Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1899-03-31
AarifnltMral.
The Fruit Question.

Those prominently connected with
fruit growing in any way are often
asked the questions, "Will it pay to
plant more fruit ?" "Can we find a mar
ket in the near future 2" "Is not fruit
growing overdone p and many others
along the same line.
One can readily form some notion as
to whether fruit growing is overdone or
whether there is still opportunity for
expansion
The answer to all such questions is
that every business is overdone in its
common level. There is competition
everywhere. The success of business,
therefore, depends more upon the man
than upon the business itself. The first
advice, therefore, should be TO choose
the business which one likes best
Again, one must not expect financial
success every year. There are good and
bad years in fruit growing as in manu-
featuring or merchandising The fruit
grower should go into the business,
therefore, for long time, and as more
or less permanent undertaking. expect
ing to become more adept each year.
He should then distinguish the type of
market for which he desires to grow
fruit. If he is to compete in the gen.
erAl open market he must work on q
comparatively large basis. The man
who has only small area will generally
do best in the growing Of special things,
if he have sufficient skill for personal
marketing.
As people we are not diverse enough
in our fruit growing. Too many of us
are aiming at the general, common mar
ket, assuming that we aim at all II
seems to US that success in a general,
metropolitan and export markets is to
be more and more secured by fruit
growing on large scale, and that other
fruit farms must develop sufficient skill
TO raise choice things for better and
more restricted markets. AS a whole
fruit growing is not overdone, particu-
. larly if the foreign markets are properly
encouraged and supplied; but in par
ticular places and cases it is overdone.
Some fruits are not capable of indefinite
extension. IL seems, for example, that
grape growing in some places has reach
ed the limit Of its profitable development
for the time being. Grapes are dessert
fruit. They are not used to a large ex-
tent in culinary preparations, and there
are few incidental, or secondary pro-
ducts. They are not dried, canned, or
made into jellies and the like to any
great extent. Moreover. quality in
grapes does not show on the surface as
it does on apples. In apples there is
likely to continue to be demand for
export aud the demand for dessert ap-
pies is almost wholly unsupplied In
fact, the demand of the worlds markets
has obscured the Importance Of the spe-
cial markets, for even when the open
market may be full there are still per-
sons who are asking for better grade
for private use All these hints are
given to indicate the fact that success in
fruit growing is quite as much the hunt
ing out Of market problem as it is
growing the fruit, and this fact should
be kept in mind from the moment the
plantation is planted. With such an
interest on the part of the grower there
need be no fear of poor market So
let us plant more fruit, but plant
largely of our apples Of high color and
quality -Exchange.