The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-07-17
WAYNE COUNTY IDEAL PLACE
TO RAISE APPLES
Flavor of Native Grown Fruit I'm
equalled in United States--Gov-
ernment Says SO-Farmers
Ought to Organize Association
and sell on Big Scale.

Ought to organize ASSOCIATION
and Sell ON Big Scale.
There is no country better adapt
ed to raising apples, fruits and ber-
ries than right here in Wayne coun-
ty. The soil is better and climatic
conditions cannot be equalled. 1t is
uncommon to see wild apple trees
growing along the highways and by
ways. Why cannot cultivated apple
trees be raised in large quantities?
There are thousands of acres of ap-
parently waste land in Wayne county
that can be made to reproduce
trainloads of the most delicious fruit
ever grown. why do farmers pay
from 5000 to 1000 per acre for
apple orchards and implanted lands
in the West when their own land will
produce a better quality apple than
is grown in Washington, Idaho, Ore
gon or Montana?
Wayne county is a land of great
possibilities. Her farmers live
within the radius of one of the
, largest markets in the world-New
York City. All the apples, fruits,
berries, etc, would find ready buy
ers. Commission merchants would
find Wayne county if the farmers
residing therein would produce ap
piles, strawberries, raspberries, or
eggs in quantities of from one to
half dozen carloads per day. 1t can
be done here as well as in other
places. The topography of the land
in Wayne county is irregular which
makes it difficult to raise grain. In
several places in the county the
| farmers, before harvesting their
grain, literary have to engage a
drum corps to drum up the grain
to get the heads together so they
can be effectively cut. Wayne coun-
ty is not grain country. The farm
ing is too diversified. If more at
tention were paid to raising fruits
and berries the bank account would
be larger at the end of the year.
OF course to do this the crops would
necessarily have to be grown in large
quantities to attract big buyers. By
organizing a fruit growers or pro-
duce exchange this could be effec
| lively done. Then each member
would be asked to obligate himself
to raise an acre or half-acre of ber-
ries, cherries and other fruits in
larger acreage.
1t is true that there are pests
here, but by spraying, pruning and
cultivation this could be overcome.
In the first place to keep the insects
| down or away from the tree it is
essential to keep the weeds down.
Do not allow them to grow. Keep
! the ground perfectly free from any
| growth for in the weeds the in
sects live and are bred. The cod
ding moth is a pest but it can be
| killed by spraying.
To grow fruit for any market it
must be free from all blemishes.
Not a defective apple will be ac-
cepted. They must also be properly
! packed and Grated. The Western
apple may look more delicious to the
buyer, higher colored and larger in
| size, but when it comes to flavor
! there is no apple grown, not even in
the famous Bitter Root Valley, Mon
| tana, that can equal the Wayne
county apple. The size and color
can be obtained by pruning. Trim
the trees so they will throw out low
! limbs. Leave the center of the tree
open, thus enabling the sunshine
and air to penetrate. The apple
will then ripen and receive a color
: equal to the ''Mackentosh Red" the
! celebrated apple of Bitter Root Val
| ley, Montana.
care and work, but the effort put
forth will repay the orchardist many
times over for his time and labor.
Crops, such as corn or potatoes,
can be successfully grown in young
orchards, but as soon as the tree be-
gin to bear fruit, nothing should
be allowed to grow between the
trees. All nourishment is then nee
essary for the tree. Keep the
ground and trees clean and we'll
mulched Cut down all suckers.
After the trees commence to bear
turn your hogs into the orchard.
They will not injure the trees but
will pick up all the infected fruit
that falls.
If you do not know what your
land is best adapted for send a
sample of the dirt of your farm to
the State College, State College, Pa,
or the Department of Agriculture,
Washington, ID. c., and have an
analysis made of it, You will forth
with receive an analogical report
telling you what the land is best
adapted to raise. Is this not a more
wise plan to pursue than to 90 on
year after year apparently in the
dark without knowing what your
farm is really capable of producing
The Citizen hopes that the farm
ers of Wayne county will get to-
gether before another year rolls
around, organize an association for
the benefit of the farmer, thereby es-
tablishing a name for Wayne county
that will be known country wide
and utilize thousands of acres OF
now waste and unseated land.