The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-07-09

I =
left of mothers money to carry
through everything I'll like TO intro
| duce that you call nonsense You may
loaf or work. or do as you please
but III be boss for two years. What
do you say?"
The father thought few moments
and then said. "All right. SON.
Junior Franklin never had much of
a belief in potatoes. oats or corn sAs
| general crops on a Pennsylvania farm
HIS potato field was reduced TO n
patch only big enough to supply the
| household. or corn and oats ne sowed
| only enough for the live stock He
had made an analysis OF the soil and
had forwarded samples OF earth from
| n dozen places on the farm 70 the
| Agricultural Department and hal the
reports. On those reports he proceed
ed to develop the property according
| to his own ideas. The soil had all tho
| ingredients necessary TO peach culture.
| In addition the mountain to tho back
of the farm acted as glorious wind
| shield. PENNSYLVANIA had no reputa-
ton as a peach State, but ne was not
so foolish as 10 think Pennsylvania
| could not raise Just as good peaches
| as Georgia. Connecticut or Deleware
| Peaches We're supposed to be a delicate
precarious crop. Properly cared for.
| the danger OF loss would be mininIzed
What was important and added zost
| to the Undertaking was the fact that
the reward was big because so many
growers who trusted % luck rallied
with their crops Junior had a ptedi-
lection toward peaches and from tho
reports OF the analysts ne da.crm!nei
he would riHe or fall on that fruit
With no one to check him except 20
| he looked at reproachfully occasional
! ly by his father. Junior Franklin start
ed In to change THAI farm
1t had been his fathers rule to le,
the grasses grow in the orchard
Junior cleared the orchard as clean OF
grass as the potato field had been He
pruned vigorously and left no false
branches Every tree was gone over
| with the utmost care. There hardly
was one In the lot hut was affected
| San Jose scale was on most Of those.
Those That had not been attacked by
| that parasite had borers worming
their way under the bark 1; had been
| the old method to wash the tree and
| dig our the worms and scatter lime
about the trunk. All this was rldicu-
| lous to Junior. sulphur was the thing
! with which he attacked the parasites
| He had his own mixing apparatus. and
he imported from Pittshurg or Phila-
dclphia a spraying device that was
rugged upon a high platform and
| which, could be moved about without
much trouble. He believed fully in
| the efficacy of spraying. but 10 be efr-
cacious the spraying had to be thor
ouEh.
Most Of the work that nrst year was
in checking the inroads Of the para
sites and in giving a chance to the
trees 70 recover a little Of their health
and strength He set out large MUM
her OF trees, planting them as care
fully and exactly as II as much de-
pended on II as II really does.
Trees were Sc, sixteen feet apart
That made about 60 TO the acre. They
were OF many varieties. There we're
Elhertas. Early Crswfords. Hale's
the Stump OF the World. Late Craw-
ford and Old Nixon. Most of those in
the old orchard were Early Crawford
and Mountain Rose.
1t was spring when he took hold OF
the farm. Regularly every year many
blossoms were nipped by the frost
Some were nipped that year. but Junior
determined they never should he again
II he could help it, While the trees
We're In bloom ne was busy man
Every blossom had to be sprayed The
moths. which the great enemies
of peaches. attack the blossoms and
then go to the root and develop the
borers that cut into the tree and drain
IL of sap. The moths got a dose that
in the Franklin orchard. Three times
that season every tree was sprayed
SO thoroughly that there was not a
sixteenth OF an inch OF limb. OF trunk
of leaf or blossom that escaped thor
ough disinfection.
That fall the crop OF peaches was
fair. 1t was a little larger than usual
for the orchard. but not much consid-
ering the amount of attention Junior
had given TO the trees. The father
watched the work of his son with In
terest. Several times he said he was
afraid Junior was wasting a lot of
good time and energy but he did not
in his work that the old man was de-
lighted
Walt until next year" said Junior
"Then Wen begin-just begin--to get
results. After that they'll come fast
We arc not going to have any crop
failures unless we are careless, and
we are going to have peaches from
early In the season until late. Father
I'm going to show you what scientific
farming means. This is child's play
compared with the drudgery you en-
dured. We work hard only in spray
ing and picking and packing time.
You worked hard all the time You
had a. slaves job. This is a gentle
mans Job, and it will pay-.well. It will
pay ten to twenty times az much"
Tt seemed to the father at the time
that thu young man was talking cy-
| trava gantly, but he was not. Ever
thing he predicted has come true, a0d
more. The spring following his boast
to his father he had oil heaters
throughout the orchard In blossom
time the thermometer was watched
carefully. BY an electrical arrange
| ment gong was set ringing In the
farm house whenever the mercury
| reached a certain degree. At night
the gong awakened Junior and his
men in ample time to see that every
one of the oil stoves was lighted.
There was an electric connection to
every one Of the heaters by which
the wick was ignited the same in
stant the gong was set ringing. but
the men had to turn out Just the same