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Beautifully printed on heavy enameled paper and pro-
fusely illustrated with one hundred and twenty halftones,
seventeen diagrams and two double page plates. 200
pages. Size, 7^x10 in. Price, delivery postpaid $2.65

A.T. DE LA MARE CO. Inc. 438 to 448 W. 37th St. NEW YORK

Fruits and Vegetables
Under Glass

By WILLIAM TURNER

Who has been associated a lifetime with the raising of fruits and
vegetables under glass and is the best known expert on the subject

A complete and exhaustive work and up-to-date in every
particular.

The scope and character of the book may be gleaned by
enumerating the chapters contained in the first section of the
book devoted to Fruits under Glass and taking up the subject
of Grapes:

History of the Grape vine — Houses best adapted for growing
Grapes — The various systems of propagation — Vine borders —
Cultural directions — Planting yoiing vines — Methods of pruning
the vine — Disbudding, pinching or stopping the shoots, setting
the fruit — Grape thinning — Commercial Grape Culture — Varieties
of Grapes best adapted for early and late use — Insects and
diseases — Keeping qualities of Grapes — Storing, packing, exhibi-
tion— Grape vines cultivated in pots.

Other fruit chapters given in detail : Peaches and Nectarines
— Pot fruit culture and its advantages (under which are listed
Apples, Apricots, Cherries, Pears, Plums, etc.) — Fig culture in a
separate house — Melon-growing in the house — Strawberries as
pot fruit — The hothouse Pineapple.

Ten chapters are devoted to vegetables under glass, and
specific instructions are given touching on questions of Sowing
the Seed, Soil, Watering, Ventilation, Training, Pruning, Insects,
Diseases, Feeding, Style of House, Fertilizer, Temperature,
Varieties, etc.

w Printed on fine coated paper in clear type, containing
65 splendid halftone illustrations. Handsomely bound
in cloth with embossed cover. 256 pages. Size,
7% x 10 J4 in. Price, delivery postpaid $3.65

A. T. DE LA MARE CO. Inc. 438 to 448 W. 37th St. NEW YORK

TO THE MEMORY

of

David Jokn Hughes, Edward Horton, George Kains,
Charles Roe, Jehiel Mann, Samuel Eecles, James
McAdam, Edward Ermatinger, George Scott and
Samuel Day, whose home plantings added flavor,
zest and adventure to my boyhood days and helped
not a little to mold my appreciation of fruits of
high merit

Honestly ! Don't you wish this fruit-
ful arbor was just outside your dining
room door ?

"Fine fruit is the most perfect union of the useful and the beautiful that
the earth knows. Trees full of soft foliage; blossoms fresh with spring
beauty; and, finally, — fruit, rich, bloom-dusted, melting and luscious, —
such are the treasures of the orchard and the garden, temptingly offered
to every land holder in this bright and sunny, though temperate
climate." — DOWNING, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America.

HOME
FRUIT GROWER

M. G. KAINS

NEW YORK

A.T. DE LA MARE COMPANY, INC.

1918

m\

•

"It is much to be desired that the fruit-garden shall mturn to the men's
minds, with its personal appeal and its collection^ of many choice
varieties, even the names of which are' now unknown to the fruit-loving
public. The discriminating admiration of fruits for ^odor, good form,
and color, and for choice quality is unknown among usltoday. * * *
The commercial market ideals have come to be controlling, and most
fruit eaters have never eaten a first-class apple, or pe^r or peach, and
do not know what such fruits are: * * * All this is as much to be
deplored as a loss of standards of excellence in literature or music, for
it is an expression of lack of resources and a failure oi sensitiveness."
— L. H. BAILEY, Principles iV Fruit Growing.

'.CULTURE D

COPYRIGHT 1918
A. T. DE LA MARE COMPANY, INC.

All Rights Reserved

PREFACE

IN writing this book my aim has been to enhance the home production
of fine fruit and thereby foster better living. As the text clearly
shows, I have herein consistently ruled against commercial standards
and practices, whenever these fall below the high order of merit and
quality set by the amateur. The commercial grower produces fruit
for a livelihood, to supply the demands of people who do not grow
it; the amateur grows it for the joy of achievement, for the realization
of a high ideal. In the one case the fruit is the means to an end;
in the other, it is the end itself. Both men are needed in our national
economy, but of the two, as shown in chapter 13, the amateur from the
beginning has played, and should continue to play, the title role be-
cause he, rather than the commercial grower, sets the standard of
excellence.

Such being the case, effort has been made to depict the pleasure
of growing — and eating — fine fruits and, by means of photo-engravings,
to portray the restful and the refining influences of home fruit growing.
These pictures which present glimpses of home plantations, such as
those in which my boyhood and young manhood were spent, reveal
happy blendings of beauty and utility and should, therefore, prove
suggestive and helpful to the dweller on the city and suburban lot,
the owner of a "country place," and the farmer who aims to give an air
of refinement and hominess to his residence, without belittling utility
and economy.

As beginners are often bewildered by descriptions of varieties in
nurserymen's catalogs, as they may know little as to the kind of
nursery stock to order, and are frequently at sea as to how to make a
selection, especially if they read literature based upon commercial
standards, I have rather fully discussed the main points to consider
in choosing varieties and buying plants for the home plantation. The
primary aim should be for high quality, for as Downing points out,
"He who owns a rood of proper land in this country, and, in the face
of all the pomonal riches of the day, raises only Crabs and Choke-
Pears, deserves to lose the respect of all sensible men."

The great majority of the Northern tree fruits discussed herein,
I have learned to know well in Canada, (my boyhood home), Ohio,

415294

6 HOME FRUIT GROWER

Michigan, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland,
Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, in all of
which sections I have either resided or spent much time with fruit
growers. Since my travels in sub-tropical regions have been limited
I have been obliged to draw on the experience and opinions of other
fruit growers for judgments and descriptions of such fruits and fruit
varieties.

Doubtless the majority of my readers, having small areas at their
disposal, need suggestions as to the maximum utilization of available
space. They should, therefore, be pleased with the chapters on
Laying Out the Plantation, upon Combining Beauty with Comfort
and Utility, and upon Dwarf Fruits, also with the ample directions
for growing the various Bush Fruits.

I can scarcely urge too strongly that each reader plant at least
some of the unusual fruits and fruit-bearing ornamentals, for the
novelty and variety of the thing. In this connection special attention
may be directed, to the few paragraphs on origination of new varieties
(see Contents), because at least some of these fruits should prove
highly interesting as subjects with which to experiment. Plant
breeding, however, is in itself a subject for a far larger volume than
this one and can only be mentioned as the most interesting and absorb-
ing field of all horticultural effort.

As the American Pomological Society is several times referred
to in the text, a few words concerning it may well be said. This
association was established in 1848 by broad-minded amateur fruit
growers whose aim, according to the Society's constitution, is "the
advancement of the science of pomology." In this work the Society
has won an enviable standing in the world, because, to quote from
the last address of Hon. Marshall P. Wilder, (for nearly forty years
its president), "it has raised the standard of excellence by which our
fruits are judged, discouraged the cultivation of inferior sorts— educated
the taste of the public for those of better quality — established a
uniform system of rules by which fruits are to be shown and judged —
instituted a much needed reform in the nomenclature of fruits —
published biennially its Catalogue of Fruits — but most important of all
[its constant aim has been] to give American Pomology a high character

PREFACE 7

as a science, [and]Jto maintain a position of dignity, integrity and
impartial usefulness."

Every fruit grower, whether professional or amateur, should be a
member'of this great Society, which in return for his small member-
ship fee will' not only accord him the usual privileges of membership
and provide him with a bound copy of the "Proceedings," but will
present opportunities for inspiration unequalled by any other horti-
cultural institution of the Western Continent.

My special thanks are due to The Garden Magazine for per-
mission to" quote Mr. Stephen F. Hamblin's article on "Beauty, Comfort
and Utility" (page 21) ; to The Country Gentleman and to Prof. W. N.
Hutt for the article on "Home Orchards in the South" (page 41);
to both of these magazines, to House and Garden, to the United States
Depart ment of Agriculture, to several State Experiment Stations, to
the Van Dusen Nurseries of Geneva, N. Y.. and to individuals for
the use of photographs separately listed under "Acknowledgments."
After the diagram on page 34 was made for this volume, I used it in
more graphic form in an article, written specially for The Garden
Magazine"of April, 1918.

The writing of this book, my sixth on a horticultural subject, has
given me especial pleasure because, while talking of fruit growing, it has
afford ed me an opportunity to delineate from intimate association
an ideal of home life peculiarly suited to American conditions and
to the temperament of our people whatever their station may be.

E xperiences as parent and foster parent in presenting previous "brain
children" to the world have shown me that no matter how fond and
careful we may be the neighbors are always able to find flaws in our
"perfect" offspring. Unlike doting fathers and mothers, however,
I shall be glad to have these shortcomings and errors called to my
attention so they may be rectified.

M. G. KAINS
Port Washington, N. Y.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The following individuals, companies, and institutions have
supplied the illustrations referred to by the figure numbers opposite
to their names:

Arkansas Experiment Station, Fayetteville, Ark 126, 127

Prof. W. G. Brierley, University of Minnesota, St. Paul 53

California Experiment Station, Berkeley 105, 106, 111, 112

Country Gentleman, Philadelphia 97, 108, 125

Prof. A. W. Cowell, State College, Pa 20

Garden Magazine, Garden City, N. Y 27a, 59, 70, 71, 103, 107

N. R, Graves, Rochester, N. Y.

1, 2, 5, 8, 21, 26, 61, 66, 81, 85, 90, 93, 101, 109, 110, 113, 115

House and Garden, New York City 28, 96, 122, 131

Idaho Experiment Station, Moscow 32, 35

Indiana Experiment Station 9, 10

R. M. Kellogg Co., Three Rivers, Mich 124

Kelly Bros., Dansville, N. Y 24

Kentucky Experiment Station, Lexington 99, 100, 102

E. T. Kirk, State College, Pa

37, 43, 49, 54 to 57, 87, 92, 101, 116, 117, 129, 130

E. T. Kirk (developing and printing author's photos)

11, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, 31, 33, 34, 44

Missouri Experiment Station, Columbia 16, 25

North Carolina Experiment Station, Raleigh 89

Ohio Experiment Station, Wooster 45-47

Pennsylvania State College Horticultural Department, State College

Pa 67, 68

United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C.

17, 58, 72-80, 86, 123

Van Dusen Nurseries, Geneva, N. Y 60, 62, 63, 64, 65, 114

West Virginia Experiment Station, Blacksburg 83, 84, 95, 118, 119

Wisconsin Experiment Station, Madison 27

CONTENTS

(For Classified Index See Pages 210 to 213)

CHAPTER I— Choosing Varieties

Points to Consider — Precocity — Prolificacy — Annual or Biennial
Bearing — Duration — Number of Kinds — Pollination. Pp. 13-20

CHAPTER II — Beauty, Comfort and Utility

Successful Example of Combination — Ornamental Use of Fruit-
Bearing Plants — Vegetables Used Unobtrusively. Pp. 21-30

CHAPTER III— Laying Out the Plantation

How Much Space Do Fruit Plants Need ? — Distance Table for Fruit
Planting — Transplanting Requisites. Pp. 31-40

CHAPTER IV— Home Orchards in the South

Home Orchards for the Coastal Plain Section — For the Piedmont
Region— Varieties Suited to Each District. Pp. 41-46

CHAPTER V— Buying the Plants

Nurserymen's Reliability — What and Where to Buy — Spring vs.
Fall Planting - Time to Order. Pp. 47-53

CHAPTER VI— Soil, Fertilizers, Situations, Cover Crops

Manures and Fertilizers — Situation for Fruit Plantations— Averting
Danger of Frost Damage — Green Manures. Pp. 54-60

CHAPTER VII— Summer Care of Plantation

Advantages of Clean Cultivation — Pruning — Rejuvenating Neglected
Trees — Grafting and Budding — Thinning the Fruit. Pp. 61-74

CHAPTER VIII— Dwarf Fruit Trees

General Rules for Pruning and Training — Blossom Bud-Bearing
Habits — Types of Training for Various Fruit Trees — Espaliers and Cor-
dons. Pp. 75-85

10 HOME FRUIT GROWER

CHAPTER IX— Insect and Disease Control

Biting Bugs, Sucking Bugs and "Sappers and Miners" — Poison Sprays
for Biting Insects — Contact Sprays for Sucking and Soft-Bodied Insects.

Pp. 86-92

CHAPTER X— Storage of Fruits

Construction of the Outdoor Storage Cellar — Types of Storage Houses
in the North and the South— Storage in Banks or Pits. Pp. 93-103

CHAPTER XI— The Various Species of Fruits

Apricot — Apple — Crab Apples — Barberry — Blackberry — Buffalo
Berry — Cherry — Cranberry — Currant — Cydonia or Japan Quince — Elder-
berry— Fig — Gooseberry — Goumi — Grape — Huckleberry and Blueberry —
Japonica — Juneberry — Loganberry — Loquat or Biwa — Mulberry — Nec-
tarine— Papaw — Peach — Pear — Persimmon — Plum Species and Varieties
— Pomegranate — Quince — Raspberries — Sand Cherry — Strawberry — Vi-
burnum— Wineberry. Pp. 104-196

CHAPTER XII— Diverse Species of Nuts

Almond — Butternut — Cashew — Chestnut — Chinquapin — Cob-
nut — Cocoanut — Filbert — Hazelnut — Hickory — Peanut — Pecan —
Pistachio— Walnut. Pp. 197-203

CHAPTER XIII— Home Fruits as Educators of Public Taste

Where Western and Other Growers of Choice Fruits Got Their
Standards— Originating New Varieties. Pp. 204-209

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

(For General Index See Pages 210 to 213)

A Fruitful Arbor Frontispiece

Aeroplane View of a Suburban
Fruit, Vegetable and Flower

Garden 25

Apple Tree, In the Shade of
the Old 21

Apples, Convenient Receptacles
for 107

Apricots, Well Grown 104

A Trio of Home Makers —
Grapes, Gooseberries and Cur-
rants 132

Blackberries Before and After
Spring Pruning 115, 116

Cherries, Sweet: A Lovely Sight 20

Cherry and Other Fruit Trees
Excellent Beside Road Ap-
proaching a House 50

Cherry; Fine Fruit, 119; Four-
Year-Old Late Duke, 121;
Native Sand or Dwarf 187

Currant Blossoms 123

Currants and Gooseberries on
North Side of a Hedge 125

Dwarf Fruit Trees: Apples Easy
to Gather, 76; "Something to
Tempt You," 77; Pears Easily
Trained to Supports, 78;
Cherries Begin to Bear While
Very Young, 79; Champion
Peach, 80; A Gordon Dwarf
Apple, 81; Bartlett Pear Tree
the Second Season After Plant-
ing, 83; Wall-Trained Dwarf
Fruit Trees 84

Figs Borne in Axils of Leaves ... 128

Fruit Trees Blend Well with
Ornamental Planting 23

Gooseberries: A Loaded Twig,
130; Gooseberry and Currant
Enemy, 130; Flowers, 131;
Before and After Spring Prun-
ing and Thinning 134, 135

Grafting and Budding: Making
the Cleft for Grafting, 71 ; In-
serting Scions in Stock, 71;
Waxing Cleft Grafts, 72; Buds
Sprouting on Graft, 72; Bridge
Grafting 73

Grapes: On Ordinary Trellises,
136; Fancy Trellis not Neces-
sary, 137; First Season in the
Vineyard, 139; Munson Sys-
tem of Training — Vines Un-
pruned and Pruned, 140, 143;
Munson or Canopy Trellis,
141; Section of Grape Shoot
Showing Flower Clusters and
Tendrils, 142; Placing Paper
Sacks on Grape Clusters, 144;
Protecting Grapes from At-
tacks of Birds 145

