The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-07-20
AGRICULTURAL.
Fruits for Summer Eating,

combination up faithfully and it will
make the women hollow checked, fad
ed and sickly before they are forty, and
it will make the men say when you ask
them how they are, "Only tolerable."
That means that the man is not half
man, has no energy, no ambition, he
"don't feel like doin' nothin," is shift
less and unthrifty. Such diet might
do for an Eskimo, but for civilized
people living where the thermometer
stays above eighty good deal of the
time, ii is just barbarous living. Far
above this is the dietary of many en-
lightened, progressive farmers, which
consists in the hot weather largely of
vegetables from the garden as soon as
they are ready to eat, good yeast bread,
and lean beef, mutton and fish. Such
a diet is not the best, will not enable
a man to do the most work, but it is
far better than pork and pastry. The
very best food for farmers and all other
classes in the hot weather is one large
ly made up of fruits and grains, and if
meat must be had, it should be light,
unless, as is often the case, a person
has become 30 used to solid, heavy
meat that he cannot feel we'll without
it. Even so, the more of fruit there is
eaten, up to reasonable amount, the
better. Every farmer ought to be
greatly interested in fruit culture.
There is really no good reason we think
why most Vermont farmers should not
grow abundance of fruit for their fami-
lies, and often sell enough to add quite
a bit to their income. We wish we
could stir up every reader of this who
owns land to study up the best fruits
to grow in his section, and then go to
planting and learning how to take care
of them.
do not known of any better way for
one who wants to grow an abundance
of fruit, than to write note of enqui-
ry to his State Experiment Station,
telling them his purpose and asking
them to tell him what varieties are
best suited to his locality, also what
books to read to get posted in the work
of fruit culture, of whom he had bet
ter buy stock, etc. 1t does take good
deal of patient work to defend fruit
bearing plants from the depredations
of the various insects, and from the at
tacks of the fungi which are 80 preva-
lent. But the thing can be done, it
can be done by the average farmer, but
not without determination, energy and
care. There is nothing better for the
young people on the farm than to get
them to take an interest in the grow
ing of fruits. There is danger that ex-
pectations will be raised too high, and
in case of partial failure, the disap-
pointment will be 80 great as to dis
courage further effort. But any one
who goes into fruit growing, needs to be
prepared both for success and partial
failure, for it is hard to see how there
can be complete failure, if any real in
telligent effort is made to succeed. 1t
is possible to get an abundant supply
of fruit for the family table, enough to
last the year round, if canning and
evaporating are employed, and often
there will be handsome surplus to
market at fair prices. But it is not the
selling of fruit that should be put first
by our farmers, no matter how attrac-
tive that may be. First provide enough
for home consumption, and be sure
that there is enough, then it will do to
think of selling. There is something
about fruit used as food in hot weather
especially, which has powerfully
health giving effect on the system.
Though fruit contains great deal Of
water, yet it is water in just such shape
as is best suited to the time of year.
They are better for the blood than q
cord of medicines of various kinds, but
are to be eaten with judgment, not
gorged because they taste good, but
there is far less likelihood of this where
there is plenty of fruit than where
there is scant supply. But how good
fruit does taste nice ripe berries, ap.
pies, grapes, pears, and almost every
kind Of edible fruit tastes the best of
any kind of food. 1t is thousand
times better for children than the can
dies and confectionery which is so
large eaten especially in cities.
Apples are one of the best of fruits,
but they will not grow in some situa-
tions. Wherever they will grow, they
should be raised In abundance, not to
make cider of for drinking, but to be
eaten. There is no end to the ways in
which apples can be cooked 80 as to
taste good and make a healthful addi-
ton TO the food of the family, but
plain ripe apples eaten raw or simply
baked are as good as any food can be.
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