The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-12-22
HOW TO GROW FRUIT.

The growing of fruit is receiving a
great deal of attention in this state,
but is destined to receive more and
more each year. Already Georgia is
producing the best peaches in the world
and some very fine varieties of other
fruits. The fruit industry is worth to
the state hundreds of thousands of
dollars every year now, and II is safe
to say that the time is not far dis
tant when it will be worth many mil
lions annually. Georgia and Florida
taken together ought to be able to
beat California In the fruit business.
They can raise anything she can, and
they are nearer to the ccnters of
consumption, which gives them the
advantage of shorter freight hauls and
earlier deliveries after the gathering of
the fruits. The California fruit must
be plucked green for shipment; that
of Georgia and Florida may be ripen-
ed on the trees, thereby acquiring the
perfect flavor which is always lacking
in green-plucked fruit.
In view of the growing Importance of
the fruit industry it is well enough
to remind those who pur-
pose going into it that success cannot
be achieved by any rule of thumb"
proceedings. 1t will not suffice to stick
a tree down in the earth and depend
on nature and luck to do the rest In
telligence, care and patience must be
exercised, or the orchard win be a
failure There are great many things
that the fruit grower ought to know,
and must know, if he hopes TO win
success. The character of soil, the selec-
ton of stock, the influence of climate,
the preparation of the land, pruning,
spraying. fertilizing, etc, all have i'm
portant bearing on the crop to be
raised. For instance, locations that are
subject to fogs will not produce first
class fruit. The aspect or slope of the
plantation is another matter of i'm
portance. A southern exposure will
ripen fruit sooner than northern ex-
posture and the color will be better. In
pruning apple trees and peach trees
must be treated differently. since the
apple bears on new wood while the
peach bears only on wood of the last
seasons growth. And then the ounce
must be pruned differently from either
the apple or the peach. Certain fruit
trees should be pruned to an upright
form and others to dropping form.
The use of cover crops" in connection
with the growing of fruits is closely
allied with the fertilizer problem. 1t
is very important, therefore, to know
what cover crops" will give the trees
the plant food they need. Spraying is
a compar atively recent development for
the protection of fruit trees against
pests. To know how to spray effective
ly may mean the saving not only of
a crop but an orchard. The farmer
should know precisely why he sprays.
or he is merely doing guess work. He
does not know if he is applying the
right remedy at the right time, unless
he understands the subject. He may
be using an insecticide where he needs
to use a fungicide. And then there
are details of gathering. asserting,
packing and marketing that should
have attention.
These are few Of the points that
have been gathered by the United
States Department Of Agriculture and
published in Farmers Bulletin, No
161, under the title of practical Sug-
gestons for Fruit Growers" The bull
letin goes thoroughly into the subject
and gives a great deal of valuable in
formation. 1t can be had free on ap-
plication to the department in Wash
ington.