Heeling-in Trees for Holding
Over, 51; Digging the Trench,
Putting Shrubs in Trench,
Putting Soil on Roots, Tramp-
ing Soil Over Roots, Heeled-
in Shrubs in Trench, Digging
Up for Planting the Heeled-
in-Shrubs 52

Home Orchards in the South:
Plan for theCoastal Section, 42 ;
Plan for the Piedmont Region 43

Insect and Disease Control: The
Time to Spray Peaches, 86;
When to Spray Apples and
Pears for Coddling Moth, 87;
The Compressed Air Sprayer
a Handy Affair, 88; Bucket
Pump Extension Rod for Tree
Spraying, 89; Barrel May
Serve Spraying Needs for
Fairly Large Orchard 91

Lawn Plants with Fruit Trees —
A Happy Combination 30

Loquats: Champagne, 154;
Thales 155

Low-Headed Trees, Easy to
Prune and Gather Fruit from. 55

Neglected Trees, Rejuvenating:
Water Sprouts and Suckers
Indicate Vigorous Roots, 66;
Neglected Tree Before and
After Pruning, 67; Same Speci-
men the Summer Following,
67; New Branches Developejl
by Dehorned Peach Tree, 68;
Neglected Currant Bush After

Pruning 69

11

/

HOME FRUIT GROWER

Old-Fashioned Garden of Fruits,
Flowers and Vegetables 48

Orchard: A Delightful Place. . . 14

Peach, 158; Never "Thumb" a
Peach, 159; Low-Headed
Trees, 1 60 ; Early Crawford . . 163

Pear: A Liberal Setting of Fruit. 165

Planting Plans: A Beautiful
Utility Garden, 22; A "Utility
plus Beauty" Basis of Planting 29

Plantation, Laying Out the:
Working Soil Among the
Roots, 31; Double Deck Tree
with Branches Too Close, 32;
Main Branches Rather Close,
but Secondary Ones Better
Placed, 33; Unit of Intensively
Set Fruit Plantation, 34;
Trouble Ahead! Three Y-
Crotches Starting from One
Point, 35; Strong Crotches and
Sturdy Branches, 36; Folly of
Allowing Several Branches to
Start Together, 36; When
Trees Come from the Nursery,
37; A Windbreak Prevents
Distortion, 38; Hardware
Cloth the Surest Protection
Against Rabbits and Mice,
38; Long Trunks are Unde-
sirable, 39; A Label Wire
Damages the Tree, 39; Walks
Bordered with Herbs and
Currants or -Grape Trellises
and Hedges, 40; Mending Y'-
Crotches Wrong Way, 46;
Right Way, 209; Showing
How Decay Works in Y-
Crotches 92

Pomegranate, 176; Best Way to
Open 177

Pruning: A Stub is a Menace to
the Life of the Tree, 57; Weil-
Made Cuts, 58; Wrong Way
to Cut a Branch, 59; Well-
Healed Pruning Wound, 60;
Right and Wrong Ways to Cut
Twigs, 61; Right Place to Cut
Limb, 61; A Doomed Tree,
62; Pear Fruit Spurs, 62; Sweet
Cherry Blossoms, 63; Cluster
Buds of Apple, 63; Plum Blos-
soms Partly on Spurs, 64;

Sour Cherry Bloom, 64; Peach
Blossoms, 65; Quince Flowers,
65; Pruning Knives, 68; Right
and Wrong Ways to Hold
Pruning Shears, 69; Various
Styles of Pruning Saws ... 19, 70

Quack Grass: Enemy of Currant
and Gooseberry Bushes 130

Quince: No Homely Garden
Complete without a Bush. . . 178

Raspberries: "Please Pass Sugar
and Cream," 180; Black B asp-
berries Wonderfully Prolific,
180; Red Raspberries Deter-
mined to "Sucker," 181^ Well-
Rooted Black Raspberry
"Tip," 181; Red Raspberries
Before and After Spring Prun-
ing and Thinning of Suckers,
182; Black Raspberries Before
and After Spring Pruning and
Thinning, 183; Spring Pruning
Raspberry Canes 184

Short Trunks and Wide-Spread-
ing Branches Yield Finer and
Better Colored Fruit 49

Storage of Fruit: Entrance to
Outside Storage Cellar, 93;
Plan of Storage Room in Cor-
ner of a Basement, 94 ; Plan of
Storage Quarters in House
Cellar, 95; Ventilation of
Storage Room in Basement,
96; A Southern Storage House,
97; Plan of Simple Concrete
Storkge Cellar, 98; A Side Hill
Fruit Storage House, 99; Sec-
tion of an Outdoor Storage
Cellar, 100; Section of Con-
crete Storage Cellar 101

Strawberry: Dr. Burrill, 188;
Male and Female Blossoms,
189; A Prolific Strawberry
Plant, 189; Good Promise of
Luscious Strawberries, 190;^_
Setting a Runner Plant in .
Flowerpot, 191; Potted Plant,
192; Potted Runner, 193;
Spreading the Winter Mulch,
194; The Six-Box Carrier
Basket 195

Young Trees, Keep the Ground
Bare Around .56

CHAPTER I

'i

Choosing Varieties

Points to Consider — Precocity — Prolificacy — Annual or

Biennial Bearing — Duration — Number of Kinds —

Pollination

f

AS a man is judged by the company he keeps, so a fruit grower
is rated by the kind of fruit he grows. I therefore warn would-
be planters to avoid varieties of low quality, for "evil com-
munications corrupt good manners." As the family plantation is
an expression of the family taste my first ruling will always be against
Ben Davis Apple, Kieffer Pear, Elberta Peach, Lombard Plum,
Concord Grape and other varieties of their rank, because so many
kinds are superior to them in quality. Beautiful looking many of
them certainly are, much more attractive in appearance than many
of the really superlative varieties; but handsome is as handsome does.
Better disappoint the eye than deceive the palate! They are all
standard market varieties, so it is always easy to get them; for "the
poor are always with us." Besides, who wants to be always apologizing
either to his palate or to his friends for growing inferior fruit? I
would rather have my guest, as well as my family, eat to repletion
and then follow the receding fruit basket with their eyes, than have,
them leave even the small part of a cluster of Grapes on their plates
or surreptitiously drop a bitten but inedible fruit in the nearest
hedge.

Like Eugene Field, the general public likes "any color, so long as
it's red." That is because most people "eat with their eyes." Yet
here again handsome is as handsome does ; some of the choicest varieties
have poorly colored skins. Prof. Bailey once characterized the Swaar
Apple as a "jaundiced looking thing," but I happen to know it is his
favorite Apple — one of the very choicest.

In making a choice of varieties for the limited space that a home
fruit plantation must occupy I would next discard other varieties
likely to be on sale in my local market. Next cut out cooking kinds
because substitutes for them can easily be purchased. So far as
Apples are concerned the balance of *the Winter varieties I would
next pass by for the same reason. Late Autumn varieties of Apples
would follow, so that I would gradually narrow down to Summer and
early Autumn Apple varieties and the more perishable high quality
fruits rarely offered for sale — Strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries,
Peaches, Plums, Cherries. Grapes and Pears for cold sections; Loquats,

13

14

*0 ii-i U

HOME FRUIT GROWER

Fig. 1.— For pure delight does any other place, except a barn, compare with an

orchard ?

CHOOSING VARIETIES 15

Figs, Kakis, and other choice sub-tropical fruits for the South and
California.

My reasons are that these are less easy to procure than standard
market sorts in prime condition; they are much more perishable
than market kinds; they usually have longer periods of ripening,
though after once reaching maturity they usually deteriorate quickly
and in the case of tree fruits when properly managed they are more
likely to bear every year. This last remark applies specially to
Summer Apples because these have more time between harvest and
the close of the season in which to develop fruit buds for the following
year's crop. Personally I think it is a mistake to choose varieties like
Tompkins King and Grimes Apples, which are notorious for tree
weakness, for though such troubles may be in part prevented, why not
avoid the fuss and possible failure by choosing varieties of known
health and sturdiness? As to extra susceptibility to disease of the
fruit itself, if one is willing to devote the extra attention to spraying
it may be worth while to include them. I certainly would in my own
orchard, because many of these varieties are of superior excellence.

"Shy," or not very abundant bearing, doesn't always mean as
much as the term seems to imply. It is generally employed in a
commercial sense. For instance, one large tree of Swazie, seventy-
five years old, yielded an average of only four barrels each alternate
year. From a business standpoint, even at highest prices, such a
tree would yield fewer dollars during a term of years than a Ben Davis
tree whose fruit always sells at a far lower price. But left to the
judgment of the palate the Swazie would pay a far larger dividend of
gustatory thrills. Other things being equal it will be natural to
pick out the varieties that bear abundantly rather than sparsely,
even though no thought of profit is to be considered; for can one have
too much of a good thing ? Whether the fruit drops readily or hangs
tenaciously is less important to consider from the home standpoint
than from that of the market. Varieties which drop seriously must
be picked before those which cling well.

Many varieties especially of Apples and Pears seem determined
to bear large crops one year and little or nothing the next. To some
extent this is dependent upon the positions of the fruit buds; trees
which bear their blossoms on the tips of twigs or spurs are prone to
biennial bearing, whereas those which have axillary buds (upon the sides
of the branches) are more likely to bear annually. By judicious thin-
ning of either the buds, the fruit or both the former may be educated
to bear a partial crop annually. One man of my acquaintance has
thus taught his Baldwin trees to yield profitable crops each year.
They have failed only twice in over twenty years — and then only

16 HOME FRUIT GROWER

because of frost at blossoming time ! If a commercial grower can do
this with such a notorious biennial cropper as the Raldwin, why can-
not an amateur ?

Thinning the fruit is indicated wherever the amount that sets
after flowering is greater than the tree can carry to perfection. It
will also save much breakage of branches of trees whose wood is brittle
and, when loaded, easily broken by the wind.

Acid varieties are almost invariably better culinary fruits than
sweet, mild or "sub-acid" ones. This is because the process of cook-
ing destroys some of the acid, as well as drives more or less of the
volatile oils off into the air. Cooking slowly at lowest possible tem-
peratures and in covered vessels with little or no water added will
retain a larger part of these flavors and acids than will reverse methods.
Ry cooking skins and all— except the resident entomology — a still larger
part may be retained. The skins may be eliminated by using a
colander.

Many varieties are said to be short-lived. This is a relative
term. "Short-lived" Apple trees may bear good crops for 25 to 40
years; long-lived ones 75 to 100 years or even more. Peaches are
considered almost unbelievably old at 25 or 30 years because the usual
commercial age is a third of this.

Some varieties of tree fruits are noted for beginning to bear
while very young, even the second or third year from planting the
trees. Such being the case it is a very good plan to include several
of these precocious varieties in the family orchard, so as to encourage
oneself by the sight and the taste of home-grown fruits. They will
thus offset the patience that often must be stretched almost to the
breaking point by varieties that are slow to reach bearing age but which
because of their sterling worth should always be included in every
amateur orchard large enough to allow them to be included. He was
a wise man who when planting his orchard designated a certain tree for
each of his children. The two oldest children — seven and five years
respectively — were given the quickest maturing varieties, the other
two — three and one — not being able to understand, were given slower
growing ones.

Some varieties, especially of Winter Apples, seem to ripen their
fruit almost all at once, others during several (Primate often from
five to eight) weeks. Ry -gathering the mature specimens in two,
three or more pickings those left on the tree will improve in size, color
and quality. If commercial growers find two or three pickings profit-
able, the home grower should find it still more advantageous.

Since the season of ripening varies widely with locality — Northern
Winter Apples such as Northern Spy being Fall Apples in the South

CHOOSING VARIETIES 17

and Southern Winter varieties being impossible to ripen in the North —
I have usually taken the Southern Hudson Valley as a guide in stating
time of reaching maturity and continuing in season. Such varieties as
Winesap and Grimes, Apples grown more largely in other sections, are
estimated according to their season in those sections.

The length of time that fruit may be kept in prime condition
whether in home or commercial cold storage varies with every variety
and with such factors as soil, season, time of gathering, way handled
after picking, manner and character of storage. These vary so much
that they must be learned only by personal experience. And yet
certain varieties, for instance, Red Canada Apple, are noted for
peculiarities such as shrivelling, due probably to thin or 'unusually
porous skins. This they seem determined to do in spite of every pre-»
caution to prevent it. Therefore they -should be eaten or cooked before
they begin to lose their crispness and juiciness.

Long-keeping quality, while less important commercially than
before the advent of cold storage, is from the home storage standpoint
as imoortant as ever, especially in the case of Grapes, Pears and Apples,
which by proper choice of varieties may be made to keep under home
storage conditions till Easter or later.

As far as possible in estimating the value of a variety from the
home standpoint, I have endeavored to rely upon my own personal
experience, observation, and knowledge of each variety, rather than to
follow the opinions of others, because the reader will in this way have
a definite— not necessarily a better — standard with which to make
comparisons.

Doubtless many more varieties should be included in the various
lists, but I have felt it safer to mention only those of well-established
reputation. In every section the popular varieties include several to
many not grown or known elsewhere. Among these it will be well
to choose freely because they are already of proved local worth. In
fact, it is a safe rule when making up a list to discover by local
inquiries what kinds succeed best and what ones fail before deciding
finally upon which ones to plant. Failures will thus be avoided to
a large extent.

How many varieties to plant must naturally be determined by
such considerations as the area available for planting, the size of the
family, the fondness of the household for fresh and preserved fruit,
the quantity to be given to friends, and so on. In a general way
it is best to choose enough varieties to make a continuous succession
of dessert and cooking fruit from earliest to latest. For instance,
one early, one mid-season and one late variety of Strawberry,
Red Raspberry, Black Raspberry, Currant and Gooseberry, should

18 HOME FRUIT GROWER

cover the season for each of these fruits and also the whole season
of "small fruits." Fall-bearing varieties should be planted in
addition. Three sweet and three sour Cherry varieties — early, mid
and late — will perhaps answer similarly, though many people would
want four to six or even more kinds of Sweet Cherries. With Peaches
there should be one variety for each week from Midsummer to mid-
Fall — say ten or twelve kinds. Pears, which begin to ripen with the
early Peaches, may be counted as averaging two weeks to a variety
for the early ones — those that ripen before Thanksgiving Day — and
a month or more for the later ones when properly handled. How
many? From August to November, inclusive, eight or ten; from
December to March, four. Apples ? Well, think of ten months of ripe
ones and the 197 ways of cooking and preserving them and draw the
line if you can! I should want one variety for each week from
Midsummer to mid- Autumn (ten or twelve), one for each two weeks
from then until Midwinter (six or eight), and one a month until late
Spring (three or four), a total of only about twenty varieties of Apples.

Among the numerous varieties of fruits — several thousand in
the cases of Apples and Strawberries, hundreds of Grapes, Peaches,
Plums, etc. — grown in America, those characterized in the lists which
follow are specially desirable for family plantations, most of them
because of their dessert qualities, many for their culinary attributes and
some for "general purposes"; that is, both dessert and cooking.

The names used are for the most part those officially recognized
by the American Pomological Society. In some instances these names
differ from the popular name, which, however, is almost always evident.
For instance, "Greening" is a term loosely applied to several score
of green Apple varieties which vary greatly in form, color, and especially
flavor. Some of these are worthless when compared with Rhode
Island, which is the best-known green Apple and the one everyone
really seeks when he buys "Greenings" in the market.

POLLINATION

In old-time family orchards when a Pear or a Plum tree or a Grape
vine bloomed profusely but failed to set fruit, the cause was believed to
be unfavorable weather, especially cold and rain, during or immediately
following blossoming time. Unquestionably this is one of the most
common reasons why little or no fruit is borne in certain seasons, so
except as modern methods may prove effective in preventing injuries
due to cold and even frost the failures are unavoidable.

There are, however, other causes of failure rarely observed in
family orchards but important enough even there to be considered.

