The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1909-03-06
HORTICULTURE
M4a48 l8
aReSs
PLANNING A FAMILY ORCHARD.
What One Farmer Planted for His
Own Needs.

Own Needs.
In arranging an orchard for the use
OF the family, there are several things
to consider. 1t must be located con-
vepient to the dwelling house, to save
time and labor in gathering small
quantities of fruit. 1t should, II pos
sibIe, be located on land that Will al
ford the best natural advantages. In
the way of type of soil, and exposure
to the sun, etc, and the orchard
should be 90 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 supply of fresh fruit
throughout the entire season, and at
the same time furnish enough of late
fruit to store Cor the winter; therefore,
it Is necessary to plant trees from the
earliest to the latest fruiting.
Following / give a sample OF my
own fruit orchard for family use which
] think after several years of use to
be convenient and profitable. writes
~. D. +
have a piece of land containing IN
acres, lying south of my dwelling
house, with q southeastern gradual ex-
r posture. of soil specially adapted to the
growing of fruits.
This platsi 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 / think grow more that
way than by the hill method.
Just east of the grape vines have
20 peach trees, which consist OF both
early and late peaches.
i. West and south Of the grape vines
and peach trees, 1 have Al early and
late apple trees, with the early nearest
the house.
As to my reason for this arrange
ment, the first fruit ripe In the spring
are the cherries. / have them 30 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 go along VIII
give a partial account of what this lit
tie plat of ground IL bringing In dol
lars and cents beside supplying my
family with plenty Of good. fresh
wholesome fruits the year round.
NY orchard is IL years old, and not
doing its best yet. For the last five
years I have shipped, or sold, an av
erage of so cases of cherries beside
what we have used for canning, etc
The so cases each year have melted
me $1.25 per case, which is SIS pei
year from the cherries alone, above
what we used.
Having few early peaches 1 have
sold none except to neighbors, o.
which kept no record. But we have
had an abundance of very excellen
fruit ourselves. / should say that To-
the past five years have sold as mucl
as $40 per year.
We have had for six years all tn
grapes we wanted to use, and for tn
last four years have sold an aver
age OF l,UVO pounus at ie"o Sen'o 20
pound, which is $40 per year, abov
family use.
The apples are just now beginning
to do something good. have bee
getting a small quantity for the las
four years, but since they were seve
years old they have supplied the table
plenty for winter, and an occasiona
treat for the neighbors.
In the last three years have sol
above what we used, an average c
one bushel to the tree. at from
cents to one dollar per bushel or abou
s25 per year, for the last three year,
From now on they will do much be
ter.
AS to profits, the total orchard ma
furnished plenty of fruit for our fam
". and an average of $3.50 for tn
last four years. OF course laid OF
the use of the land practically for II
FIRST elk or seven years, and was OF
some little expense of handling, but
think / received pay for all that fro
keeping poultry on this land.