Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1897-04-09
agricultural.
FRUIT MADE PROFITABLE.

Half a century ago it would have been
considered presumptuous to advise farm
ers to put manure on the orchard land,
and millions of bushels of apples rotted
on the ground because there were no
proper places for storage. Vinegar
making (cider) was slow process, as
the apples we're beaten with malls in a
trough and pressed with lever power,
and in crude and cumbersome manner,
while the drying of all kinds of fruit
was done on boards or pans in the sun,
after the loss of much time and labor in
pairing and slicing the fruit BY hand.
Now there are appliances for pairing,
grinding, pressing and evaporating,
which perform such work rapidly, and
the orchards are plowed, manure and
fertilizers applied, and the trees kept
we'll pruned, with better varieties from
which to select. There never has been
a time when the farmer did not at least
have an apple orchard. He may have
neglected other fruits, but there were
but few farm that did not produce
apples, and it may be added that with
the apples used on the farm, the cider,
vinegar, apple butter, the proportion
dried, and the number fed to stock, they
we're profitable, while good prices were
obtained for the limited number sent to
the cities and towns.
SMALL FRUITS.
At the present day the farmer finds
not only the apple crop profitable with
good management, but also peaches,
pears and small fruits, but it seems that
he has a greater number of insect enc
mics to combat. The farmer who sue
oeeds is the one who understands the
importance of destroying insects and
who begins the work early. The Bor-
deaux mixture and kerosene emulsion
is now we'll known and are indispensa-
Bile to all growers of fruit. The import
ance Of the liberal use Of fertilizers and
the cultivation of fruit trees and vines
has also been demonstrated. The straw
berry is one of the early fruits, and the
demand is great during the season, but
so rapid has been the improvement in that
direction as to render it necessary for
every grower to adopt the best varieties
in order to sell. In fact, the stiawber-
ries Of the present day equal plums in
size, and they are also of excellent
quality. In making the new beds this
spring only the best varieties should be
used, and they should be given good
cultivation and liberal manuring.-
Following strawberries come raspber-
ries, with grapes later in the season,
these four crops being the principal
small fruits, each one of which will
give a profit or cause loss according
to the manner of treatment and mode
of marketing,
THE SURPLUS PRODUCT.
What to do with the surplus fruit is
the problem which the grower desires
to solve, He can sell the best, but he
cannot always store apples until late in
winter, and he cannot avoid having some
fruits that are of second grade. The
mistake made by the grower is in en-
deavoring to sell his second grade fruit
by mixing it with the best, by which
method he reduces the price and re-
ceives no more for the whole than he
would for the best only. What should
be done is to establish factories to can
or evaporate the excess, or do the work
on the farm. A prominent grower states
that much depends on the variety even
when apples are to be evaporated, as
barrel Of the best greening apples will
dry out to 20 pounds, the second grade
to l6 pounds; but Baldwins will dry
out to less weight About three bushels
Of apples make barrel, but when prop
erly packed peck more may be added.
The question to consider is if it is not
better to evaporate the second grade ap-
pies than to waste them Cider vinegar
is below the demand in supply, substi-
suites being used. and there is an ex-
cellent demand for pure fruit jellies
This country is securing firm hold in
Europe for the sales of apples, which
fact has assisted prices here. but never
theless there has been an enormous
waste ever> year because growers could
not afford to ship second-class fruit to
advantage. In the meantime hundreds
Of consumers could not obtain full
supply in some sections, and in winter
there is no oversupply of evaporated