CHOOSING VARIETIES 19

They were not discovered until large commercial plantings failed
year after year in spite of full blooming and favorable weather while
the trees were in flower. It was found that the failures occurred where
one variety was grown in a large block by itself, where the varieties
though growing near together bloomed at different times, where the
pistils of the flowers were defective, where the pollen was impotent
upon the pistils of flowers of the same variety — in short, it was due
to self-sterility.

Naturally this discovery has wrought great changes in the com-
mercial planting, especially of Pears, Plums, Kakis, Grapes and less
prominently of other tree fruits. Only the uninformed now plant
business orchards regardless of these discoveries. Commercial orchard-
ists are more and more particular to choose self-fertile varieties,
varieties that bloom simultaneously, that have perfect pistils and
potent pollen so as to insure profitable settings of fruit. In family
orchards the chances of good settings of fruit increase as the number
of varieties increase. This plan not only tends to insure good exchange
of pollen but to offset the possibility of inter-sterility — impotency of
certain varieties upon each other.

As varieties differ more or less in their behavior and time of
blooming in various parts of the country no satisfactory table can be
compiled without being unwieldly. To be on the safe side — the tables
of blooming dates, sterility, etc., published by the agricultural experi-
ment stations and the United States Department of Agriculture should
be consulted prior to ordering nursery stock. It may be said that the
European are apparently t'he only Plum varieties that may be planted
in blocks of a single kind with practical certainty of success. Japanese
varieties are much less certain and American still less. If these are
to be grown trees of several varieties of their group should be planted
near-by. So also of other fruits.

In case trees of a single variety or inter-sterile varieties have been
planted failures may be averted by grafting or budding properly chosen
varieties upon the trees so the proportion will be one to three or four
as a maximum.

For draw cutting many people like the Virginian pruning saw

Fig. 2.— What a temptation the Sweet Cherries will be in early July! But
what a lovely sight now !

2U

CHAPTER II

Beauty, Comfort and Utility

Successful Example of Combination — Ornamental Use of
Fruit-Bearing Plants — Vegetables Used Unobtrusively

A WELL described, concrete example of success is so much better
than theoretical discussion of the same points that I had
decided not to theorize on the planning of a small garden, but
to describe how a suburban friend combined beauty and comfort
with utility in her garden, my own plantation not being enough ad-
vanced to boast of prowess. But along came the Garden Magazine
with an article by Stephen F. Hamblin on this very subject. As
Mr. Hamblin's garden reveals points which my friend's slightly smaller
garden (75 x 200 feet) does not, and as it shows admirably how a
small area may be made
effective as a source of
pleasure and economy, I
quote it, by permission of
the Garden Magazine, with
only slight condensations
and omissions. My own
comments are placed in
brackets :

"While we make use
of the soil about our. house
for every food crop that
we can grow, can we not
still retain in large measure
the beauty with which we
wish it surrounded ? Can-
not Beans, Peas, Rhubarb Fig. 3.-In the shade of the old Apple tree
and Plums, while they oc-
cupy the ground formerly given wholly to ornamental herbs, shrubs
and trees, stilhgive us really the same effects? Though supremely
useful, may not our plantations be also beautiful? I think so; and
with this idea in mind the present lot planting has actually been
worked out.

As will be seen from the plan (Fig. 4), the lot is larger (75 x 220
feet) than one usually finds in the suburbs, but even with the small
50 x 100 foot lot the same general scheme may be carried out. The

21

HOME FRUIT GROWER

5TRETE.T *

Fig. 4.— This is the lot actually described
by Mr. Hamblin. It is a real beauty and
utility garden in the best sense of the words

soil is very fertile and will yield
heavily with intensive cultivation.

There are no shade trees on
the lot, and none will be planted,
as those on the street and on the
next lot to the east give the lawn
sufficient shade, while the land
south of the house is to be wholly
open to the sun for the sake of
the crops. A high Spruce hedge
on the east lot line shades a part
of the garden from the morning
sun, so here a wire trellis bears a
crop of Grapes for the table and
preserving.

The rear of the lot is bounded
by the high wire fence of the ath-
letic field. As excellent views are
to be had from the house in this
direction only a six-foot screen is
desirable. For fruit, as well as
flowers and screen of foliage, I
vote for the Goumi [page 135]

The lot on the west has not
been developed, but as the boys
make it a way to the athletic
field it will be well to protect the
garden. The cheapest garden
fence is six-foot woven wire
covered with Hall's Honeysuckle.
If clipped after the blooming
season, a very neat hedge results.
For variety a few plants of the
new Lonicera Henry i may be
added. While its purplish flowers
are not as attractive as the white
of Hall's, the foliage is prac-
tically evergreen; the habit of
growth is identical.

As the house is set rather
near the street the lawn area is
small, but back of the house
enough is saved for the children

BEAUTY, COMFORT AND UTILITY 23

to play croquet, and a summerhouse will give shade and fruit from
the Grape vines, while Rambler Roses add flowers. Instead of
Grapes I want to grow Adinidia arguta for its fruit, if I can get
cuttings from a fruiting plant, for not all vines are fruit-bearing.
The fruit is green, like a stoneless Plum, and the taste for it must be
acquired as for Olives. When cooked it gives a new preserve.

A compost pile (screened by the vines) saves greatly in the item
of fertilizer. Into this go all the lawn clippings, leaves raked from
the lawn, all vegetable refuse from the kitchen and garden, and when

Fig. 5. —Fruit trees blend well with ornamental planting, especially when in blossom

mixed with soil it gets ready for the next season's planting. On the
south foundation wall of the house there is a coldframe of six sash,
and a shady section for Winter storage. By using double-glass and
heat from the basement through windows in the cellar wall, Lettuce
and such green salads can be grown all Winter with little care, and
seeds started for early garden planting — no fuss with manure or
heating-pipes.

The greater part of the lot is vegetable garden. It is arranged
first of all to make plowing of the central panel easy, with little area

24 HOME FRUIT GROWER

to be dug over annually with the spade. The walk is permanent, of
clean cinders, dry and weedless. It should be used to avoid walking
on the plowed soil. The strip between the walk and the fences will
not be plowed as there is not room to turn the horses; so it is filled
with permanent plants as a boundary planting, but instead of flowering
shrubs and herbs we have Asparagus, Blackberries, Raspberries,
Currants and Gooseberries.

This lot is large enough for a few fruit trees, and fruits are fully
as valuable a home product as vegetables. The trees also give height,
shade, interest and accent to the garden, just as purely ornamental
trees will do, flowers in Spring, and most useful fruit in Summer and
Fall. The choice of varieties is a personal affair, and must be modified
for each section of our country. For home use I have planted one
Bartlett Pear, one Transcendent Grab, one Crawford Early Peach,
and one Orange Quince — these four more for the preserves than the
fresh fruit — and three Japanese Plums (Red June, Abundance and
Satsuma for succession) to be eaten from the tree; for I don't care
for cooked Plums. One of the Plums might be a Sweet Cherry, but the
tree will get too big, and I can get more fruit in proportion from a
Plum.

For fresh fruit the year round I depend upon four Apple trees,
placed 40 feet apart, the other trees being used as fillers. The Apple
trees may shade too much of the garden some day, but perhaps Onions
and Potatoes will be cheaper by then. I want Apples every month,
so I got four young Baldwin trees and grafted upon each a branch of
an early, a mid-season and a late variety, getting the scions from
orchards in the town. One tree is thus equally Williams Favorite,
Gravenstein, Roxbury Russett and Baldwin; the second, Yellow
Transparent, Mclntosh Red, Yellow Bellflower, and Baldwin; the
third, Golden Sweet, Porter, Tolman Sweet and Baldwin; and the
fourth, Red Astrachan, Snow, Wealthy and Baldwin. Thus I shall
be certain to have plenty of Apples each year, though each variety
bear heavily but every third year, and no season shall I get such loads
of fruit that a large part is wasted. [This idea is a very practical one
and not only for Apples, but for other tree fruits.]

Around the walk on its inner side, as it is not easy to plow close
to the fruit trees, there are strips of perennial salad and sweet herbs —
Rhubarb, Curly Dock, Horseradish, Dandelion, Lovage, Sage, Thyme,
etc. — and the more temporary bush fruits, as Blackcap Raspberries
and Wineberries.

The true vegetable area is in three parts, to be plowed length-
wise, the rows running north and south. The area farthest from
the house is given to Strawberries, a good early and a late sort, with a

BEAUTY, COMFORT AND UTILITY 25

row of an everbearing kind. Each year one-fourth the area is rotated
with Sweet Corn; and after the second season's picking the berries
are followed by Winter Turnips, or other late maturing vegetable.
Thus in each strip four crops are produced in four years: — (1) no crop
from the young Strawberry plants; (2) heavy berry crop; (3) fair
berry crop and late Turnips; (4) Sweet Corn.

The middle area is devoted to the larger vegetables — Peas, Beans
(pole and dwarf), Tomatoes, Potatoes, Squash, etc., as the family
wishes. I find that Pole Beans give a greater yield to the square
yard than do Bush Beans, so to avoid the nuisance of yearly poles I
put them on two strips of woven wire, as I would Sweet Peas, and
make a vista down the center of the garden. Melons and Cucumbers

Fig. 6. — Aeroplane view of a suburban garden where Grapes, bush and tree fruits vie
with vegetables and flowers in ministering to family needs

occupy too much ground in proportion to their food value, and are fre-
quently omitted.

The area near the house furnishes the salad and small root crops,
as Radishes, Lettuce, Beets, Onions, Carrots, Cauliflower, Cabbage,
Kohlrabi. Spinach, Chard, Parsley, etc.; some of the rows yield a
succession of crops. The last sowings go into the coldframe for
Winter. As these all have ornamental foliage some of the effects of
formal bedding can be gotten in the blues and purples of Cabbage and
Beet, yellows of Chard, gray blue of Onion, and the contrast of feathery
Carrots with the broad leaves of Lettuce. Try your kitchen herbs
by themselves in a definite scheme, and you will admit that they may
rival Coleus and associates for interest to the eye, while they interest
the stomach.

26 HOME FRUIT GROWER

There will still be room for a few plants whose sole use is their
beauty, even in this utilitarian garden. I have chosen about a dozen
shrubs, each for some special merit and placed for some specific pur-
pose. Little garden pictures are framed from the living-room, and the
street, so strangers need not know that behind the house all is dedi-
cated to our food supply. To hide the little flower garden from the
direct view from the street I find fragrant Honeysuckle (Lonicera frag-
rantissima), a shrub with nearly evergreen foliage, effective for this
latitude. The early fragrant blossoms are a second distinction. With
it are low plants of the shrubby evergreen Bittersweet (Euonymus
radicans vegetd). This forms a big vine on the big outside chimney.
When loaded with fruit in Winter it rivals the classic Holly.

A red and a white Weigela give flower masses in June and heavy
foliage to late Autumn. An arching shrub emphasizes two corners
of the house. The view to the flower garden from the street in June
is framed by a mass of Deutzia. The flower garden is partly separated
from the lawn by a few flowering shrubs. For hybrid Roses I have two
big rugosa hybrids, and hope to cut big Tea Roses from them all
Summer. They will stand six feet high. The Korean Viburnum
(Viburnum Carlesii} I love as Trailing Arbutus grown to a large shrub.
Partly to shade one seat I have a pair of Rouen Lilacs (Syringa chinensis) ,
red and white, the most graceful of the whole group, and over the other
seat a white and a dark purple common Lilac trained high. In this
way I finally chose the following flowering shrubs (numbers on the
left refer to the plan; those on the right to the numbers of specimens) :

1. Fragrant Honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima) — 4

2. White Weigela (Diervilla hybrida Candida) — i.
2a. Red Weigela (Diervilla hybrida, Eva Rathke) — I.

3. Pink slender Deutzia (Deutzia rosed) — -2.

4. Lemoine's Deutzia (Deutzia Lemoinei) — i.

5. Hybrid Goldenbell (Forsythia intermedia) — i.

6. Lemoine's Mock Orange (Philadelphus Lemoinei) — i.

7. Double pink (Rosa rugosa, Conradi F. Meyer) — 2.
Double white (Rosa rugosa, Sir Thomas Lipton) — 2.

8. Korean Viburnum (Viburnum Carlesii) — i.

9. Summer Lilac (Buddleia Davidii) — i.

10. White Rouen Lilac (Syringa chinensis alba) — i.
Red Rouen Lilac (Syringa chinensis sangeana) — i.

11. Charles X. and Marie LeGraye (Syringa vulgaris)—2.

12. Shrubby Evergreen Bittersweet (Euonymus radicans vegeta) — 8.

The little flower garden is another admission that my make-up
demands more than food supply about the home. Again I am restricted
in area and in choice, so I have selected about 2o of the best perennials
for the permanent hardy border, from 5 to 10 of each. This is the
character of the test: 1, Absolute hardiness at all times; 2, Long
life without annual shifting; 3, Resistance to drought and disease;
4, 'Ease of culture:- 5, Non-spreading roots; 6, Free and long-con-

BEAUTY, COMFORT AND UTILITY 27

tinued bloom; 7, Pleasing colors in showy flowers; 8, Value as cut
flowers.

I make three great groupings by color, putting reds in the central
part, blues toward the street, and yellows at the south end. The pale
colors and the white varieties connect the three groups. I have a
succession of bloom from first Squills to Autumn Crocus, and a grada-
tion of heights from back to front, thus:

YELLOWS

Late Lemon Lily (Hemerocallis thunbergii), 3-4 ft. July.
Showy Coneflower (Rudbeckia speciosa), 2-3 ft. August.
Yellow German Iris (Iris flavescens) , 2-3 ft. June.
Butterfly- weed (Asdepias luberosa), 2 ft. July.
Lance-leaved Tickseed (Coreopsis lanceolata), 2 ft. June- July.
Dwarf Orange Day Lily (Hemerocallis dumortieri), 2 ft. June.
Orange Globeflower (Trollius japonicus), 2 ft. May.
Gold Dust (Alyssum saxatile compactum), 6 in. May.
Yellow Crocus (Crocus susianus), March-April.
Yellow Cottage Tulips, May.

REDS

Oriental Poppy (Papaver orientate in variety), 2-3 ft. June.

Garden Peony (Pasonia albiflora in variety), 3 ft. June-July.

Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectabilis) , 2 ft. May- June.

Gas-plant (Dictamnus albus in variety), 3 ft. June.

Garden Phlox (Phlox paniculata in variety), 2-3 ft. July-August.

Miss Lingard (Phlox suffruticosa) , 2-3 ft. June- July.

Mountain Phlox (Phlox ovata), I ft. June.

Scotch Pinks (Dianthus plumarius in variety), 6-12 in. June.

Moss Pink (Phlox subulata in variety), 6 in. May- June.

Giant Snowdrops (Galanthus Elwesii), March.

Tulipa pulchella, T. linifolia, T. greigii, T. sprengeri, etc. May-June.

BLUES

Great Blue Flag (Iris pallida in variety), 3-4 ft. June.

Siberian Iris (Iris sibirica in variety), 3-4 ft. May-June.

Bee Larkspur (Delphinium for mo sum in variety), 3-4 ft. June-July.

Balloon-flower (Platycodon grandiflorum in variety), 3 ft. July-August.

Japanese Speedwell (Veronica longifolia subsessilis), 2 ft. August-September.

Chinese Larkspur (Delphinium grandiflorum in variety), 2 ft. June- August.

Greek Valerian (Polemonium reptans), I ft. May.

Chickweed Phlox (Phlox stellaria), 6 in. May.

Scilla in variety, March.

Autumn Crocus (Crocus speciosus}. September.

Darwin Tulips in dark shades. May-June.

The six-foot fence with the Hall's Honeysuckle is but four-feet
high back of the flower garden and bears Rambler Roses of the Wichu-
raiana type — Dorothy Perkins, White Dorothy Perkins, Excelsa,
Hiawatha and Evangeline. For Fall bloom, instead of Clematis pani-
culata, I have two plants of Climbing Knotweed (Polygonum bald-
schuanicum) , and I shall try the new P. Aubertii. These have the
Clematis outplayed every way as to beauty and grace, and have a
longer season of bloom.

