The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-07-08
BACK TO THE SOIL REMEDY FOR HIGH
 COST OF LIVING
Small Farm With Something to Sell Every Day the Secret
 of Getting by
Special to the F,armer.)

l. SCra1Or0o July S,--Th6r0 VIII pc
 a bumper crop of peaches this year" 1 asserted Former Sheriff John J. Will Hams yesterday. This will be- good news to the housewives of this sec l ton who were disappointed by the small crop of strawberries and the consequent high prices for the local 1 product. The former sheriff operates 1 one of the most complete an/7 profit 1 able fruit farms and rnarke gardens l in this state and his metho S are wor-
 thy of attention and stuldy by those
 who have an idea of getting back to 1 the soil.
 Yesterday and for a week past 1 Squire Williams has kept every avail 1 able man on his place in his peach 1 orchard thinning out the crop to in sure larger and more perfect fruit. 1 The men remove about half of the fruit on the tree leaving what re-
 mains well apart to allow the sun and air to reach every side of the fruit ] On this farm there is something to | sell every day in the year. So trees are planted and the ground between the rows is utilized for other crops. The ground is very rich and early in l his career as a. fruit grower the own CT found that this was one cause of winter killing. The rank growth ] encouraged by plenty of feed failed I to harden and mature before the freezing temmperatures of winter reached them. As g. consequence the fruit buds which are formed in the fall were winter killed. A sturtdter tree developed in ground less rich and the branches made more wood and were able to withstand the frost
 of wtnta1 with greater success.
 With markets so close it Is unwise for the grower to put all his eggs | in one basket" Squire Williams avoids | this as far as possible. If some crops fail others will make good and he is never totally swamped as some far n1ers are when their one crop fails. | On tl1ls farm which is located on the Canaan road the season opens with to pick strawberries In the mean time the garden begins to offer beets, | lettuce and other early vegetables. This year the owner estimates that
 he was short 15,0OO quarts of straw berries on his usual crop, but he
 filled in with other garden crops. The l strawberry season is now practically | over. The late frosts in the spring 1 caught the blossoms just as the fruit, was setting and two-thirds Of the crop
 in this section was destroyed.
 Black and red raspberries are now
 coming In and a big crop is expected. This will make up in some measure | for the shortage in strawberries and 1 the provident housewives win have something to put away in jars for the
 future.
 l The value of care and cultivation by l improved methods is demonstrated by l the currant crop which is now being l marketed Ten thousand quarts have
 already been sold at good prices. They l bring 8 to 12 cents g. quart at whole
 sale. Squire Williams has taken
 great pride in his entrants and prob 1 ably has the finest fruit in the state. | Side by side are rows of bushes treat | ed differently. Those which have
 been neglected and will be removed having been supp1anted by peach trees 1 are full of fruit but of about the or-
 dinary size. Those bushes which have
 received greater care are loaded with
 entrants of enormous size. The greater part as large as the ordinary marble. The crop is profitable.
 Plum trees are loaded to the break l ing point and the thinning process 1 will be extended to these as soon as possible. So all through the year in- l terspersed with garden crops the return in ready cash. There is about
 an acre of onions on the place which will be harvested and stored away for sale next winter or spring. Besides these there is celery, carrots, cab
 bage early and late, sweet corn, now commencing to tassel, and a hundred other crops so arranged that the force
 is always busy rain or shine and cash flows in all through the season to pay
 them off.
 Squire Williams believes in local
 markets. Every morning he loads
 two wagons which have regular routes
 in the city. Peas, sweet corn and other vegetables whose virtue and pal
 stability are dependent upon their
 being absolutely fresh thus reach the
 customer as early and as fresh as if
 taken from the garden in the back
 yard. Customers have discovered
 this and the demand often exceeds the supply. It is not in every city
 that the housewife is able to place on
 the table at noon vegetables which
 have been taken from the groun the
 morning of the same day.
 Squire Williams has made money
 from his farm and expects to make a
 good deal more. He says that any
 ing on a small place and lay up mon
 ey if he operates his ground proper
 1y. It is not so much a. matter of
 luck as some people believe as it is
 of care and attention under a proper
 system There is plenty of land in this vicinity which can be operated
 as market gardens with profit Visitors
 are always welcome at the Canaan
 Road seed farm and the owner is al- ways redy to give amateurs the benefit of his experience in raising almost ev- erything that is Indigenous to this cli- mate or can be forced to grow here. He has saved many amateurs from loss by his timely suggestions. He asserts that this is the true remedy for the night cost of living so much complained of.
 A bunch of flowers and long stream