Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1910-04-23
The Fruit Growers Meet.

|
helpful address on the subject, "Rals-
| ing Good Fruit
He reviewed at some length the
somewhat general opinion that the
fruit business might be overdone.
Said that statistics showed that the
acreage Of apple orchards had almost
doubled in the last few years yet In
spite of this fact the demand for
really good fruit was steadily increas-
ing.
He emphasized the fact that we are
raising altogether too much poor
fruit. He says he knows from exper-
fence that Michigan can raise as good
fruit as any state in the union yet
the fact remains that Michigan apples
are not sought in the markets and
this is due largely to the fact that
packers have been in the habit Of
facing barrels with good fruit and fill
ing the center with culls.
There is some general discussion by
the farmers as to the best means Of
preventing this practice which is
surely killing the market for Michi-
gan apples and several suggestions
were made such as packing in smaller
packages, labelling, ETC., but we think
that Mr.. Taft gave the best solution
of the problem. He said, and 1t is
surely true, that so long as poor
apples were raised they would be
packed and would hurt the market
and that as sOon as the growers began
to raise nothing but good apples that
packers would stop packing poor ones.
lie said that Michigan can grow
good apples for less money per bushel
than it costs some of the western
growers to get theirs to market and
that because of the expense in get
ting to market the western grower
was forced TO produce an article that
would command the very highest
price when it reached the market.
These facts surely ought to set our
growers to thinking ard with such
facilities as are natural to Northern
Michigan, the growers here by giving
the business the same care and study
can certainly Uutdo our western
neighbors.
Mr.. Taft did not give much time to
the subject of Spraying as an exhaust
i've paper delivered by him before the
State horticultural Society appeared
in the report of the Society, copy OF
which was given to each one present.
He says that he has found that the
Lime Sulphur solution will take the
place Of the Bordeaux mixture and
that he Is using it this year and ad-
vises farmers to use it on account Of
the fact that it is easier to apply and
costs no more.
Ii Bordeaux mixture is used he
fresh as it very sUon becomes stale
and practically useless if allowed TO
stand exposed to the air.
He says that it will lose its value Ia
a very few DAYS therefore the farmer
who buys it is very likely TO spend his
time and money in applying some
thing that has lost its value by being
exposed.
He gives this as his reason for using
the Lime Sulphur instead of the Bor-
deaux.
He says that we have no trouble in
managing any of the insects or dis
eases that are here. We have no such
things to combat as the Aphis, leaf
louse or the Twig Blight, two Of the
most troublesome things the western
grower has to combat and that IL the
western grower can overcome what we
have and also these two worse ones
there is no good excuse for a Michi-
gan grower producing fruit of poor
quality.
Mr. Taft says that by careful cu,ti-
waiting the young trees can be made 10
produce several years sooner than If
allowed To grow at its own rate.
He urges growers to be careful
about cropping orchards without re-
turning some fertilization to the soil.
Says that cloYer and alfalfa are
splendid crops TO use in young or
chard and that clover or Alfalfa
mulch Is a splendid thing as these
crops contain large amount OF the
plant foods that the young trees need.
He also urged care in the matter of
producing late growth that would
winter kill.
Barnyard manure will take the
place of fertilizers but advises the use
Of commercial fertilizer IL the manure
Is not at hand.
He advises the use OF about one
pound per tree OF some good fertilizer