28 HOME FRUIT GROWER

It is certain that little else can be added to the ornamental planting,
for the lawn is tiny as it is. But yet plants whose first value is not
edibility can be squeezed in here and there. The narrow grass strips
along the drive, so shaded that grass will not grow, have been covered
with Pachy sandra terminalis and Lily-of-the-Valley for foliage and
flowers, and Squills and Snowdrops shoot up in the Spring. Against
the piazza I have ferns, only the Cinnamon and Interrupted- ferns
(Osmunda cinnamomea and 0. Clay ton iana), for these give the greatest
foliage to the plant and are permanent as a Peony. With them I
have planted light-colored Darwin Tulips.

Lilies, the tall hardy sorts, as L. tigrinum, L. speciosum, L. Henryi,
L. elegans, L. superbum, L. regale, L. Sargentiae, I am adding to the
Asparagus bed to the detriment of neither. Narcissus of all sorts form
an irregular row under the Grape trellis; a double row of Gladiolus
divides the salad garden. I am now trying to find a few more spots
where flowering herbs can go in among the fruits and vegetables with-
out taking up valuable room.

Six window boxes of the self-watering kind are placed on the
piazza rail. As they are on the shady side of the house, I have shade-
enduring herbs. For main effect there is a very vigorous double-
flowered form of red everblooming Begonia. Two boxes of them in
the house in Winter fill the six in Summer. The inner side droops
in Wandering Jew (Tmdescantia fluminalis), green and variegated.
As it is tender a sufficient stock is carried over Winter in the two boxes
of Begonias in the house. The front face is Moneywort (Lysimachia
nummularia) . As this is hardy it is dumped in the vegetable garden
in the Fall and divided again for the boxes in the Spring. When I
want the boxes different I can use the other Wandering Jew (Zebrina
pendula) and the Begonia can vary to any of the semperflorens type
in pink, rose and white.

For the initial planting of this lot, it would require about fifty
dollars, but I obtained many plants by exchange, gift and seed. The
yearly cost for seeding and plants is less than five dollars, allowing for
a few new vegetables and bulbs each year. For tools I have spade,
spading fork, two hoes, wheel hoe and attachments, lawn mower,
pruning and grass shears, wheelbarrow and knapsack sprayer. There
are other tools I would like, but I make out with the present equip-
ment. As for time, it takes about a day a week during the growing
season (an hour or two daily); but for planting and first weeding at
least two days a week are required. By keeping the permanent
plantings mulched with dry litter and grass clippings, the weeding of
many beds is nearly avoided.

This lot gives fruit and vegetables the year round for a family of

BEAUTY, COMFORT AND UTILITY 29

five, flowers for the table and the neighbors, and from the street or
house windows has its interests and beauties all the year. As an in-
vestment it repays in cash a thousand times the yearly outlay in money
and time while the intangible returns cannot be shown by measure.
Extreme utility and beauty can be combined in the same lot.

With small grounds, such as the 40 x 100 foot lot often available
for the suburban dweller, many of these fruits and vegetables must
be omitted, and preference given to those that require very little
room in proportion to the crop. I prefer that the house should be
near the street, and the area between house and street in lawn (Fig. 7).
A few fruiting shrubs, as Currants and Gooseberries, may be planted

w . ._.

fi iiz_7

SCAL&INf&ET

Fig. 7.— Adapting the small lot to a "utility plus beauty" basis of planting. Plenty
of flowers for ornament as well as things good to eat

against two sides of the house. Shade will be afforded by the trees on
the street. A Grape vine will give shade and fruit over the rear porch,
and on a trellis along the east side of the house. Beneath the vine a
few Spring bulbs and such enduring herbs as German Iris and Phlox
will give a bit of flower garden.

The remaining half of the lot is to be spaded yearly, but the
sides and rear are in permanent planting, as Asparagus, Strawberries,
Black Raspberries, etc. — not Red Raspberries or Blackberries as they
spread underground too much for so small a place. Along the east
line three dwarf Apples (early, midseason and late) are all the orchard
fruit possible. Tomatoes on trellis or poles may be grown close to the
south wall of the -house. The 30 x 30 foot central area is planted in
north-south rows of salad vegetables, dwarf Beans and Peas, and
such other low growing vegetables as the family wishes." v

A

30

CHAPTER III

Laying Out the Plantation

How Much Space Do Fruit Plants Need ? — Distance Table for
Fruit Planting — Transplanting Requisites

WITH Mr. Hamblin's suggestions in mind as to beauty and
utility in limited areas, planning a new plantation becomes
an easy matter. As probably no two people would plan their
areas exactly alike, and as there are also differences in shade, con
tour, exposure and other local factors that will influence planning,
I shall give only the following suggestions:

On limited areas such as suburban lots, use fruit-bearing instead
of mere "ornamental" plants. Many of these are beautiful when in
blossom and again when in fruit. The pink blossoms of the Peach,
the later white ones of the Cherry and the still later ones of Pear and
Apple are particularly pleasing when borne by well-placed specimen
trees on lawns large enough to admit of their normal development.
In smaller places dwarf trees may easily be used instead.

But suppose that the
"orchard fruits" are to
be kept in the orchard ;
there are yet "ornamen-
tals" which will yield a
by-product of their
beauty. Few shrubs are
more striking than the
Goumi (page 135). Is not
the common Barberry
(page 113) attractive alike
when golden with its
dainty racemes of bloom
and again when flaming
with scarlet berries which
continue beautiful till
Midwinter. And is the
Viburnum (page 196) any
less useful and beautiful ?
In early Spring what is

more lovely than the Fig. 9<_Work the soil wel, among the roots with
Shadbush or Juneberry the fingers

31

HOME FRUIT GROWER

Fig. 10. -Double deck tree but
branches too close in each deck

(page 153) arrayed in bridal robes of
virgin white amid the bleak setting of
lingering water or- again when gemmed
with purple fruits in the leafy month of
June? Japanese Quince (page 152),
whether snow-drift white, or maiden
blush, or regal scarlet, most splendid of
ornamentals, bears odd, inconspicuous
but fragrant fruits which will long per-
fume a large, confined area. Elder
bushes (page 127) will convert the back
fence corner into a place of beauty and
fragrance in early Summer and again
in early Autumn. As a hedge, orna-
mental alike when in bloom or when
covered with orange or red berries, the
Buffalo-berry (page 1 18) has few rivals.
And for sandy spots where other plants
are prone to fail the sand or dwarf
Cherry (page 186) has equal claims
for recognition.

• The fruit of each one of these
plants has culinary qualities which
alone would make most of them worth
growing for a home supply, but which
combined with their beauty of flower,
their grace of form and their attrac-
tiveness when in fruit, makes them
rank almost with Raspberries and
Blackberries, which, by the way, are
beautiful when in blossom but are not
as amenable to civilized restrictions
as could be desired.

How MUCH SPACE Do FRUIT PLANTS NEED?

If the novice could mentally see the full-grown tree or bush when
he is planning and planting he would allow far more space than he
usually does. But the nursery stock looks so small that the very
natural mistake is made of allowing it a half or even a quarter of the
space it should be given. The results are spindly, unproductive, early
failing trees and bushes — disappointment.

LAYING OUT THE PLANTATION

33

DISTANCE TABLE FOR FRUIT
PLANTING Feet

Apples, dwarf on Paradise Each way
stock 8 to 10

Apples, dwarf on Doucin

stock 12 to 25

Apples, standard, small grow-
ing 25 to 35

Apples, standard, large grow-
ing 35 to 50

Apricot, dwarf 8 to 10

Apricot, standard 15 to 25

Blackberry 4 to 8

Blueberry 6 to 10

Cherry, standard, sour 15 to 20

Cherry, standard, sweet -.20 to 30

Cherry, dwarf, sour 8 to 10

Cherry, dwarf, sweet 10 to 15

Currant 4 to 6

Fig, in Southeast 15 to 25

Fig, in California 25 to 40

Gooseberry 4 to 6

Grape, large growing 10 to 20

Grape, medium and small. ... 6 to 10

Kaki 20 to 30

Lemon 25 to 30

Loquat 15 to 25

Mulberry 25 to 35

Nectarine, dwarf 8 to 10

Nectarine, standard 18 to 25

Orange 25 to 30

Peach, standard 18 to 25

Peach, dwarf 8 to 10

Pear, standard 20 to 30

Pear, dwarf 10 to 15

Plum, standard.. 15 to 25

Plum, dwarf 10 to 15

•Quince 12 to 20

Raspberry, Red 4 to 5

Raspberry, Black 4 to 6

Strawberry i to 3

When planting bush and tree fruits in limited spaces it is not
necessary to stick to the exact recommended distances. Probably the
most convenient way is to divide the available space upon a unit
basis, the unit being the distance to allow between the smallest growing
shrubs. Thus Gooseberries may be set four to six feet apart. Four
feet is rather close, but if the area won't divide up without waste
space this unit may be used. Small growing shrubs may be placed
at unit distances between the trees, preferably in rows all running
one way, because they will yield several years before the shade
becomes too dense and they may be cultivated easiest when so
arranged.

The diagram (Fig. 12) will make these points clearer. This
area is 48 feet square. At each corner is a standard Apple tree, A;

Fig. 11. — The three main branches

rather close but the secondary ones

much better placed

34

HOME FRUIT GROWER

at the middle of each side is a Peach tree, Pe; in the center of the
square a standard Pear, Pr. As shown at D in left, right and center
rows, a dwarf tree is placed at the 12- and 36-foot intervals. Dwarf trees
are also placed at the 12-foot intervals, D and PI, between the middle
and the outside rows, and also in line with the trees already men-
tioned, thus forming two rows of dwarf trees 12 feet apart each way.
Between the trees in the left hand row are four Currant bushes, G;
between those on right, four Gooseberry bushes, G; between those
in other tree rows, 12 Black Raspberry bushes, BR. Halfway between
each pair of tree rows is a continuous row of Red Raspberries, RR, or
Blackberries, B — two rows of each, the plants being set four feet
apart. If desired one of these Raspberry rows may be Red, the
other Purple, and one of the Blackberry rows may be of Dewberries
instead.

A T RR T D T RR T PE T BT DTBTA

X

X ;

; X

X

X

X

X

i x

: x

X

X

X

X

X

c

BR

BR

BR

G

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

D

PL

D

PL

D

X

X

X

x

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

c

BR

BR

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^y

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X

X

X

X

X

X

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X

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X

X

X

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X

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A

D

PE

D '•

A

Fig. 12.— Unit of intensively set fruit plantation. Size 48x48 feet

LAYING OUT THE PLANTATION

35

Thus we have in this 48-foot area: Four standard Apple trees, one
standard Pear, four Plum, 12 dwarf trees of various kinds (Apricot,
Peach, Pear, Cherry or Apple); four Currant and four Gooseberry
bushes, 12 Black Raspberries and 16 plants each of Red and Purple
Raspberries and of Blackberries and Dewberries. There is yet ample
space for Strawberries which may be planted 18 inches apart in the
tree rows. At this distance three may be set in the six-foot inter-
vals between the trees
and bushes — 24 plants to
each row. These Straw-
berries if planted in the
Spring at the same time
as the trees and bushes
will yield one good crop
the following Summer be-
fore the bushes begin to
shade them too much.
Between each pair of
Strawberry plants the first
Spring may be placed
Lettuce, Onion Sets, Early
Radish, Spinach or hills
of Beans — any shallow
rooting vegetable that
quickly matures and is
removed before late
Summer.

The six-foot strips
between the tree and the
Raspberry and Black-
berry rows may also be
planted with Strawberries
to be cropped two years,
but preferably with truck
crops, T, that require the
ground to be cultivated
more or less until mid-July
but not between August
first and October first, because that is the time when woody plants
must be allowed to slow down their growth and ripen their tissues to
withstand the Winter. The plants to avoid are those such as early
Potatoes that must be dug in August or September, because the soil
then gets stirred at the wrong time and the trees and shrubs may

Fig. 13.— Trouble ahead! Three Y crotches all
starting from one point. When bearing a heavy
fruit crop or loaded with ice a break is inevitable

36

HOME FRUIT GROWER

start to grow again or to con-
tinue growth so late they may

not ripen their wood before

Winter.

The prophesied history of

such an area will be about as

follows: The vegetables be-
tween the Strawberry plants

will be gone shortly after

Midsummer, those between

the tree and Brambleberry

rows by Fall. Similar crops

may be grown successfully

between these rows the second

season, but probably not later.

After the Strawberries have

borne the plants must be de-
stroyed. A partial crop of

Raspberries and Blackberries

may be secured the first season

if transplanted plants are set,

but not until the second if

tips, suckers and root-cutting

plants are set. Currants and

Gooseberries should bear a partial crop the second season. From

then until the sixth or eighth all these fruits should bear well, but by

that time the trees will be
needing the plant food
and the space, so the berry
plants must be removed
where they are beginning
to fail. By the tenth year
the trees should have all
the space. Some of the
.dwarf trees may have to
be removed between the
eighth and the twelfth
years where the standard
trees are crowding them.
Perhaps by the fifteenth
year the Peach trees will

Fig. 15.-The folly of allowing several branches to have failed' so they maV
start close together, especially on Plum trees be cut out. About the

Fig. 14. — Notice the strength of the crotches.

Not one of these branches will break because

no two pull against each other

LAYING OUT THE PLANTATION

37

same time, or perhaps earlier, the plums will have to go. The standard
Pear tree may remain until the twentieth year or even longer, the
Plum and the Apples for fifty or one hundred years !

TRANSPLANTING REQUISITES

When plants are to be transplanted the following rules will be
found helpful:

Prepare the soil well
beforehand either by pre-
vious cropping or by mak-
ing it mellow and rich
where each tree is to
stand.

Avoid mutilating the
roots as much as possible.

If dry when received
from the nursery soak for
a day or two — top as well
as root — in water.

Pare away broken
and bruised roots before
planting.

In digging the holes
place the good soil in one
pile and the lower or sub-
soil in another. When
planting, work the good
soil among the roots (Fig.
9), press down firmly by
tramping hard, and scatter
the poor soil on the sur-
face in a circle around the

y

Fig. 16. — When trees come from the nursery with

Y branches of equal size cut one back as shown

and a year or two later cut off the stub close to

the then enlarged trunk

tree.

Plant the trees an
inch or not more than
two inches deeper than
they stood in the nursery
as indicated by the different color of the trunk at the ground line.

After planting cut back the top severely, leaving only stubs of
branches or only buds where the frame limbs are wanted and removing
entirely all twigs where limbs are not wanted. Three to five are enough
to leave in any case (Fig. 10).

Make all cuts with a sharp knife close to the trunk or branch so as

38

HOME FRUIT GROWER

to leave no stub, and not
more than a quarter of
an inch above the buds
from which new shoots
are desired.

Avoid having
branches start close to^
gether (Figs. 11 and 13).
Have at least space enough
between each pair so the
hand may grasp the trunk
between them without
touching either (Fig. 14).
This will prevent splitting
of the branches from the
trunks in after years when
the trees are loaded with
fruit or ice (Fig. 15).

Fig. 17.— A wind-break on the right would have
prevented this distortion

When trees are received with two
branches of even development and in the
form of a Y, either cut one off entirely, or if
so doing would leave a large wound and pos-
sibly cause drying of the other parts, cut
to a stub as shown in Fig. 16 and a year
or two later remove this stub when the
remaining trunk is relatively larger.

In windy places stake the trees during
the first year (Fig. 17).

Never let trees be frozen while out of
the ground. This kills them. Bury their
roots and part of their trunks if they cannot
be planted at once or before frost.

Never place manure or fertilizer in con-
tact with roots. It "burns" and destroys them.

