Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-08-15
EVENING CHAT


| Farmers and fruit growers attend
ing the city markets this morning say
there is abundant ground for the pre-
dietion recently made in this column
| on the authority of DR.. H. A. Surface,
the state zoolozist, that the price of
fruit of all kinds is going to advance
sharply. Ever fruit grower coming to
the city said that he had more fruit
than in years and that some were de-
batting whether it would not be good
business in spite of the absence of any
good prices to invest the money in
picking and packing. Judging from
what these men said, there have been
many inquiries made by commission
men from eastern cities and the bulk
of 1t has been in the last few days.
This bears out very strikingly the
statement of DR.. Surface that the fruit
Yield in New York and New England
will be very scant and that the buyers
are getting their supplies in sight for
European trade. They generally have
their ordinary supplies well worked
out months in advance, but the war
has opened possibilities of a foreign
market. which the Gamers of this
country are commencing to realize.
Some of the largest growers in south
ern counties say that they have been
all they can learn the fruits are
wanted by packers so that they can be
put up for foreign trade. The price
of excellent fruit in the markets to-
day was low. but 1t showed signs of
stiffening, and many housewives were
buyers
Not only are the peach trees in this
section laden with fruit and of a good
quality. but there appears to be an
extraordinary amount of pears and
plums in sight and the apple pros
poets are good. These trees have in
creased in number very much in this
part of the state, the peach orchards
of the Cumberland Valley being new
rivals of the famous orchards of Mary
land and Delaware. Some of the
planting has been on a scale that
would have brought disaster to the
owners if the war had not broken out
and opened chances of foreign bust
ness. The impetus given to fruit rails
ing by the efforts of the State to teach
scientific agriculture has caused not
only the setting out of large CONNER
ctal orchards, but to cause farmers to
buy many trees and to trim up those
which have been bearing for years and
which 1t was believed had passed their
bearing stage. There are many trees
In all parts of the state which, DR..
Surface says, can be saved from fire
wood and made to yield good returns
simply by following the rules of prun-
ing or cutting back" which the state
provides free of cost In Monroe
county, for instance. there are trees
thirty and forty years old which have
been cut back" cut almost to the
trunk, and which are now in shape to
bear Some notable examples of saw
ing trees have been reported from
Perry county, too. DR.. Surface having
personally supervised some of the
work and brought about results which
astonished the owners. All of these
efforts in the last half-dozen years
appear to be bringing results now in
this great fruit-raising year and the
indications are that there will be much
money made If the foreign prospects
continue as they are.
Speaking of trees. it would not be a
bad plan for the city authorities to
take into serious consideration the
kind of trees to be grown along the
river front. Harrisburg is spending a
large sum of money to beautify its
Front Steps" and it would be absurd
not to give more attention to the trees.
Those on the bank in the older por-
ton of the city Just grow" and there
are dozen kinds scattered along the
bank, some of them anything but
beautiful, some shutting off views from
the street and others frankly of no
use except to hold the soil. With a
iIItiS illouSllI anu care Jne trees along
the river bank, not the park section
but the bank. can be made ornamental
as well as useful. There are serious
doubts as to either quality in the case
of some trees.
In short time, probably, a score
of new trees will be planted in Capitol
Park the planting program of Super
intendent S. B. Rambo contemplating
the use of elms. planes and other
trees which are we'll fitted for parks
Most of the trees will be hardwoeds,
it having been found that the so-cailed
soft topped" trees are not we'll suited
for parks because of their tendency to
break in storms. The State secured
the aid of one of its horticultural ex-
perts from State College and plotted
the portions needing new trees, the
proper ones being designated for each
place.
If it could be possible to secure
some slips of mulberry trees which
sprang from the Harris tree in Harris
Park 1t would be a fine thing for the
sentimental side of the parks. While
the old tree stood there were numer-
Gus shoots around the stump and some
of them were carried away and
planted. No doubt some of them came
to maturity and there ought to be
some way OF tracing them At least
there should be some mulberry trees
in the city park down in the old por-
tion of the city just as a reminder If
nothing else.
EFFECT ON BRUMBAUGH OF FUSION
TpbiIo da1nbio pubIio Todoor