Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-04-22

The day was spent with him and Mr..
j. @. Newberry, eX-president OF the
Texas state horticultural society, IN
the city Of Pilot Point, and at the nome
OF the doctor was there. we nave
spent days with Ragiand before, and
We expect to be with him again Ia the
sweet bye and bye, Caesar would never
have taken kindly 10 Ragland. Caesar
loved fat men. Caesar was bald-hedded
ma had fits, and was killed by one lat
man while his bOdy-guard. another Lal
man, was standing at the door OF the
senate listening to smutty stories.
Ragland is small and lot OF bones.
We have tested him every way ana
ne liz always pleasant, entertaining, I0F-
Giving. liberal, cheerful, kind, consider
ate and boiling over with the love OF
cod. his country and his fellow-man.
The home OF the doctor Ia Just OUT
side of Pilot Point. The front yard y
large and ample, but like all front
Yards belonging to such men as Jag
land. Il has a hard time asserting IL
self, Here and there one sees wEre
Mrs. r. has started up flower BEDS, 10
have them invaded by some new hlhu
of pear or peach or plum. There are
flowers. and lots OF them. In the yard
hut there are also Maverick fruit trees
now and then. Mrs. StrlngteiloW toli
us in April. 1894, that the erort OF her
life had been to keep hover pea'
Just as she would get one started M,
Striugfellow would receive rare col
lection OF horticultural wonders from
the ends Of the earth, and somehow
they would ultimately take possession
of that flower bed 1t Is ever thus with
us men. The writer used the beautllul
Golden Husk tomato one year. 10 the
destruction OF an attractive front yard
Frank p. Holland also tested the Gold
en- Husk tomato.
lue doctors orchard was always a
puzzle to us. We never could see what
he was driving at. We refer to his old
orchard. There were all OF the species
OF fruit and all Of the varieties OF a
species OF fruit II was simply an eX-
perimental orchard, planted and Kept
py a practical fruit grower and shipper
We doubt II any man in the state has
tested more varieties of grape, peach,
plum or pear than Ragland, and We
also doubt II many orch diHtB is Tex
as have planted fewer varieties. The
IeNas fruit grower has heretofore
The drift now Is TO commercial or
chdrls, They have terted the matter
and are now leading oil on the line OF
business. IL Is go with Eugland. He
has planted an apple orchard, and al
though he has had acres OF all kinds Of
fruit FOR years. this apple orchard Is
the only effort so far made IN the line
Of business. Right here we pause To
advise. Young man, kagland talks,
reads and thinks about orchards and
gardens sixteen hours each da.. He
has shipped more fruit than any man
We know Of He knows markets we'll
u you live Ia north Texas ON sandy
laid you just spend one day with Rag-
land and then go home and piant an
apple orchard, just as ha has DONE u
the same varieties, and give ii tile
same attention. Mark Wy words, this
apple orchard u highlands is based on
solid foundation for cOld-bl0uded
business,
Ills pear orchard presents ave Of the
finest pear trees Ia the state Three
OF these are -4N-iulra and two Russetts
The FORM and healtAful appearance OF
these trees are perfect The farmer
who lives OH the prairie need not fear
70 plant the Keimer and Russell pear.
Although he has hundreds Of other
pear trees and many varieties none
show such marked excellence as those
mentioned above.
The doctor prefers the Howell to amy
pear he has. and it. s. line pear.
In berries he prefers the N-Rgus hy-
br.l. IL IS supposed 10 be q cross be-
tween the blackberry and the dew
berry. It mclnes to the dew berry In
Ia growth.
what rare collection OF plum var
laues Raglagd has. lie has searched
the world over for plums They are
all succeeding, too, and present a grand
sight. WAY he never planted plums
instead OF apples We do not know.
They pay handsomely. We believe this
good man has planted plums lust TO
test them for the benefit of his fellow
man. and 1t never entered his mind
that he could also plant them FOR
money, just rs he has apples The doe
tor has an ample home and spreads
the most eNtraEagant table we have
ever enjoyed. 4 man who eats Ply
mouth Rock and Wyaudotte eggs
worth So per dozen, yinelcss yam pota-
Toes at $3.50 per bushel, preserves and
1elles that couldn't be bought In any
market at any price and the very high
est priced ana best OF everything is
Ragland.
We would like to give more OF the
Doctors experiments Tor the public
good, but as he IL the very much re-
spectcd chairman OF the state fruit
committee Of the State horticultural
society, we Will simply gay that he viii
do all OF this at the Bowie meeting OF
that society. Ws would also like TO
speak at some length OF the part Mrs.
Ragland takes in the life work OF this
good man, but we are writing Of the
editor Of Orchard and Garden now,
ana not OF our good friend, the doctor
Nlgland keeps a well cultivated or
charu. tat horses and a cheerful,
whistling plowmun He looks after the
work in person and ~ not only testing
varieties but IL also testing methods,
Striugfelow's mode OF planting trees
and Numson's method OF grape culture
are receiving special tests by him and
with the most favorable results.
We have publicly stated for years
that the knowledge OF Texas agricul-
ture and horticulture was not in the
heads OF imported professors, but TINT
It was In the actual experiments OF
such men as Ragland. We here relt-
crate that statement VIII the legis-
lature of Texas ever realize this i'm
portant truth Wld provide a board OF
agriculture with farm Institutes for
this state? What n grand thing for
eNas 1t would be2 Then into the hands
OF the people would go the benefits
OF the toll expenditure OF money, re-
search, experiments and results OF hun
dreds OF men OF this state The value
Of such Information Is self-evident,
Texas should have board OF agrlcul-
tnre.
In conclusion we wish to say that
Caesar would not have prolo -yed his
life by trusting Ragland. He would
have been inveigled into little chat
on orchards and gardens and then he
would have fell even at the base of
Pompey's statue. Talked TO death.
THE BEE Is THE FRUIT GROWERS
BEST FRIEND.