To prevent mouse injury to the trunks
during Winter keep the ground bare for at
least a yard away and make a mound of

Fig. 18. -Hardware cloth,

the surest protection against^

rabbits and mice

LAYING OUT THE PLANTATION

39

earth well packed down and about six
inches high around each trunk, or use a
galvanized hardware cloth or netting
protector. If made 24 or more inches
high it should prevent rabbit injuries
also (Fig. 18).

Never dig deeply near trees unless
it is desired to cut off the roots, and
never cultivate deeply around bushes
for the same reason.

Make the trunks short — 6 to 18
inches — to favor pruning, spraying,
thinning and gathering the fruit. Short

Fig. 19. — Long trunks are undesirable.
They are no longer in fashion

trunks and ample space be-
tween trees also favor wide
spreading and low heading
which means less damage by
wind (Fig. 11).

Long trunks are undesir-
able (Fig. 19).

Either before or immedi-
ately after the area is planted
make a plan showing the varie-
ty name and the location of each
plant. Then remove every label
wire from each specimen, for if
a wire or even a string is left it
may kill the parts of the tree
above, because of a constric-
tion which will form. (Fig. 20).

Fig. 20.— Notice the bulge at the base of the
center branch. A copper label wire was left
on the first year. Hence the branch blos-
somed the second season and died the
following Winter

40

CHAPTER IV

Home Orchards in the South

Home Orchard for the Coastal Plain Section —

For the Piedmont Region — Varieties Suited to

Each District

' TT 7ITH practically every variety of soil, combined with a long
W growing season, it is possible in the South to have a con-
tinuous supply of fresh fruit throughout a large part of the
year. Yet most people do without the good things that a home fruit
planting would afford, simply because they have never tried it out."
So writes Prof. W. N. Hutt, State Horticulturist of North Carolina,
in The Country Gentleman, by whose courtesy I am permitted to quote
the following paragraphs:

"There is a good deal in the variety question. Experience has
shown that while a few varieties may be grown pretty generally
over the country most kinds are local and show predilections for
certain soils and climatic conditions. These plant preferences have
been kept in mind as far as possible in preparing the accompanying
fruit lists for the Piedmont and the Coastal regions.

"I have submitted no plan for a home orchard in the mountain
regions, as the mountain territory of the South is confined to a
relatively small part of a few States. A high altitude in the South
assures the same cool climate as a Northern latitude. In places
above 2000 feet practically all the Northern classes and varieties of
fruit do as well as they do in the Northern States and in Canada.
Northern Spy, Wealthy, Spitzenberg and Snow Apples from the
high region of the South look as handsome and taste as good as fruit
of those varieties grown in the North. As the fruit of the home orchard
is for home use and local market, consideration is given only to varieties
of high quality rather than to those for shipping.

"Each of these home orchards is planned to occupy one acre
of ground, which is practically 210 feet square. The same collection
of fruit can, of course, be arranged in a rectangular lot, and changing
the square into an oblong will facilitate cultivation and save a good deal
of turning. The plans may be increased by the addition of extra
varieties desired, or used as minimum units to be doubled or trebled on
larger pieces of land. In all the fruit lists, the varieties are given in
order of ripening.

41

HOME FRUIT GROWER

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Fig. 22. — A plan of home orchard for the Coastal section of the South

"The plan of the home orchard for the Coastal Plain (Fig. 22)
section shows the following, the numbers corresponding to numbers
on the diagram:

HOME ORCHARD FOR THE COASTAL PLAIN SECTION

APPLES (24 Trees 40 by 40 feet)
1-2 Yellow Trans- 9-11 Magnum
parent Bonum

3-4 Early Harvest 12-14 Delicious
5-6 Red June 15-17 Stayman

7-8 Williams 18-20 Shockley

21-24 Winesap

PERSIMMONS (6 Trees 20 by 20 feet)
1-2 Tane-Nashi 3-4 Hyakume

5-6 Zengi

SOUR CHERRIES (5 Trees 20 by 20 feet)
1-2 May Duke 3-4 Early Richmond

5 Montmorency

BUNCH GRAPES (36 Vines 10 by 10 feet)
i- 6 Delaware 19-24 Brighton

7-12 Winchell 25-30 Niagara

13-18 Lutie 31-36 Concord

PEARS (6 Trees 20 by 20 feet)
1-2 Seckel 3-4 Le Conte

5-6 Kieffer

PEACHES (53 Trees between Apples)

i- 3 Mayflower
4- 6 Alexander
7-10 Greensboro
11-13 Arp

20-22 Connett
23-26 Carman
27-30 Hiley
31-36 Belle of
Georgia

37-42 Chinese Cling
43-53 Elberta

14-16 Triumph
17-19 Mamie Ross

PLUMS (n Trees 20 by 20 feet)
1-2 Red June 5-7 Climax

3-4 Abundance 8-9 Munson

10- 1 1 Damson

MUSCADINE GRAPES (9 Arbors 15 by 15 feet)
1-2 Thomas 5 Male Vine

3-4 Scuppernong 6-7 James

8-9 Flowers

FIGS
Celestial Brown Turkey

PECANS (50 by 50 feet)
Stuart Schley

HOME ORCHARDS IN THE SOUTH

43

HOME ORCHARD FOR
"The plan for an orchard in
for the following:

APPLES (30 Trees 35 by 35 feet)
I- 2 Yellow 13-15 Bonum

Transparent 16-17 Grimes
3- 4 Early Harvest 18-20 Delicious
5- 6 RedAstrachan 21-23 Stayman
7- 8 Red June 24-25 Paragon

o-io Williams 26-27 York

11-12 Buckingham Imperial

28-30 Winesap

PLUMS (8 Trees, 20 by 20 feet)
1-2 Red June 5-6 Climax

3-4 Abundance 7 Wild Goose

8 Damson

PEARS (8 Trees 20 by 20 feet)
1-2 Seckel 3-4 Kieffer

CURRANTS (15 Bushes 5 by 5 feet)
1-3 Cherry 8-10 White Grape

4-7 Fay 11-15 Pomona

BLACKBERRIES (15 Bushes 5 by 5 feet)

1-15 Early Harvest
DEWBERRIES (15 Bushes 5 by 5 feet)

1-15 Lucretia

RASPBERRIES (15 Bushes 5 by 5 feet)
1-15 Cuthbert

THE PIEDMONT SECTION

the Piedmont section (Fig. 23) calls

PEACHES (30 Trees, between Apples)
i- 2 Mayflower 15-16 St. John

3- 4 Alexander 17-18 Hiley

5- 6 Greensboro 19-20 Slappy

7- 8 Arp 21-22 Belle of Ga.

9-10 Triumph 23-24 ChineseCling

11-12 Mamie Ross 25-26 Elberta
13-14 Carman 27-28 Eaton

29-30 Salwey

CHERRIES (10 Trees 20 by 20 feet)
1-2 May Duke 5-6 Montmorency

3-4 Early Richmond 7-8 Napoleon

9-10 Black Tartarian
BUNCH GRAPES (48 Vines 10 by 10 feet)
1-6 Delaware 25-30 Lindley

7-12 Winchell 31*36 Niagara

13-18 Lutie 37-42 Concord

19-24 Brighton 43-48 Catawba

GOOSEBERRIES (15 Bushes 5 by 5 feet)
1-8 Houghton 9-15 Downing

STRAWBERRIES (2 Rows, 5 feet apart"
Plants 15 inches apart in Rows)
Klondike

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Fig. 23.— Plan of home orchard for the Piedmont section of the South

44 HOME FRUIT GROWER

"APPLES. For the Coastal section the kinds and varieties of
fruit have been selected with regard to their fitness for a sandy soil
and a long, hot, growing season. There are twenty-four Apples set
forty by forty feet, largely Summer and Fall sorts, with a few Winter
varieties that have shown themselves resistant to a cotton climate.

"PEACHES. Fifty-three Peach trees are set as fillers between the
Apple trees. The varieties are selected to give a continuous succession
from the last of May to about the middle of August. It has been
found by experience to be difficult and expensive to maintain a spray-
ing schedule that will keep late Peaches from rotting in the hot, moist
climate of the Coastal section.

"PEARS. Only a few Pears of the blight-resistant sorts are
recommended for the Coastal section. These must be watched for
blight just after the blooming season, and all wilted portions cut out.
If this is not done the blight will be found very destructive to the
fruiting twigs of the Apple trees. On account of their susceptibility
to blight it is practically impossible to raise any of the high-quality
European varieties of Pears in the South, and even the resistant Chinese
sorts must be kept growing slowly and the hold-over infection cut
out or the trees will soon die.

"PLUMS. The plums found best for the South are those of
Japanese origin. These have a higher resistance to brown rot than the
European sorts have. They are exceedingly productive, and in favor-
able years generally require thinning. Besides greatly increasing the
size of the fruit, thinning separates the fruits from one another and
thereby retards the spread of brown rot. Though of European origin,
the Damson variety produces in the South a vigorous long-lived
tree and small, firm fruits. Though much subject to curculio the
Damson is quite resistant to rot. It is the standard home variety for
jam-making.

"CHERRIES. Cherries, except the most resistant of the sour sorts,
are not recommended for planting in the Coastal region. They
require little or no pruning and are quite productive when kept well
sprayed.

"GRAPES. Grapes, both the bunch and the Muscadine types,
can be grown in the Coastal region, but the former only by the most
thorough spraying to protect the fruit from black rot. The Muscadines
are native to the South and have developed a high degree of immunity
to insects and fungous diseases. They are immensely productive and
give unfailing crops of fruit, even when neglected. However, they
respond to good care in increased quality and quantity of fruit. All
the common varieties of Muscadines, like many varieties of Strawberries,
have been found to be self-sterile. To insure thorough fertilization

HOME ORCHARDS IN THE SOUTH 45

it is well to plant male vines for pollinators rather than to depend
upon fertilization from wild vines.

"Muscadines are commonly grown throughout the South on arbors.
This necessitates the extending of the arbor as the vine grows in
length or becomes choked with dead wood. Experiments with this
class of vines have shown that more and finer fruit can be obtained by
training on upright trellises like bunch Grapes. As they are rampant,
vigorous growers, they need more room than bunch Grapes and are
best trained by the six-arm Kniffin system. One whole arm is cut
out each season and a new shoot allowed to take its place. This
gives a complete renewal of the vine every six years, and insures a
constant supply and vigorous shoots. Vines handled in this way
are a marvel of fruitfulness, the canes at fruiting time looking solid
ropes of fruit.

"PERSIMMONS. Japanese Persimmons grow to perfection in the
Coastal section. The trees are dwarf growers and may be set twenty
feet apart. Tane-Nashi, a seedless sort, is the best of all yellow-
fleshed varieties. The fruit ripens long before frost, thus refuting
the old idea that Persimmons must be frozen to get the pucker out of
them. Tane-Nashi is one of the few varieties that will carry its fruit
to maturity without pollination. The dark-fleshed varieties, Zengi
and Hyakume, are not astringent and may be eaten while still hard.
When pollinated the fruits will carry to maturity and not drop off as
so many Persimmons do when partially grown.

"FIGS. Figs do not do well in the orchard, where their tender,
surface-feeding roots are injured by cultivation. They give their
best results in sheltered corners about buildings, where their roots are
undisturbed and can obtain a constant supply of moisture. The Fig is a
very productive fruit if it is assured of a continuous supply of moisture.
For this reason the bushes do best if heavily mulched. In long droughts
they should be watered with a hose. In the far South the Fig can
be grown as a tree, but toward its Northern range, in the Carolinas
and in Virginia, where it is sometimes subjected to heavy freezing,
it is safest grown in bush form.

"PECANS. It would be hard to find a more satisfactory tree for
the Coastal South than the Pecan. Those who were far-sighted
enough to plant suitable varieties of Pecans a decade or so ago are
reaping a rich harvest today. As the Pecan is long-lived and of
stalwart growth, it needs too much land to grow in the acre home
orchard. However, these very characteristics make it an ideal tree
for lawn and dooryard planting. It makes a tall, beautiful, symmetrical
growth that is equaled by few shade trees, and in nut production it
has no competitor.

46

HOME FRUIT GROWER

"Pecans, like other nut trees, will not come true from seed, and
seedb'ng trees have, as a rule, been found very disappointing. The
only way to be sure of productive, thin-shelled, full-meated varieties
is to plant grafted or budded trees of the right sorts. Stuart and
Schley are two varieties that have been found to give good results
throughout the Coastal region. The Pecan will grow on a variety
of soils and can be counted on to give good results where corn and cotton
can be grown. Contrary to general opinion the Pecan tree cannot be
successfully grown on sour or swampy land, though it is not injured by
overflow, provided the soil has good natural drainage during the growing
season. Pecans if given good care will come into bearing in about the
same time as Apple trees.

"As the Piedmont region is characterized by rolling, hilly land,
the orchard for that section is planned on the hexagonal system for
Apples and Peaches. This allows for better fitting in of the trees in
terrace rows."

Chaining or wiring the broken arms of a tree is
one of the wrong ways to mend Y crotches.

CHAPTER V

Buying the Plants

Nurserymen's Reliability — What and Where to Buy — Spring vs. Fall
Planting — Time to Order

LONG experience and wide observation prompt me to say that
the nurseryman is the backbone of the stock he sells; and that
the number of upright nurserymen is legion. I have a con-
siderable acquaintance among nurserymen, but I don't know one
whose reputation for square dealing I can call in question. In all my
dealing with nurseries I have invariably been well treated.

This statement I make in simple justice to a maligned body
of men the nature of whose business I know from personal contact
to be peculiarly exacting, liable to carping criticism and to whose
splendid work the whole continent owes a debt of gratitude which
can never be repaid, for the introduction and dissemination of new and
superior as well as staple fruits and ornamental plants.

I therefore say to any reader hesitating to plant certain varieties
of fruits: Consult several nurserymen, more particularly those whose
plantations are comparatively near-by. If there are none within easy
reach go farther, to the large ones. These men will always gladly give
advice as to the kind of stock to purchase, when to buy, etc. In
general, however, on points such as these it is well to know the under-
lying principles, for nurserymen like the rest of us are pretty much
"sot in their ways" and may therefore unduly emphasize some pet
theory and disagree with one another.

The question of the locality — North or South — from which to
buy stock may be dismissed by saying that while in theory a tree
grown in the North should do best in the North and nice versa,
experience shows that well-grown, well-ripened stock from the South,
properly handled, does fully as well as Northern grown, and stock from
the North equally well in the South. Such a statement, however,
must not be allowed to dispel the other advantages of buying near
home; namely, smaller freight bills, less drying of stock in transit,
interest of the local nurseryman, etc.

The youth of the stock is highly important. Blackberry and Red
Raspberry plants should be one-season "suckers" or "root cuttings,"
Black Raspberry and Dewberry one-season "tips" or in any of these
cases older "transplants," the latter preferred because sturdier and
likely to bear sooner. Strawberries may be pot-grown for sale during

47

Fig. 24. — Old-fashioned garden of fruits, flowers and vegetables. Isn't it "homey"

looking ?

• ;

BUYING THE PLANTS

49

Midsummer and early Fall, or freshly dug one-season "runner" plants
for Spring setting. Currants and Gooseberries are usually sold as two-
year plants grown from cuttings, though sometimes one- year and three-
year plants are called for. The last, unless root pruned or transplanted,
are less desirable than younger plants.

