The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1900-12-21
HORTICUITURB

true meaning of the term, Hover
and vegetable gardening as well as
fruit growing; but in its popular
use the term Horticulture is applied
only to fruit growing, so We will
attempt to discuss the subject with
this Specification.
Horticulture is by no means a
new industry. Some kinds of fruits
have been cultivated from the ear
Hest historic ages. To say nothing
of the garden of Eden and the vine
yard which NOAH planted after the
deluge, we find in the Book of Mo
ses evidence that the cultivation of
fruits was much practiced in Egypt
before the time of the exodus of the
Israelites. The grape, the fig, the
melon and the pomegranate are
among the first fruits of which we
find any particular notice in history.
The cultivation Of the apple, the
pear and some others is also of very
great antiquity.
Horticulture as a business has at
tracted considerable attention here
in the Southern States for the past
few years. Strawberry fields are
now a common thing in almost all
of the States of the South. Only
20 years ago, all the straw berries
eaten by New York and Brooklyn
people, were grown in Long Island
and New Jersey. To-day $50, OOO,-
600 worth are grown and consumed
in the United States in one season.
This business gradually extended
through Delaw are, Maryland and
Virginia; and then the fast freight
lines brought in the Carolinas,
Georgia, Florida and even Alaba-
ma, Mississippi, Tennessee and
Arkansas. Now it costs but two
cents to send a quart of strawber-
ries from Southern Arkansas to
New York. As late as 1882, the
California fruit was sold in the
East only at fabulous prices and in
very small quantities. To day,
there is in the fruit season, in fact
during the whole year, not a single
city square in the business districts,
which has not its fruit store or
stand covered with the beautiful
fruits of the Pacific Slope to be sold
at prices which allow every office
boy 10 indulge in handsome Califor-
MIA pears, peaches and grapes as a
luncheon staple. We have some
figures here from the November
number of Harpers' Magazine,
which show the enormous difference
IN our fruit growing capacity to-
day and what it was in the year
1914. This article states that only
one-half barrel of raisins could be
found in the city of New York to
make plum buildings in celebrating
the Treaty of Peace. To-day Cal
ifornia alone ships more than lOO,
600, 900 pounds a year. The United
States leads all other nations in the
matter of fruit growing. The grape
crop last year was valued at $780,
600, 200 and the strawberry crop at
$50, 100000. But our banner crop,
so far as fruit is concerned, is APP
Piles. The yearly apple yield of
North America tiUctuates between
25, 900, 600 and IS, 100000 barrels.
Ii was perhaps 100000 barrels
in the year 1896, which was the
record year in this country. 1t was
not more than 100000 last year.
The crop of 1900 should be some
where from 8O,OOO,OOO to 100, 900,
600 barrels, enough to furnish a
mug of cider and a roasted apple
daily to every citizen of the Repub-
lie during the winter. In 1895 a
few cases of Rockford Melons were
out of Colorado for the
first time, and the very next year
1873 car loads were raised. In 1898
l, 800 car loads were sent out, and
to-day $4,000 acres, scattered
through 10 States, are devoted to
the raising of Rockford Melons.
The government has never secur-
ed an adequate census of the entire
fruit trade Of the United States.
Mr.. Dresser estimates that $1,000
OOO, 600 a year would be a moderate
estimate.
We would be glad to see the peo-
pie of Hardeman County engage
more extensively in the cultivation
of fruits and vegetables. This
would, we think, be a step in the
right direction. Have we a cause
for entertaining any doubt as to the
profits of this business? If so, we
only need to visit other sections
where this business has been carried |
on extensively for a number of |
years, and we will be convinced at
once that there is money in the bus
mess. Horticulture, as a business, |
will pay if properly carried on. We |
hear the assertion that
the fruit business is over-done, that
we will have to quit and try some
thing else. But this is a mistake.
There is too much fruit being used
these days for US all to quit raising
L, and the demand is still increas-
ng. Fruit has gotten to be a sta
pie article in almost every town and
;ity in the country. We are aware
If the fact that prices are not what
hey were few years ago, and that
common fruit, which once sold all
light, will not sell at profitable
prices now. But there is nearly al