Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1895-02-28
TREE FRUITS.

fathers were placed In the garden OF Eden, down
to the latest tree fruits, tree blackberries, and
tree Strawberries. We think there are many
deceived with the latter as there were with the
former. In speaking Of tree fruits will only
attempt to mention a few of the many varieties,
such as may be of interest and benefit to this
institute. First we want to notice what has
been the DEVELOPMENTS of our fruits In the last
century. Did you ever stop to consider why the
seeds of apples, cherries, piunlS, grapes, and
nearly all other kind of fruit, do not reproduce
the same kind OF fruit as the parent stock? The
first fruits of the globe We're wild and inferior
and were improved by the skill Of mankind, by
changing and interchanging varieties, taking
the best found and replanting their seeds, and
| by so doing we have brought up varieties that
are, so to speak, thoroughbredS, and the seeds
OF some breed back to the wild state while others
are greatly improved, so we see nature en-
cOuraging us and giving us many hints on fruit.
We see growing wild all over our country APP
pies, plums, cherries, grapes, gooseberries rasp-
berries, Strawberries and nearly every kind of
fruit, and this gives us plain hint that by the
help of mankind such fruits can be vastly inn
proved and made u source of happiness and
wealth, and today we grow some of the finest
specimens of fruit, in Iowa, that are grown any
where; carrying off many prizes over our older
and sister states. But man made mistake in
planting them Gas they are aptto in other things)
and one of the greatest mistakes is that after
reading horticultural works and attending
Farmers Institutes, many come to the conclusion
to patronize home industries and home nurse
reS, but soon some fine appearing fellow comes
along and wants him to purchase Il few of his
! Tba lie hn int, 40 IN
rOnize his home nursery and get the best rec
commended varieties at "A reasonable price. The
fine fellow says that is all right but he has got
something that his father discovered while tray
cling through the garden of Eden; that they
paid large price for the privilege of propigat-
ing from the plant and have thoroughly tested
it and found it to be thing of beauty and u joy
forever. He then shows II fine sample and calls
it a tree blackberry; says it grows as large as
an oak and yields from one TO fifteen hundred
bushels per acre; needs no sugar etc. The re-
suit is that he finally gets the mans order for
five or six Of these fine trees at dollar piece;
the man thinking if one is good more is better.
The fellow then tells him that he has Il straw
berry that was discovered in the desert of Africa
and that it does not run ike old varieties but
grows on a high bush; that the old varieties are
| being discarded by intelligent planters as this
variety grows in bush form and when needed
you can hold IA pan under the bush and give it a
shake, fill your pan with fine clean berries, free
| from dirt which was the case with Old sorts. lie
says he is only allowed to sell one dozen in Il
place and if he only had his name it would help
| them u great deal in Introducing it into the
neighborhOod; thus one man helps to swindle
! another and soon the agent goes to green past
urcs.
IN few days this mans wife says: John
will have to get that new set OF teeth" John
says he is going TO Chicago in a few days and
| she can go with him and get them. They go to
the dentist in Audubon and get the old ones
pulled and the dentist has cheek enough to ask
pay for pulling them because he does not get to
make the new set SO things go on until after
buying another bill of fruit of SOmO Ohio fellow
or some other foreign firm he is ready to attend
the next Farmers Institute and tell them we
ought to do away with the middle man and send
to Montgomery, Ward & Co., for new suit Of
clothes or to st. Louis for his wife u new silk
dress. True our merchants could get them for
the same price and make Il little profit, but rs
he has trusted mo when I needed it and has
helped to build up the town Of Audubon, and
helped % raise the Price of my land from $1,000
10 5000 per acre. Wi let linn trtIS. Hie little
longer ANA send ny HOLry 10 Chicago and there
by helptO build up home industries,
As long rs we have such ideas and practice
buying unknown, INFESTED, and impossible
things, we must expect our hopes to be blightcd.
We, as Iowa farmers, must stand up for iowa
and Iowa people and deal with the men who are
helping to build up Iowa. Then, and not Till
then, will the long looked for time come when
the devil will be chained for thousand years.
| do not consider the above tree fruits but men
ton them because they are so considered by
some. We can grow tree fruits successfully
Many varieties OF the apple succeed with us I'M
der proper care. Plums are u success when
planted in clusters interminged with different
varieties. Cherries can be grown with proper
care and culture; also pruneS and apricCts
and pears of some sorts. But as the subject di
reefs more to fruits than to kinds and manner
of caring for will proceed to the subject.
On my route through to Vermont two years
ago passed through some of the best fruit
country this side of the Rocky Mountains
Michigan usually has good crop OF apples bu
it was failure. New York had few early ap
pies but very few late ones and those mostly IN
the eastern part. Vermont's apple crop wa.
also poor but they had a few fall. l mention
this as some think that apples grow aud do vel
everywhere except In Iowa. We may also have
short crops in oats, corn, wheat etc, yet should
we say 1t is no use living in hopes of "a crop in
the future?
The prospects were never better for full
crop of fruit than they are at this time The
trees were ripened up well In the fall and went
into winter quarters in fine condition full o.
fruit buds, and the mild weather OF this winter
has been quite favorable unless some disturbing
elements prevail we may look for a fine crop o
tree fruit in Iowa next season. 1t has been
said that apples are cheaper than pills and VIZ
all must admit that plenty Of fruit is delight t.
the children and healthy to all and source Of
saving and comfort to all, besides yield good
profit when properly managed. Tree fruits are
eaten for their juices and flavor and our kind
Father has made them to be OF the most deli.;i
Gus character in order that we might crave its
use as they are all composed more or less in diff
ferent proportions of sugar, starch, acids, etc
They are so arranged as to have the most bene
fetal effect upon all parts of the organs Of di
gestion.
Hence 1t becomes the duty OF every land owner
to see to 1t that he has plenty of fruit and gar
den, surrounded with good fence, keeping out
all stock, and giving good care, thereby meeting