In the South "June-budded" tree fruits are popular. The buds
of desired varieties set in June grow the same season and the trees may
be planted that Autumn — five months after the operation — or the
following Spring. In the North such trees are imported from Southern

Fig. 25. — Short trunks and wide spreading branches favor strength and admission of
light, hence finer and better colored fruit

nurseries for Spring but not for Fall planting. In the North, however,
Northern grown trees are more in demand. The buds set in late
Summer do not start to grow until the following Spring and they do
not make salable trees until about fourteen months after the budding
has been done. If fully mature they may be set in the Fall, otherwise
not until the Spring — eighteen or nineteen months after being budded.
In all cases, even though there may be an actual difference of twelve
months, the trees are called "one-year" or "two-year," etc.
. There is no difference of opinion as to the age at which Peach trees

50

HOME FRUIT GROWER

BUYING THE PIANTS

51

do best when set. They should never be older than "one year." With
Apples, Pears, Plums, Cherries, Oranges, Lemons, Nuts, and other
trees, practically all fruit growers prefer two-year trees to older ones
and a steadily increasing number favor one- year trees. Such trees
cost less to buy and to ship. None but thrifty ones are salable at that
age — a very important point. They may be headed just where
desired (Fig. 14), whereas older ones cannot, having already formed
their heads — a specially important point where low heads are desired,
as they should be. Also young trees transplant far easier and better
than do older trees.

Except as specified below, the argument of some nursery agents
that trees older than two years will bear sooner than young ones is

Fig. 27. — Heeling-in trees either for holding over Winter or until planting time is easily
done by burying the roots and part or even all of the trunks

not sufficiently supported by the experience of practical fruit growers
to be accepted. The exception is in the case of trees which are syste-
matically root pruned while still standing in the nursery row. But
such trees necessarily cost much more than does ordinary nursery stock,
so they are in a class by themselves.

Spring vs. Fall planting is a moot point. The three main advan-
tages of Fall planting are: 1, Probability of getting the desired
varieties; 2, the trees being planted in the Autumn, growth may
begin as soon as Spring opens; 3, the work being done in the Fall
does not interfere with the Spring rush. On the other hand nursery-
men may be tempted to dig before the trees are "ripe" ; that is, before
the leaves fall naturally. This is always a mistake which often proves

5.

Fig. 27a

1. Digging the trench 2, Putting shrubs in trench

Putting soil on roots of shrubs in 4. Tramping soil over roots in trench

6. Digging up for planting the

trench
Heeled-in shrubs in trench

heeled-in shrubs

52

BUYING THE PLANTS 53

fatal. Leaves must not be clipped or pulled, but allowed to fall
naturally before the trees are dug. Another objection to Fall planting
is that the roots may not get a good hold on the soil before Winter
sets in. But where at least three weeks open weather can be counted
upon before Winter this objection has little weight. Trees received in
Fall but too late for planting may be heeled in as shown in Figure 27.

As to advantages in favor of Spring planting, the trees if freshly
dug should be in prime condition. They certainly will not be as
subject to Winter injury as Fall set trees the first Winter after setting.
Against this advantage are the disadvantages noted above and the
probability that planting will be delayed until too late to secure
favorable conditions of growth.

I have always had excellent success in Fall planting fully matured
fruit-trees, Currants and Gooseberries. Raspberries and their kin I have
never planted in the Fall because a neighbor's experience with that
practice taught me the lesson not to do it. He lost from 15 to 100 per
cent, of the various varieties Fall planted. I know some growers favor
planting Blackberries and Red Raspberries in the Fall, but not Dew-
berries or Black Raspberries. It is safer, in my opinion, to wait
until Spring for all of them.

The best size and grade of trees to buy is always the medium one,
four feet for a one-year, and five to six feet for two-year trees. It is as
important to avoid the burly, overgrown ones as the runts. Both are
likely to make inferior trees after transplanting.

The price to pay should always be a liberal one — the one a first-
class nurseryman should get for first-class stock. Nothing is to be
gained and much may be lost by hunting up cheap stock. It is
usually better to deal direct with a first-class nursery or with its duly
certified, preferably resident agent than with the itinerant tree pedlar.
While the former often ask high prices their reputation for square
dealing is at stake, whereas the latter has nothing to lose. It is well
to have several catalogs to choose among because certain nurseries
offer better stock or better prices on certain specialties.

Order early — the earlier the better. One of the surest ways
to court disappointment is to make delays, for thereby the desired
varieties may have been "sold out," none but older trees, larger or
smaller sizes may be left, the nurseryman will probably be so swamped
with orders that late ones cannot be reached while planting conditions
are favorable, there may also be delays in transportation, etc. There-
fore, be warned ! Order early ! Were it not for the fact that nurseries
are swamped with orders at the last minute, this suggestion would
seem superfluous. The nursery will hold your shipment till the proper
time to ship.

CHAPTER VI

Soil, Fertilizers, Situations, Cover Crops

Manures and Fertilizers — Situation for Fruit Plantations —
Averting Danger of Frost Damage — Green Manures

FOR the home fruit plantation perhaps the great majority of
people have only Hobson's choice as to soil — they must be

content with what they have. There's no use wishing for the
ideal — well-drained, mellow, deep, fertile loam — because even where
there is a chance to choose, such a combination of conditions is about
as common as hen's teeth. What can and should be done is to work
towards the ideal by rational management of the soil, beginning with
what good conditions are already present and making improvements
from year to year.

In many cases the planter will be forced to start with a true soil
strewn with builders' rubbish — mortar, concrete, bricks, stone, shav-
ings, pieces of wood and other junk — buried under several inches of
"subsoil" from the cellar excavation. This is about as discouraging a
combination of untoward conditions as could be planned. Several
years may be necessary to make such "dirt" acceptable to Strawberries.
For bush and tree fruits about the quickest thing to do in such cases
where the whole area cannot be worked over, is to dig holes deep enough
to reach below any "hard pan" or impervious layer as suggested below.

Where such unfavorable conditions do not exist soils may gen-
erally be greatly improved by deep stirring, not by bringing the sub-
soil to the surface but by using a subsoiler (sometimes called a subsoil
plow) which merely breaks the hard ground below the lowest point
which can be reached by the true plow. When neither plow nor sub-
soiler can be used the spade is the next best tool. To get best results
with this the area should be trenched as follows:

Dig a strip, say afoot wide across one end of the area to be planted,
and wheel this earth to the farther end. Next spread old manure,
bone meal or other general fertilizer in the bottom of the trench, dig
this earth, break it up and mix the manure with it to the full depth of
the spade blade, thus making the bottom of the dug layer two "spits"
or spade blades deep. Now start on the second strip across the area,
throwing the earth upon the top of the loosened and enriched subsoil.
Next add manure and dig the lower stratum just laid bare. And so on
till the whole area is dug and trenched. Finally fill in the last trench
with the soil wheeled from the first one.

54

SOIL, FERTILIZERS, SITUATIONS

55

As this method means
a lot of work it may not
appeal to the planter,
even though it is recog-
nized as one of the best of
garden practices. Most
of the good effect of it
may be secured as follows:
Dig out and throw in a
pile the surface soil in a
circle around the place
where a bush or a plant
is to be set — say five feet
diameter for a tree, two

feet for Currant and Gooseberry bushes and a trench, say fifteen to
eighteen inches wide, for Raspberries and Blackberries. Next dig out
and throw in a different pile the subsoil to the depth of six to twelve
inches. Now throw in a liberal shovelful of well-decayed manure
and any available old bones. Next shovel in the surface soil, adding
ground bone, etc. In this soil set the tree or shrub and use other
surface soil to fill the hole. Finally scatter the pile of subsoil thinly
upon the surface, or place on top of the filled-in surface soil around
the trees. Some of the most satisfactory results I have ever had in
planting have been secured in this way

Fig. 28. — How easy to prune and gather fruit from
low-headed trees

FERTILIZERS

Under ordinary garden conditions where vegetables and small
fruits are grown among the trees it is not likely that the trees will
suffer seriously from over-feeding, so even fresh manure may be applied
rather freely in the Spring or late in the Fall. This is not advisable,
especially with the Peach and the Grape, where no other crop is grown
to take care of any excess plant food that may be present. The
"richness" of manure depends mainly upon the nitrogenous materials
present^ The most conspicuous functions of this material are to
make sturdy growth of twigs, large dark-green leaves and when in excess
to delay, reduce or prevent fruitfulness. Moreover, the long sappy
growths often induced by excess of nitrogen are almost sure to suffer
from frost during Winter. Care must therefore be exercised to avoid
giving too much manure to bush and tree fruits. Should the growth
of the twigs be decidedly inferior and the leaves small and their color
a sickly yellowish instead of a healthy green, manure should be added.
The best time to apply it is in early Spring.

56

HOME FRUIT GROWER

No fear need be entertained as to the application of wood ashes,
ground bone and other general fertilizers at any time. Dried blood,
tankage and fish scrap are also good but should be applied in Spring,
because the nitrogen they contain will thus have the best chance to
perform its function with the least possible loss. Nitrate of soda
is seldom needed for tree or bush fruits. When it is used it should be
applied only after growth starts in Spring, never later than mid-Spring,
because it is the most stimulating of all fertilizers and its effects should
all be confined to the early part of the season.

As far as possible
every particle of material
that will decay — leaves
stems, garbage, etc —
should be saved to make
"plant food" and if not
fed to poultry or other
animals, made into com-
post with sods, manure
and any slowly soluble
commercial fertilizer, such
as ground bone, wood
ashes and tankage. Bones,
whether ground or not,
are very valuable for bury-
ing beneath grape vines,
trees and bushes. Surplus
mice, rats, cats, dogs,
horses, elephants and
mastodons may thus
similarly be made to give
better accounts of them-
selves than by polluting
food, making night
hideous or jostling us
humans too much. One
of my neighbors paid
$1.50 for a seven-foot
shark, which he cut up
and buried in his small

fruit plantation. This is

Fig. 29. -Keep the ground bare around young trees, th j useful
though cover crops are growing thickly just J

beyond the circle have heard Of.

SOIL, FERTILIZERS, SITUATIONS

57

Fig. 30. — A stub is a menace to the
life of the tree

SITUATION FOR FRUIT PLANTATIONS

Where only one piece of land is
available for a fruit plantation, the
trees susceptible to frost injury, espe-
cially as to buds — Peach, Japanese
Plum, Almond, Apricot — should be
placed where they will be retarded as
much as possible in Spring. The best
position for them is the north side of
a building, a wall or a northern slope;
the worst, an eastern, south-eastern, a
southern slope or near a wall facing
in these directions. The reason is that
the northerly and westerly are the
retarding aspects; whereas the southerly
and easterly are the accelerating ones.
Buds are sure to be injured by frost in
the latter situations because they are
encouraged to swell prematurely. In
a less degree the same remark is true
of most other early blooming tree and
bush fruits. Currants and Gooseberries

are exceptions. For them the steam does not have to be turned on to
make the place warm enough to dress in ! They are often in leaf
when the last snow falls.

Where the land is pockety or low it is often unsafe to set early
blooming fruit plants, because such situations are generally frosty
from the settling of cold air in them. Conversely, elevated situations
are much more safe as a rule, because the cold air drains away just
as water does. In one case I know well there is a fall of five or
six feet from the front to the back of a 140-foot lot and a valley about
75 feet deep in the rear and deepening farther away. The air drainage
thus provided helped perishable plants such as Lima Beans, Dahlias
and Cannas to live until late October, whereas only a few hundred yards
away they were killed a month earlier. Where an elevation such as
this can be secured it is therefore an asset. What is true of Autumn is
also true of Spring in this respect.

Nearness to a large body of water also has its influence upon fruit
growing. The lot mentioned above is about half a mile from a bay on
Long Island Sound. The cold breezes in Spring help to retard bud
swelling and the warm ones in Fall help to extend the season. Only a
couple of miles away the influence of the water is nil. There the

58

HOME FRUIT GROWER

season opens a week or more earlier and killing frosts occur four or five
weeks earlier in Autumn.

COVER CROPS

In home fruit growing as in commercial practice many advantages
may be gained by sowing certain kinds of crops not to be harvested,
gathered for family use or for live stock, but solely to benefit the
trees. Cover crops, as these are called, since they are sown between
Midsummer and early Fall to cover the soil from then until Spring,
perform various functions. They protect the soil on slopes from
being washed by rains. Because of the time they are sown they seize
upon already soluble plant food that might otherwise be lost during
Autumn or Winter in the drainage, or be washed over the land by
rains and melting snow. They return this food, together with their
own tops and roots, when they decay, after being plowed under in the
Spring. When they decay they also increase the water holding
capacity of the soil.

When Crimson Clover, Hairy Vetch and other legumes are grown
much nitrogenous material is added to the soil, because through the
aid of certain bacteria these plants have the ability to utilize nitrogen
contained in the air.

Land protected by cover crops is slower to freeze in the Fall,
the freezing is shallower than on uncovered land and the thawing in
Spring is quicker in consequence. Hence also roots of tree and bush
fruits are less injured by the effects of Winter-heaving and settling.

By adding vegetable matter
through the decay of cover crops,
clayey soils become easier to work and
may be worked earlier in the Spring,
sooner after rains and during a longer
period; moreover, their tendency to dry
and bake is lessened and their water-
holding capacity increased. In all cases
where the physical condition of the
soil is improved the tree roots can
penetrate farther in search of food and
water and thus insure better growth,
health and productivity of the fruit
plants.

About the only disadvantage in
using cover crops, more especially the
legumes, to excess is that the soil may
become so filled with moisture-holding

Fig. 31.— Well made cuts,
stubs left

No

SOIL, FERTILIZERS, SITUATIONS

Fig. 32. — Wrong way to cut a branch — leaves a
stub which will never heal over

and nitrogenous material
that, especially towards
the close of the Summer,
tree growth may not be
checked early enough in
the Fall to favor the
highest quality of fruit or
the best ripening of the
wood. In the latter case
more or less injury by
frost may occur as a conse-
quence of the sappy
growth. Such conditions,
however, are compara-
tively rare. When they
seem to be imminent in
either case mentioned they
may be prevented by sow-
ing crops that will compete with the trees for the food and moisture;
for instance, Buckwheat, Rye, Rape, Turnip and Millet.

Whatever cover crop is sown it must be turned under in Spring
as soon as the ground can be plowed or dug. If possible it should not
be allowed to grow at all in Spring, because by so doing it will rob the
soil of moisture and plant-food at a time when no such thing should
occur. The longer it is allowed to grow at that time the more slowly
will the stems decay, because they form a rather impervious layer of
dryish material through which moisture can with difficulty ascend to
the upper soil. For the same reason the later the plowing is done
the more damage will occur to the trees through the unnecessarily late
loss of feeding roots. Such a loss while the trees are perhaps in full
leaf is serious. It may produce a pronounced check in growth at
the wrong time of year and by a wrong method. Any loss that may
occur when early plowing is done is of little or no consequence, because
it comes at a time when the trees have scarcely begun active growth
and when such losses are most easily made good by the easy develop-
ment of new-feeding rootlets.

To be ideal a cover crop should be capable of starting well from
seed sown when the soil is dry, as in July or August. It should grow
quickly and abundantly so as to check tree growth in late Summer
or early Fall and form a heavy mat of herbage before Winter sets
in. Whether or not it should live over Winter is a disputed point;
some men want it to live; others to die. When it dies there
is no danger of its doing any damage to the trees, as might

60

HOME FRUIT GROWER

be the case if il lived and was allowed to grow too late in the
Spring.

Obviously, all the advantages just mentioned cannot be found in
one crop. So it is advisable to make combinations. Buckwheat
(Fig. 98) starts quickly, makes rapid growth, but kills with early Fall
frosts. Rye is slower to start but it is hardy. The two are there-
fore sown together. However, they add no nitrogen to the soil,
merely seize upon what soluble plant food happens to be available.
Hairy or Winter Vetch, a hardy legume, is often sown with Rye or
the Rye-Ruckwheat combination. Canada Field Peas are often
substituted for the Vetch, but are less hardy. Crimson Clover sown
in Midsummer usually makes an excellent crop on good land before

Winter. In cold localities it may Win-
ter-kill but it will leave its dead tops
and roots to benefit the soil. Common
and cowhorn Turnips and Dwarf Essex
Rape are useful for their influence in
making soluble phosphoric acid from
insoluble combinations, in seizing upon
already soluble plant food in the soil
and holding these materials over Win-
ter. For the home orchard therefore a
combination of some or all of these
crops may be used. In the South Cow
Pea, Soy Rean, Velvet Rean and Crimson
Clover are more generally used than
in the North.

