The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-19
ALABAMA WOMAN WRITES ON
 FRUIT GROWING AT HOME


 about the house contributes so largely to the happiness and health of the family that it Is difficult to see how any lady can afford to fail to utilize the available space for that purpose. Children natural ly love to grow something, and to watch the development of fruit and flowers ap- peals very strongly to the innate love of Nature and Natures God within them. It seems to me almost a crime to rear a child without this refining influence. "The farmers in Alabama have been very slow to appreciate the helpfulness and profit of fruit, growing, and slower still to realize the great necessity of per- hitting their children to share, in some | small way, the money they help to make. The boys are usually given mule or horse at 21 years of age, but the girls are given absolutely nothing; and yet tho girls do more continuous real work than the boys, for they never get through with the homework, as we'll as do field work yet they seldom see even $1 which they can claim as their own, to use as they like. Dissatisfaction is the result and boys and girls alike are planning to leave the farm as soon as a chance offers. The parents are to blame for this, and future gensetions suffer.
 Small orchards well kept, teach us hoy to grow large orchards for profit. Sup plying the family needs of berries and fruits show us what we can do to make money. I will tell of few things I have tried on my farm in Calhoun county, in | addition to my commercial orchards of peach, apple and cherry The Horticul- tural Department at Washington is SO generous and helpful that many things can be had for the asking.
 m foSff0o citranpes from thQt sol1rca and one tree is quite large, and bears very full each year. The fruit Is a small orange with delightful acid flavor, and makes a nice ade. The flowers are fra grant, the tree an ornament. It is hardy and worth trying.
 Some berries do not succeed in Ala bama at an elevation less than 1000 feet, but do well at that altitude, viz, goose berries, Logan berries, entrants, etc. They succeed in and around Florence, and are profitable there. A little spray ing for currant worms Is all that is nec- essary White cherries also do well there and prunes grow to perfection at that elevation. In all attitudes the other berries succeed, and the new Wonder berry, one of Burbank's creations, is both new, and strange. A demand will be ere ated for it when its true merit Is known. It is vigorous grower on rich soil, and spreading In nablt. Ine perry resempies the spring huckleberry in color, and in cooking cannot be distinguished from that berry, but differs from 1t in being larger, firmer, tougher and wholly unfit to eat until it is cooked. Tn the uncooked state it is like a cranberry, except in color-which Is black. It bears full to wonder, does not rot nor shed, and hangs on until frost. The ripe fruit remains ripe and plump on the vine for months. Chickens will not disturb the ripe ber- ries if turned on them. Four vines gave me more berries than I could use. I did not try to sell any.
 "Of all delicious fruits which can be grown about the home certainly nothing
 can equal the Climax plum, one of the