Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-06-01

is fond of the huckleberry, ano many at
tempts have been made to persuade II 70
forsake its abiding-place in the woods
and mountains for the fields OF eultiva-
ton, but it has spurned every attempt
of the plant trainers to tame It. They
have now turned their attention to the
juneberry and it promises 60 succeed
the huckleberry in the affections Of the
people, especially those in the Sreeless re-
gions of the country. $50
The avocado, or alligator pear, ~ tnriv-
ing we'll in it's new surroundings on
American soil 1t is a tropical salad
fruit. eaten like the cantaloupe. II grows
luxuriantly on the Isthmus CT Panamas
and the canal diggers regard it as more
. than a substitute for the Rockyforo-
The trees planted in Florida have thrivea'
and alligator pear growing promises TO
become a profitable business. The taste
for It needs a little cultivation. but ell
connoiseurs agree that it makes a delee-
table dish. There is a vast profit in
it's production, a single tree producing
from ten to sixty pears, with prices as
high as three dollars dozen.
The growing of medicinal plants Is be-
coming an important occupation. It i
estimated that the American people an
nually import fifteen million dollars
worth of medicinal plants from Europe,
and the bulk of this sum might just ss
we'll be kept at home. Ginseng has long
been the favorite crop, but the prices
were so high that over-production re-
suited At one time the ginseng growers
had to burn about three-fourzhs Of their
crop to keep up prices. China is the
principal buyer of American ginseng, but
it will have none but the wild roots.
Consequently. the demand for cultivated
ginseng is very much smaller now that
il used to be- Golden seal Is suppiant-
ing ginseng as successful crop. q
great many growers finding it exceeding
ly profitable. One grower reports that
his beds have yielded him clear profit at
the rate of $500 per acre.
When one comes to compare the prof
its of different crops he has to marvel at
the devotion of the average farmer to
that the average per acre value Of
the cereals. Federal census data SHOVE
flowers in the United States is s2.01l;
that of nursery products. $40; Of onions
S13S; of sugar cane $S7; and Of small
fruits ISL. Yet there is a hundred acres
or more of wheat and corn, with per
acre value of less than twenty dollars
grown where there is one acre of the
above mentioned crops. Even slippery
elm produces bark that would give a per
acre value of $500 year. Asparagus is
the most profitable garden vegetable.
prominent gardener figuring his yield az
$500 per acre.
1t has been figured that an acre OF land
under glass will produce as much as
fifty acres in the open, yet even the
small farmer seldom takes such a meth
cd of increasing his income. Flowers
under glass are the most profitable crop.
1t is estimated that 10000 worth OF
carnations are grown every year. It viii
be news to most people that John d.
Rockefeller is the greatest producer Of
violets in America. His Tarrytown es-
tate is in the very center CT the Hnd-
son river vioIea-growfng district. and
he welcomes every dollar that comes from
the sale of his violets. The success OF
two women in growing violets on the
eastern shore of Maryland has been the
talk of floral circles for some time. These
women were without income and depend
ed upon their own efforts. They elected
to grow violets, and studied the SUBJ
ject with the care that physician stud
les medicine. Although they have only
been in the business a few years, they
have an independent income.