall soon, no doubt, be
called upon to fight other insect pests be
sides those we now have. There is one in
California known as scale that is work
ing eastward. No doubt it will find its
way here either through the medium of
nursery stock or fruit, and we will be
called upon to fight it. Let us be pre-
pared / recommend constant watchful-
ness; continual spraying and a better sys-
tenn of cultivation of our orchards; the
latter will be enhanced by the sowing of
winter rye in the fall to be plowed under
in the spring. The green rye will not
only cover and protect the ground but
the trees also. 1t also has some fcrtilzing
qualities when plowed under. 1t serves
its best purpose, however, as mulch,
as it protects the roots of the trees, espec-
tally during cold winters when there is
but little snow on the ground.