Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1921-01-19
THE DARK SIDE
IN HORTICULTURE
O. o. Lomen Read an Interesting
Paper at the Horticultural Show
at Haugen's Hall Last Week
NNE SOME VERY
: INTERESTING INFORMATION
Some Discouraging Points in Horti.
culture and Hints as to Rene
dies.
(Ry o. 0. Iomen.l

(By o. o. Lomen.)
The we'll known fact that so many
who have the means and opportunity
to plant fruit trees, but who either
| Intentionally or unintentionally ne
glect or fail to do so, proves beyond
doubt that there is dark side in
horticulture.
There must be and there is some
drawbacks or discouraging features
about it.
| will mention a few such which
| have both observed and experienced
hoping thereby to kindle a reason for
a more thorough discussion on the
subject.
We often hear this remark what
is the use of selecting fruit trees as
you hardly ever get what you order
anyway" or what is the use of plant
ing, as one hardly ever gets what he
wants, or similar expressions. 1t is
SO often the case that trees bought
10, 20 or Is years ago turn out to
great extent different from what
the purchaser really bargained and
paid for. And We are very much in
clined to Judge the future by the
past--no one knows what the trees
are which as yet have not come into
bearing.
| know of one planting of 90 Long
field trees which turned out to be
about one half Newells Winter and
the balance a worthless seeding.
set 40 North Western Greetings
once. Before they started to bear,
added more Greetings from another
Nursery and when they began to
bear fruit the first lot was mostly
Haas and worthless unnamed seed
ling besides a few Of the Greetings
/ really bought, the second lot all
Vargalls. paid $500 for a Univer-
sity; it is bearing Longfelds.
l paid big price for tree called
the Nassawee but only got another
Ben Davis. I sent to the east for a
Pumpkin Apple, its bearing Tallman
Sweets. A Dominee is producing
Utters Red. Two Red Astrachan
trees are bearing Saps of Wine. My
Pewaukee trees are Mcintosh Red.
| bought ten Fameuse from a near
by nursery but got 10 Alkors small
sour worthless apples. Set several
Walbridfe once and then cut scions
from them before they started to bear
and topped worked dozen or more
Virginia crab. The original trees as
we'll as the topped worked turned out
another sour worthless seeding.
Sent for Two Gedions, got two EX-
celsior, small, sour but red apple.
Some say its better in that respect
now because nursery can be pro-
secuted for selling trees not true to
name, but in the first place it is
rather late to talk about prosecuting
ten or fifteen years after deal has
been made, and in the second place
it will take more than talk to con-
vince me that this point has been
improved on, because only this past
season two small trees, one an Early
Cotton and one a Wagner, bearing
for the first time, both produced nice
Whitney crabs.
know it to be fact that there
are scores of varieties of apples in
my orchard which | never ordered, OF
bought, but they were either inten-
tionaly or unintentionally substitut-
ed for ordered varieties.
! | do not wish, or mean to contend
that all nurseries are dishonest, as
as we'll as others have often received
what we ordered, but this well
known feature about turning on the
purchaser what he did not want, OF
this common Misrepresentation, has
without a doubt discouraged many a
farmer from setting fruit trees, and
we all know what the remedy is. An
other discouraging point in Horti-
culture is the work connected with an
orchard. One wife said "It is enough
to make person crazy to see all
the fruit fall down and rot" That
was very true, it is enough to make
any sane person crazy to see such
delicious fruit as apples and plums
go to waste, but when you stop to
think, i'm most cases the uncaring
for orchards is nothing but lack OF
management and forethought. Did
you ever see a farmer who did not
take care of 60 acres of corn one
year just as well as he took care of
1 20 acres the year before. Or man
works 160 acres one year the next
year he rents more from his neigh
Dor and works 320 acres. How does
he do it, by using little forethought
by planning his work and help ac-
cording to his needs and require
ments. @ ri
Just the same in caring for an or
chard, which has come into bearing
by using little forethought one
will find time to prune, to spray, to
mulch the trees and also to gathe,
the fruit properly, and where this is
done the good house wife don't, have
70 lose her reason on account OF
tmismanagement.
Another discouraging feature ir
horticulture is marketing fruit.
shall pass by the big grower, who
Continued on last page.