Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1901-09-06
FRUIT CULTURE IN VERMONT
Visit to J. Arms Miller's Fruit Farm in
East pummerston.

tive object lesson to any one interest
ed in the culture of fruit. He has been
for the past dozen years or more grad
ually developing it into what is now,
perhaps, one of the best fruit farms in
the state. There may be many others
that excel it in some special kind of
fruit but if variety and excellence of
product is considered it is doubtful
how many there may be, If any, that
equal it. Mr.. Miller's place has been
named the Maple Ridge Fruit Farm.
It. is situated about two miles west of
the Connecticut river on an elevation,
at the buildings, of about 675 feet
above the sea, and about 400 feet
above the river. Its elevation causes
il to be generally exempt from the late
spring frosts, which in many localities
are very destructive when they occur
when the fruit is in bloom, to the
peach, plum, cherry and strawberry.
Even the fruit of the hardy apple tree,
though it is less subject to injury from
late spring frosts, is frequently cut
short from this cause. 1t is, therefore,
of great Importance in selecting a
situation for fruit growing to avoid a
frosty locality.
At the beginning of his work in fruit
culture Mr.. Miller found himself in an
ideal locality for the business. the
elevation of Maple Ridge Fruit Farm
causing it to be seldom visited by late
spring frosts, and to be exempt from
the extreme low temperature of the
valleys in the clear still nights of
winter, which often kills the peach.
and other tender fruit trees, even as
far south as Delaware. The farm is
an elevation within the Connecticut
valley, and feels the general softening
climatic effect of the valley as com
pared with more mountainous eleva-
lions.
There are many fine farms in Wind
ham county similarly situated, almost
running to. waste, and seeking pur-
chasers at low price. Read the rest
of this article and see what can be
done with them. When Mr.. Miller
came into possession of his farm he
found a few native peach trees: they
seemed to be hardy and occasionally
bore heavy crops of peaches; some of
these trees and some young trees
grown from them were grated with
such success that he was encouraged
to buy of nurserymen a considerable
number of trees of the best varieties.
He now has about 1000 peach trees of
all ages about 300 of which bore full
crops last year. bringing an income
from the peaches alone of more than
the entire value of the product of an
average small farm. The peaches
raised on this place are better in quail
ty than those of the same variety of
southern production. as was shown
by the samples exhibited at the Brat
tleboro fair last fall. The fruit was
displayed heaped in the form of
pyramid, extending several feet in
length, composed of beautiful peaches
such as were never before seen in Yer
mont, and which it would probably be
very difficult to equal anywhere in the
peach growing states. Hundreds of
the peaches from this farm would
average to weigh nearly one half
pound each. and few weighed three
fourths of pound eacn.
Mr.. Miller has a large number of
different varieties of peaches among
them Early Alexander, Early Triumph,
Early Risers, Mountain Rose, Cham
pion, Amelia, Early Crawford, Lady
Ingold. Crosby, Late Crawford, FL
berta, Old Nixon, Stump the World,
and Morris White, but he would recon-
mend only two or three as market
kinds Peaches are not expected to
bear a heavy crop two years in sue
cession. There was no bloom what
ever of the peach trees on this farm
last spring, but the trees are in good
condition and a crop next year may be
hoped for.
But though there are no peaches
it is a season of abundant fruitage for
the plums. There are on the farm
about $50 Japan plum trees. Those Of
bearing age have been loaded with
fruit beyond the strength of the
branches to sustain, and much of it
has been picked off to give room for
the rest to mature. The earlier varie
ties began to ripen before the middle
of August, and some of them have
been harvested. Some of the best
kinds are now aug 90) in their prime,
and with their bloom and color, as they
hang in clusters bending the limbs
with their weight. are a beautiful sight
to behold. Mr., Miller finds the Japan
plum harder than the peach in this
climate. The plum trees are usually
in bloom by the middle of May or be-
fore and are liable to be destroyed by
a late spring frost If a frost is
escaped at that time the plum is quite
a sure crop. This year the plum trees
were in full bloom May -, no frost
occurring at that time full crop was
assured. There have been tested or
are being tested at Maple Ridge the
following kinds of Japan plums
Willard, Abundance, Burbank, Satsu-
ma, Chabot, Normand, Beekman's,
Wickson and Hale, but only a few are
to be recommended as worthy of gen.
eral culture: of these the Abundance
and Burbank lead.
The past season there was a smaller
piece of strawberries on the place
than usual-about an acre-but
thought it the most promising field of
strawberries l had ever seen, and re-
ports of the crop seem to justify my
estimate. Mr.. Miller has tried a great
number of the leading varieties of
strawberries. The Crescent, Lovett,
Sample and Pride of Cumberland were
the principal kinds raised for the mar
ket this year.
Other fruits, apples, cherries, cur
rants, raspberries, ETC., are part of the
product of this farm. The yield from
the sugar orchard is hardly a fruit,
yet it deserves mention as we'll as the
peaches, plums and strawberries.
There are about 500 maple trees to
which buckets are set, and the quality
! of the sugar and syrup made is a
credit to the town of Dummerston and