The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1899-06-29
MODERN FRUIT FARMING.
II Pays where "a SAir Proportion. -
the Crop Can lie Sold Directly
to The Consumcr.

That well-conducted orchards. in
cluding the small fruits. are more
profitable than ordinary branches Of
farming Is q fact that thousands Of
farmers are beginning to learn. But
It IL not the natural conservatism of
average farmers that keeps them from
making this change. 1t Is one which.
II made over the whole farm, will in
volve expenses that few farmers can
afford. In fact, it can only be done by
large purchases of commercial ma
nures, chiefly potash and phosphate.
Yet 50 many are the enemies of fruit
that even when the trees and plants
have been fertilized at great expense,
the fruit may be destroyed by blight,
and the farmers be left in the lurch.
The only remedy, as farmers are
slowly learning, is to cultivate as great
Q variety Of fruits as possible, SO that
II two or three entirely fail, there may
be enough others to take their place.
We do not mean by this that large
assortment of varieties of the same
species be planted. Most market or
chards have far too many, and if their
owners were asked which of all these
had more than paid expenses, their an
swer would be restricted to not more
than two or three sorts of any species,
and in some not more than one. For
home use as many varieties as there
are tastes may be grown. But this is
net business. Usually the farmer,
whose orchard is all of the best paying
variety, finds that kind good enough
for himself and family. lfit isn't, then
he had better grow something else, for
popular taste is capricious and cannet
be long depended on to favor what is
not really good.
If the farmer has money enough to
tide over nonproductivc seasons, will
it pay him to set his whole farm in
fruits? We believe 1t will, if the farm
is reduced in size, so that one man can
do all the work Of cutivating and car
ing for trees until fruit-gathering
time. Most Of the eastern good farm
ing land is destined, we believe, to be
divided into small holdings and set
with fruit. 1t will produce more in
money value. and, we believe, also in
nutritive value thus, than if cropped
with ordinary farm crops. An apple
tree which occupied less than four
square rods of land has been known
to bear upwards of So bushels of fruit
| ", n Sipu1n nd -lic ~ t1,n titpn
sold at price that would make the
land yield more than S72o per acre.
There were more than Is barrels of
apples on the tree, and they sold at
one dollar per barrel. With berries,
and these are surer than large fruit,
larger money returns per acre than
this have been secured.
With better understanding of the
means for fighting insects and fungous
diseases, the growing OF fine fruit Is
much less hazardous than 1t used to be-
Much, however, depends on having a
good location and with the small fruits
on q good near retail market. This, Of
course, limits the amount that each in
dividual grower can produce. At least
part of the crop ought always to be
sold at retail. The farmer who goes
into fruit growing depending wholly
on selling it to commission houses, will
find so many profits taken between the
field and the consumer that his own
share in the profit will be nothing
American Cultivator.