In the home garden it may be
argued that the land is occupied by
garden or other crops as well as the trees and that, therefore,
a cover crop cannot be sown until too late. It is then a question
of making a rearrangement of crops so that the area may be
sown with a Winter cover. For instance, Crimson Clover, Rye and
Ruckwheat may be sown at the usual time or perhaps even later
among Tomatoes, Sweet Corn, Melons, Cucumbers and other crops
killed by early frosts. It will do little if any damage to these crops
and will more than offset this by its humus and nitrogenous-forming
material. Rye and Ruckwheat may be similarly sown. Since the
cost of seed is usually small the idea should be to accept the risk
for the probable gain. The importance of such sowing is far too little
understood. Anything that will grow during the cool, or even cold,
Autumn weather should be sown. For every leaf and stem produced
and buried means a gain to the water-holding power of the soil.

Fig. 33. -Well healed pruning
wound. Water sprouts

CHAPTER VII

Summer Care of Plantation

Advantages of Glean Cultivation — Pruning — Rejuvenating Neglected
Trees — Grafting and Budding — Thinning the Fruit

CLEAN cultivation, starting as soon as the ground can be worked
in Spring and continuing until Midsummer and then followed
by a cover crop, is the almost universal practice of successful

fruit growers. Cul- , .

tivation has the advan-
tages that it conserves
moisture, makes plant
food available, helps to
control certain insects,
prevents damage to tree
trunks by mice, enhances
the quality and increases
the quantity of fruit, con-
trols weeds and permits
the use of a leguminous
cover crop from which all
the nitrogen that fruit
plants will need can be
secured.

Fig. 34.— Right and wrong ways to cut twigs. A,

right; B, too long a slant; C, too long a stub; D,

too close to bud

Fig. 35.— Right place
to cut limb

All the cultivation that a young fruit plan-
tation needs may be given to vegetable crops
planted between the tree rows. When crops
such as Melons and Tomatoes,- that either
mature by late Summer or are killed by early
frosts, are used the cover crop may be sown
among them at the usual time without in the
least jeopardizing the vegetable yields. It is
imperative, however that the cover crop be
plowed or dug at the earliest possible moment
in Spring, preferably before it starts to grow.
When the fruit plants begin to bear the area de-
voted to vegetables must be reduced, both be-
cause the vegetable yields will be smaller and
because the fruit plants need the food and water.
When the trees and bushes are in full bearing
the growing of vegetables may be reduced to

61

HOME FRUIT GROWER

nothing. Everything,
however, depends on the
way the grower manages

PRUNING

If people who plant

fruit knew and applied a

few general principles their

trees would probably be-
gin to bear younger, con-
tinue longer and produce

better fruit year in and

year out. The bushes

take care of themselves

fairly well, even under

neglect, but the trees !

Unfortunately, they are

either allowed to shift for

themselves or they are

"pruned to death." Which

extreme is the worse

would be hard to say.

And yet good management

is not difficult when the
funda-
mental
principles
are un-
derstood.
But be-
fore any of the principles are applied let this axiom
become part of your being: Better the watchful eye
than the active saw! It will see prospective un-
desirable developments and prevent the necessity of
using the saw in later years.

While standard trees are young — up to the
fourth or fifth year — about the only pruning neces-
sary after the orchard has started should be the re-
moval of branches that will sooner or later interfere
,1 f»^ with the ones desired, and the more or less shorten-

ir- ing of rampant branches that threaten to rob the

others of food, light and air. The less pruning done
during this time the better, because the removal of t

X

Fig. 36.— When a stub is left where a large branch

is cut off decay enters and the tree is doomed. This

tree is still living but may break any day. Notice

the Raspberry plant growing in the cavity

Fig. 37. -Pear
fruit spurs

SUMMER CARE OF PLANTATION

Fig. 38. — Sweet Cherry blossoms near the base of
last season's growth

the little twigs that form on the young
trees. These show that the trees are get-
ting ready to bear fruit, for they will
become fruit spurs.

Summer pruning tends to favor bud
formation for the following season's fruit
(see page 78).

When pruning or shortening twigs use
a sharp knife (Fig. 34 A), placing the blade
on the opposite side and just even with
the base of the uppermost bud to remain.
Then make an oblique cut so the upper
edge will be about a quarter of an inch
above this bud. Thus healing will be
favored. If the cut is made too long or
too slanting the bud will suffer or die, and
if a stub is left above the bud it will die
back to the bud and proper healing will
be actually prevented. (See Fig. 34C.)

wood during the dormant
season tends to the pro-
duction of still more wood.
Thus, severe pruning dur-
ing Winter may postpone
fruit bearing — perhaps in-
definitely, if annually per-
sisted in.

Whenever a branch
must be cut off make the
wound as close to the part
that is to remain as pos-
sible (Fig. 31) so there
will be neither a stub
(Fig. 30) nor even a
shoulder (Fig. 32). This
favors healing (Fig. 33).
When a stub is left (Figs.
30, 32) decay is sure to
follow sooner or later as
shown in Fig. 36.

On Apples, Pears,
Cherries and Plums be
sure to save and encourage

Fig. 39. -Cluster buds of
Apple

64

HOME FRUIT GROWER

Fig. 40. — Plums bear their blossoms partly on spurs

cause maturing a fruit is an exhaustive
process the direction of growth changes
each year and fruit is borne on each
spur usually only each alternate year.
With age the spurs (Fig. 37) often
become very gnarled and crooked. If
healthy and sturdy, however, they may
be as productive as young spurs.

Cherries bear much of their fruit
on spurs (Figs. 38, 41), but because the
terminal bud generally extends the twig
the spurs are more or less straight.
Most of the other buds on the spurs
produce blossoms, though one now and
then may develop a branch spur.
Blossom buds are also borne near the
base of the annual growths of the prej<
vious year.

Intelligent pruning of
trees in bearing depends
on the method of bud-
bearing peculiar to each
species. Blossom buds are
rounder and plumper than
branch or wood buds.
Apples and Pears bear
most of their blossoms at
the tips of "spurs," in
clusters surrounded by
leaves (Fig. 39). Some
may come on the sides of
twigs produced the year
before. Because of this
terminal feature and be-

Fie. 41. — Sour Cherry bloom

SUMMER CARE OF PLANTATION

65

The Plum (Fig. 40) and the Apricot bear
their blossom buds partly on spurs and partly
on young growths, but in more varying propor-
tions than with the Cherry.

The Peach is different. It produces some
blossoms on wiry growths in the interior and on
the lower parts of branches, but these growths
live only a few years. By far the largest part of
the blossoms are borne beside branch buds on
growths of the previous season (Fig. 42). They
can be easily recognized, first because of their
position and second because of their roundness.
Normally a blossom bud is on each side of a
wood bud.

Never prune or break off spurs unless there
are too many or they are failing, because a spur
removed is gone forever. On the other hand,
always cut back Peach twigs severely — often 50
to 75 per cent. Unless you do the tree will extend
farther and farther out and become more and
more likely to breakage each year because of the
increased leverage. Again, such cutting will also
concentrate the fruit-bearing area in the reduced

Fig. 43.— Quince flowers are always terminal on

twigs of this year's growth. Notice mummy of

last year's fruit

Fig. 42:-Peach bios-
soms as normally borne

space and thus also re-
duce the amount of thin-
ning of the fruit that
must be done in Mid-
summer.

The Quince is dif-
ferent again. It bears its-
blossoms at the ends of
new growths that spring
from buds that have win-
tered over (Fig. 43).

66

HOME FRUIT GROWER

Pruning for fruit, therefore, consists in keeping the tops fairly open and
reducing both the number of annual growths and shortening the
remaining ones a third to a half.

REJUVENATING NEGLECTED TREES

Often neglected trees may be made fruitful in a shorter time
than newly set ones could be. Naturally the younger the trees to
be worked over the better, but vigor is of more importance than
age. Apple trees 50 to 100 years old are often well worth the work
put upon them. Never mind how much dead wood there may be.

It may have died merely
for lack of light and air or
because of insects and dis-
ease. Notice the young
growths, particularly of
the suckers at the base
of the trunk and the water
sprouts higher up (Fig.
44). If abundant and
sturdy they show that the
roots are all right. Such
trees are generally easiest
to renovate.

In all work when-
ever a large branch must
Fig. 44.— Water sprouts and suckers in abundance be cut off always make
indicate vigorous roots a cut from below upward

a foot or more away from

its attachment to the main limb or trunk. When the saw sticks
pull it out and make a second cut from above at the same point.
Soon the branch will drop off. Now cut off the stub close to the main
trunk or limb that is to remain. This method will prevent splitting
or tearing of the trunk due to leverage as the branch breaks.

Renovation should start with the removal of the dead wood;
next the diseased and dying. Often this is all that dare be taken
out the first season, because so much light may enter that damage
may occur to the branches hitherto kept in dense shade. Always
delay cutting off the water sprouts until the last. Indeed, it may
often be postponed until the following season, when the decidedly
inferior may be removed, leaving the better placed ones to form new
branches where old ones must be replaced.

Often the tops are too high. They may be lowered, but be carez

SUMMER CARE OF PLANTATION

67

Fig. 45,— A neglected tree
before pruning. It has
much dead and dying
wood due to dense shade,
caused by very leafy small
branches in the top. This
leafiness has also encour-
aged excessive elongation
of the branches in the
upper part of the tree.
As a result the top is too
hard to reach in spraying,
thinning, harvesting and
pruning. 1 he general
form of the tree is good

Fig. 46. — After pruning
the tree shown in Fig. 45.
Notice how open it looks
after the removal of the
dead and diseased wood ;
also how much lower it
is now that the top has
been cut back

Fig. 47. — The same speci-
men as in Fig. 45 the
Summer following. If you
did not know of the
pruning as shown in
Fig. 46, would you think
this tree other than
"natural" ? In a couple
of years the little irregu-
larity at the right will
disappear and the tree be
very symmetrical as well
as low headed

HOME FRUIT GROWER

ful ! Do it intelligently.
When few or no water
sprouts are available fairly
low down cut the upper
parts back severely so as
to force new growths of
water sprouts. Rut avoid
making one big cut to
accomplish this result.
Remove many small
branches instead.

When the top is high
and thin, but when there
are good well-placed water
sprouts, low down, a much

Fig. 49. — Ordinary heavy

pruning knife and one with

removable blades

Fig. 48.— New branches developed by "dehorned"
Peach tree

larger amount of wood — perhaps even large
branches — may be cut out.

Trees with fairly good but too high
tops should be lowered gradually — during
three to five years — so as not to upset the
bearing habit but at the same time to de-
velop lower heads. (Fig. 45.)

Often Winter injured Peach trees may
be saved by severely cutting back the
tops and thus concentrating the available
food. Also old, tall and widely spread-
ing ones may be rejuvenated by dehorning
(Fig. 48).

Except where cuts are more than two
inches in diameter, painting the wounds will
be unnecessary as healing will be quick.
For large wounds pure white lead in pure
linseed oil is generally recommended, but
creosote properly applied is probably better,
since it is antiseptic and more lasting in its
effects. It positively must not be allowed to
touch the young wood or the young bark. The
only safe part to touch is the heart wood,
but even this must not be too liberally
creosoted. The brush must be "wrung out"
so there will be no drop to ooze down upon
the growing parts— just a thin, thin covering
over the heart wood. It will soak in and

SUMMER CARE OF PLANTATION

69

prevent the entrance of decay. Very
large wounds — four or more inches in
diameter — should be re-creosoted each
year until healed over.

The kinds of tools needed will
depend upon the character of pruning
to be done. For pruning berry bushes
the stout, single hand shears (Fig. 51) is
the best tool. Sometimes the double
handed shears (Fig. 52) is of service in
cutting thick and dense canes. These
two tools are also useful in pruning
fruit trees, though for use upon dwarf

Fig. 50.— Wrong way to hold
shears

trees the knife (Fig. 49), if used only
when sharp, will make a better job.

When necessary to remove limbs
too large for either style of shears
the saw is needed. The best style
(Fig. 53-1, 2) resembles a meat saw but
has a swivel at each end so the blade
may be turned at any angle — a very
great convenience in sawing where
other branches would interfere with
ordinary saws. This swivel saw does
excellent work where the branches are
not more than two or three inches in
diameter. For larger ones a rather

Fig. 52. — Neglected Currant bush after pruning

Fig. 51.— Right way to hold shears
blade toward part to be left

heavy, long but narrow-
bladed saw is best (Fig.
53-6). Positively the worst
saw is the double-edged
horror which until recently
has had perhaps the
greatest sale. Not con-
tent with making poor
cuts, it is prone to gash
parts of the tree that
should not be wounded
and, viper-like, lacerate the

70

HOME FRUIT GROWER

hand that guides it!
Shun it.

The pole primer
has very limited use
— the shortening of
branches that cannot
be reached by better
tools. It cannot be
made to do good
work, so the less it is
used the better.

GRAFTING AND
BUDDING

For curiosity's
sake and for conven-
ience it is a good thing
to know how to graft
and bud, for thus
seedling or worthless
trees may be made
useful and single trees
made to produce sev-
eral varieties. The
term "stock" is ap-
plied to the part of
the tree in or upon
which the "scion" or
"bud" from the de-
sired variety is placed.
The most popular
methods are so simple
that anyone may be
successful, provided the conditions are fulfilled. These are:

1. Select trees of the same species. Any Apple will grow on any
other Apple; Pear on Pear and so on. In a few cases different species
may be made to succeed 'on each other; as Pear on Quince, Plum on
Peach, but not Quince on Pear nor Apple on Plum.

2. Do the work at the proper time — when the bark will separate
easily from the wood. For the grafting method described on page 71,
this is shortly after growth starts in Spring; for the budding method,
usually during late May or early June in the South and from

Fig. 53. — Various styles of pruning saws. 1 and 2, Good
swivel blade types. 3, Poor hand grip, otherwise a good
saw. 4, Common, fine-toothed saw, good for narrow
quarters. 5, Double blade with upper teeth filed off
to avoid damage. 6, Weak handled, but otherwise good
saw. 7, Cuts only when pulled, often tears the branch
instead of finishing the cut properly

SUMMER CARE OF PLANTATION

71

.+**'

Fig. 54.— Making the cleft for grafting

Mid-July to early Septem-
ber in the North.

3. Re sure to bring
the cambium layer of the
scion in intimate contact
with that of the stock;
otherwise the two prob-
ably will not unite. This
layer is the thin film of
tissue between the bark
and the wood. It is as
thin as the finest tissue
paper.

4. Protect the parts
either with grafting wax

or twine or both until union is assured. When wax is used alone
no damage will result, but when tying is done the strings must be
cut before the bud becomes "strangled" by the tightening of the
strings due to growth.

Shield budding, the simplest form of budding, is done as follows:
In a young stock, preferably not more than two seasons old, make a
cut about two inches long parallel with the direction of growth (up
and down) . Half or three-quarters of an inch from one end make a cross
cut to form a T. Gently and slightly pry up the bark from the wood
below. Now choose a well ripened twig of the variety desired. Pick

out a thrifty bud with a
good leaf stem at its base.
Gut off all but about half
an inch of this stem, thus
leaving a little handle.
With a very keen knife

Fig. 55. — Inserting scions in stock

jie twig

so as *° leave a shield-
shaped piece of bark and
wood about one-eighth
inch thick with the bud
near the center. Gentry
Press tms shield into the
stock at the T already
cut and adjust it so the
whole of the cut surface
beneath the bud rests
against the wood of the

HOME FRUIT GROWER

stock. Next wind narrow strips of
cotton cloth firmly around the stock so
as to close the wound but not cover
the bud itself.

