Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1909-02-25
PLANNING A FAMILY ORCHARD.
What One Farmer Planted for Hls
Own Needs.

In arranging an orchard for the use
or the family, there are several things
to consider 1t must be located con-
venient to the dwelling house. to save
time and labor In gathering small
quantities of fruit. 1t should, II pos
sible. be located on land that will af-
ford. the best natural advantages, In
the way Of type of soil, and exposure
to the sun, etc., and the. orchard
should be so arranged that the fruit
nearest the house will commence to
fruit first in the season.
A variety of fruits should be select
ed to furnish a supply of fresh fruit
throughout the entire season, and at
the same time furnish enough Of late
fruit to store for the winter; therefore,
1t is necessary to plant trees from the
earliest to the latest fruiting.
Following l give a sample OF my
own fruit orchard for family use which
l think after several years of use to
be convenient and profitable, writes
r. B. Rushing, In Farmers Voice. I
have a piece Of land containing 1h
acres, lying south of my dwelling
house, with southeastern gradual ex-
posture, of soil specially adapted to the
growing of fruits.
This plat is 20 rods long, by IL rods
wide. have 81 cherry trees one rod
apart each way.
In the center of the orchard, south
of the cherry trees, have SO grape
vines, rows running east and west four
hills long. They are grown by the row
method, as l think / grow more that
way than by the hill method.
Just east of the grape vines I have
20 peach trees, which consist OF both
early and late peaches.
West and south of the grape vines
and peach trees, l have Al early and
late apple trees, with the early nearest
the house.
AS to my reason for this arrange
are the cherries. l have them so that
wife will not have to go to the back of
The field to get her supplies for the
table and canning. And for the bene-
fit of the reader, as l go along l will
give partial account of what this lit
tie plat of ground Is bringing in dol
lars and cents beside supplying my
family with plenty of good. fresh,
wholesome fruits the year round.
My orchard is IL years old, and not
doing its best yet. For the last five
years / have shipped, or sold. an av-
erage of so cases of cherries beside
what we have used for canning, etc.
The 80 cases each year have netted
me SLIPS per case, which Is SIS per
year from the cherries alone, above
what we used.
Having few early peaches l have
sold none except to neighbors, OF
which l kept no record. But we have
had an abundance of very excellent
fruit ourselves. l should say that for
the past five years have sold as much
as $40 per year.
We have had for six years all the
grapes We wanted to use, and for the
last four years have sold an aver
age of 1000 pounds at two cents per
pound, which Is $40 per year, above
family use.
The apples are Just now beginning
to do something good. l have been
getting a small quantity for the last
four years, but since they were seven
years old they have supplied the table,
plenty for winter, and an occasional
treat for the neighbors.
In the last three years I have sold
above what we used, an average of
one bushel to the tree, at from 80
cents to one dollar per bushel or about
SIS per year, for the last three years.
From now on they will do much bet
ter.
AS to profits, the total orchard has
furnished plenty of fruit for our fami-
ly, and an average of $3.50 for the
last four years. OF course laid out
the use of the land practically for the
first six or seven years, and was out
some little expense of handling, but /
think / received pay for all that from
keeping poultry on this land.