In a week to two weeks examine
the bud. If it has shrivelled it has
failed to "take"; if it is plump it has
made a union. In either case the bind-
ing must be cut so growth will not
strangle either the bud or the branch
being operated upon. In the North
the bud will remain without perceptible
change till Spring. In the South it
should begin to develop a shoot be-
fore Midsummer. After growth has
started the old top of the stock may
or may not be cut depending upon
whether or not it is wanted to bear fruit.

Fig. 57.— Buds sprouting on graft. The

other scion grew but it was accidentally

broken off

Fig. 56.— Waxing cleft grafts

In cleft grafting a branch,
preferably not smaller than
half an inch in diameter nor
larger than two inches, is
squarely sawed off so as to
leave a stub six or more inches
long (Fig. 54). A grafting
chisel or a knife is then used to
make a cut across the center.
In this cut a wedge is driven
to force the edges of the cut
far enough apart to insert the
scions (Fig. 55). Scions must
be of well-ripened, dormant
twigs of the previous season's
growth and of the desired
variety. Several may be made
from one switch. The lower
end must be cut with a keen
knife so as to form a long
thin wedge, preferably slightly
thicker on one side than the
other. One of these scions is
placed at each outside end of
the cut in the stock at a very'-

SUMMER CARE OF PLANTATION

73

slight angle so the cambium layers of stock and scion shall be in
contact and so they will be held snugly in place when the wedge is
removed. After removing the wedge cover all wounded surfaces with
grafting wax (Fig. 56).

In two to four weeks one or both of these scions should grow (Fig.
57). When both grow cut off the poorer if the stock is under one
inch, but let both grow the first season if the stock is larger so as to
heal over the stub quickly. In such cases cut the inferior one slightly
above its base, preferably just as growth starts the following Spring.

Bridge or repair graft-
ing, done to save injured
trees, consists in inserting
scions both below and
above the wound and long
enough to stretch across.
The whole is then covered
with grafting wax or ban-
dages. In due time growth
will be as shown in Figure
58.

Whip or tongue graft-
ing is very convenient for
branches about one-
quarter inch in diameter.
Stock and scion must be
of nearly the same size.
Each is first cut across
with a long slanting cut.
Then each is split with
the knife for about an inch
straight down near the
center, thus forming a
tongue. Stock and scion
are then fitted together so
the shorter tongue of each

Fig.\58.— Rabbits gnawed the bark off this tree but
bridge grafting will make a new trunk. Notice
thej'sturdy "bridges" across the wounded area

fits firmly into the slot of

the other, care being taken

to have the cambium

layers in contact. If parts

of the longer tongues extend beyond the point of union shorten them.

The usual way of finishing this graft is to wind stock and scion with

knitting cotton soaked in grafting wax. No. 18 darning cotton is strong

enough to hold the parts but weak enough to break as growth begins.

74 HOME FRUIT GROWER

Grafting wax may be purchased at nurseries and seed stores.
People who like to do messing can easily make their own. A good
wax is made by slowly melting four pounds of resin in an old but
clean pot over a gentle fire, adding two pounds of beeswax and one
pound of tallow, stirring till thoroughly mixed and then pouring in a
tub of cold water and when cool enough to handle pulling and kneading
it till it looks like molasses taffy. For convenience it may then be
made into balls or sticks. It will keep indefinitely. Grease will
prevent its sticking to the hands. In cold weather it must be slightly
warmed to make it work easily.

THINNING

With all due credit to pruning, cultivating and spraying, no
one operation will so improve the size and appearance of fruit as
thinning. This simple operation consists in cutting or plucking off
50 to 75 per cent, of the specimens while they are still green and letting
them drop upon the ground. Among the reasons why it is so important
are the following:

It maintains tree vigor because the energy which would be wasted
in developing cull fruits is directed to the improvement of the better
ones allowed to mature, and conserved by having to form a smaller
number of seeds— the most exhausting process of tree life. These culls
consist mainly of misshapen, diseased or insect-injured specimens.
Thus thinning tends to make the trees bear with greater annual
regularity, to improve size, color and quality of the fruit, to prevent
breakage of branches due to overloads.

The work itself is very simple. Usually it should begin about a
month after the petals fall or about two weeks after the trees naturally
shed what they apparently consider excess fruits; but far too many
fruits still remain as a rule. In order to know when the work is done
it is necessary to be systematic, to start at one point and advance
from the lower parts of the limbs to the tips and in a circle around the
trees. Make the first rule to remove every defective specimen and
the second to allow no specimens to remain so close that they will
touch when full grown. This latter rule cannot always be applied,
for to thin Seckel and other little Pears and many Plums that grow
in clusters would be to leave too few fruits. Judgment, however,
will grow with experience. Apple and large-sized Pear varieties are
often thinned to eight and even ten inches apart by Western growers;
Peaches to four or six. Never mind how strewn the ground looks.
Probably you'll think you've taken off too many; but after two or three
years' experience and observation the improvement in the fruit will
prompt you to thin to an even greater extent.

CHAPTER VIII

Dwarf Fruit Trees

General Rules for Pruning and Training — Blossom Bud-
Bearing Habits — Types of Training for Various Fruit
Trees — Espaliers and Cordons

FRUIT trees may be kept dwarf in habit by pruning their branches
to prevent the tops from growing to normal size, by restricting the

spread of the roots either by root pruning or by growing them
in tubs or flower pots, thus reducing the amount of available food and
thereby reducing the size of the specimens, or they may be grown upon
stocks of smaller growing trees or bushes which have a checking in-
fluence upon the trunks and branches. The last practice is in America
the most common; it produces the "dwarf trees" sold by nurserymen-

The place for dwarf trees is in the family plantation where avail-
able space is too small to permit the growing of standard trees. On
private, estates where beauty of tree as well as fruit add to the pleasure
of growing them, they also have a place. Besides the great advantage
of their small size (Fig. 59) which thus permits of many varieties
being grown in the same space that one standard tree would occupy,
and also permit of being easily pruned, sprayed, and otherwise handled,
dwarf trees begin to bear long before standards would normally start—
often the second year after being planted. It is not necessarily true,
however, that fruit produced by dwarf trees is of better quality than
that produced by the same variety of standard tree, though this is a
fact in the case of certain varieties. Tests conducted by the New
York State Experiment Station at Geneva have proved that usually
the specimens of Apple varieties grown as standards are better than
those grown upon dwarf trees. With Pears the same observation
holds good.

It is well to know the disadvantages of growing dwarf trees so that
where space is not at a premium standards may be given the prefer-
ence. Usually dwarfs are shorter lived than standards. They demand
more attention as to pruning, fertilizing and cultivating than do
standards in proportion to the amount of fruit they produce. Because
propagation in the nursery demands more skill they cost considerably
more than standards. Finally, comparatively few nurserymen who
carry dwarf stock at all offer much selection as to varieties or devote the
requisite attention to proper stocks upon which to bud or graft
desired varieties, so that the trees they offer are not of as high quality
as the standard trees of the same varieties they offer for sale.

75

76

HOME FRUIT GROWER

Fig. 59. — Dwarf Apples are easy to gather they are so near the ground

Dwarf trees may be trained in a far greater variety of forms
than can standards (Fig. 61). They thus make special claims for
attention where space is limited. The word standard is here used
in its American sense; namely, a full-sized tree of its kind. In Europe
a standard is a tree not artificially supported. Popular forms of self-
supporting dwarf trees are bush, pyramid and globe; of supported
ones, palmette, fan, gridiron and various styles of cordons and espaliers.
A. cordon is a "dwarfed tree trained to a single spurred stem for the
development of fine fruit." An espalier is strictly a trellis, but the
term is also applied to the trees trained upon trellises, fences or walls.
While each of the tree fruits grown as dwarfs may be trained in any
desired form, the following are the more popular ways of training the
various species:

Bush and pyramid forms for Apple, Pear (Fig. 65), Cherry (Fig.
62), Apricot, Nectarine, Peach (Fig. 63), and Plum. The bush form,
preferred for Sour Cherries, Apricots, Peaches and Apples, is the.

DWARF FRUIT TREES

77

most popular form of all since it demands least attention and yields
the largest return in fruit. Pears do best as pyramids; Sweet Cherries
and Plums also rather better than as bushes. A modification of the
bush is the goblet in which the main branches or "leaders" are evenly
spaced and trained to form a cup-like open head (Fig. 63).

Cordons (Fig. 64) are next most easily managed. Apples and
Pears do specially well so
handled. Strong growing
varieties do better in U-
shape or with two or more
leaders, than as single
uprights. Vigorous
Peaches, Nectarines and
Plums also do best in this
form or in the double U-
shape; the less vigorous
ones do well as single up-
rights. Few are grown as
horizontal cordons. Pal-
met te and fan forms suit
Apricots, Peaches and
Nectarines; the latter
also suits Pears and
Japanese Plums. Gridiron,
candelabrum and horizon-
tal espaliers have proved
satisfactory for most kinds
of Pears and Apples.

The principal reasons
for adopting any of these
special forms except the
bush, the pyramid or the
globe are that the trees
may be made to fit their
surroundings, each main Fig. 60.— Doesn't this tempt you too? There'll be
branch may bear fruit from much more every year from now on

end to end, the distribu-
tion of fruit may be made uniform both during one season and from
year to year, and both larger specimens and finer quality may be
secured than by the commoner forms of training.

With a clear knowledge of where fruit buds are normally produced
a pruning program may be adopted to enhance such production. To
check the growth of side shoots on Apple, Pear, Plum and Cherry

78

HOME FRUIT GROWER

leaders during Summer is
to induce the formation
of buds that will blossom
the following Spring. Not
only will these blossom
buds form as they normal-
ly do on short lateral fruit
spurs one year old or older
but also on wood of the
current season's growth;
that is, a year earlier than
normally would be the
case. Since fruit spurs are
prone to bear only every
other year, this develop-
ment of blossom buds on
growing wood is just so
much gain towards regular
annual bearing.

While Peaches and
Nectarines often develop
fruit on twigs two or three
years old, these twigs are
not like the spurs of the
fruit trees just discussed,
because they generally
bear only once, then die.

This method of bearing is not the principal one for the Peach. The
great majority of the Peach fruit buds are developed on one year's
leaders and side branches and expanded the following Spring. Japanese
Plums and Apricots are betwixt and between the European Plums
and the Peaches in production of fruit buds, some being upon spurs,
some on the leaders and side branches of this year's development.

To limit the spread and the height of top the leaders are severely
headed back during the dormant season, preferably toward the opening
of Spring. This results in the development of many shoots which,
during the growing season, must be either removed entirely or be
pinched back to induce the formation of blossom buds. Both Winter
pruning and Summer pinching are essential to best success with dwarf
fruits. Root pruning is rarely practised except to check the growth
of the most vigorous varieties.

"Leaders" are main branches that originate from the main
trunk and terminate during the growing season in a twig of young^

Fig. 61. — The dwarf Pear is easily trained to sup-
ports where space must be conserved

DWARF FRUIT TREES

79

wood which must be allowed to develop without any pinching so
as to secure the maximum sap efficiency and healthful development.
Only when a leader makes such prodigious growth that it monopolizes
the food and energy that should go to the development of sideshoots —
only then should it be cut during the growing season, preferably
between mid and late June. Even then only a few inches of the growing
tip should be removed.

Side shoots should then develop because they would get their
fair share of food. Those that develop upon the leaders must always
be pinched back during the growing season — during June and July,
sometimes August — to develop fruit buds. The proper time to pinch
shoots is when they have developed about six leaves. The amount
to remove ? All but three leaves. When other shoots develop on the
pinched ones, pinch them
back to two leaves as soon
as three have formed.
This is a regular annual
process. It induces the
formation of fruit spurs,
fruit buds and fruit.
When a main branch is
allowed to rebranch and
form a second branch
each of these branches
may be considered as a
leader and so treated.

Should too many
spurs form on the leaders,
the superfluous ones — al-
ways the poorest or least
favorably placed — should
be removed when the
dormant spraying is done.
At that time cut back the
annual growth of the
leaders on young trees 50
to 75 per cent.; on old
trees, or those which have
about reached the desired
size, cut back all but a
few inches of the young

growths on the leaders, r- AO n c ri. - • *

f . rig. 62.— JDwarf Cherries begin to bear while very

leaving only two or three young

80

HOME FRUIT GROWER

buds beyond the point where the previous dormant pruning was
done. This cutting, while it looks like butchery, is absolutely essential
to keep the trees within bounds. Should too many fruit spurs develop
as the trees grow older the inferior ones may be removed when the
dormant pruning is done. When managed as outlined the trees
should begin to bear the third Summer, sometimes the second after
planting.

GENERAL RULES FOR
PRUNING AND TRAINING

1. One year dwarf
trees are usually un-
branched " whips " or
"switches" two to three
feet tall, sometimes more,
sometimes less; two-year
trees are usually about
the same height but they
are more or less branched.
Some nurserymen furnish
one-year trees when they
run out of two-year plants.
Two-year trees are gen-
erally preferred to one-
year, but the latter have
the advantage that the
head may be started at
just the desired height,
whereas the former cannot
be changed without risk
of damage to the tree.

2. If newly Fall
planted in the North, do
no pruning until late
Spring just before the
buds begin to swell. In
the South, where winters

are short and mild, preliminary pruning may be done when the trees
are planted but there's no special advantage in so doing.

3. Always have the pruning tool very sharp! A knife is better
than a shears for almost all the pruning to be done on all kinds of
dwarf trees. Only when a large branch is to be removed will the
saw or the two-hand shears be needed. The single hand shears if

Fig. 63.— Dwarf Champion Peach. Just coming
into bearing the second year after planting

DWARF FRUIT TREES

81

very sharp may be used instead of the
knife, but it does not do quite as nice a
job. All pruning of leaders and spurs
(twigs) must be with an oblique cut
slightly above a sturdy bud, never with
a long stub (Fig. 34G). The direction of
growth may be somewhat modified by
the position of the bud — up, down or to
right or left.

4. Remember that leaders are
branches which form the tree frame-
work whether this consist of one or
many branches. These leaders must
grow all season without check except
when they are monopolizing the food
and preventing the growth or develop-
ment of spurs (side shoots for fruit
bearing). Leaders are pruned to de-
sired shortness before the buds begin
to swell in Spring.

5. Whenever a restricted height
is to be maintained, as in all special
forms of dwarf-tree training, cut the
leaders back 25 to 50 per cent, the first
year or two and when the height and
spread approach the desired dimensions
cut the previous season's growth back
to a five or six buds. Only by such
cutting can the trees be kept the de-
sired size. Judgment is necessary in
this case; for where the growths are

strong more wood and buds may be left than where they are weak.
Severe pruning in Winter tends to make wood since it forces all
the food into a smaller number of buds. Summer pruning checks
wood growth and favors fruit bud formation.

THE RUSH FORM (Fig. 62). — When the newly set trees are
"whips" they may be cut back so the highest bud left will be at the
height of the highest leader to be developed directly from the trunk.
Buds below this one will also develop branches which must be allowed
to grow without any cutting until the following Spring, though puny
and badly placed ones that would never do for leaders may be cut
off during the growing season, say in early June. From the balance
the desired number of leaders may be chosen and cut back 50 to 75

Fig. 64.— A Cordon dwarf Apple

82 HOME FRUIT GROWER

per cent, late the following Winter. When two-year trees are bought
the selection of leaders is the same as just indicated.

The uppermost bud will grow more vigorously than any of the
others and if erect more in continuation of the original direction
of growth. Side shoots will develop from both last season's and
this year's growth. These must be pinched as indicated on page 79.
When too few branches are formed on the two-year tree all those
that have formed including the main trunk may be cut back to the
lowest bud or two so as to force the development of a new set and
larger number of branches. Leaders of strong growing varieties
will need to be pinched. What ones can easily be determined by
their making growth out of proportion to the others. One must use
his own judgment as to the amount to pinch. Every season the
dormant pruning and the Summer pinching must be done — a few
minutes only are needed each time if the work is done regularly.

THE PYRAMIDAL FORM, used mainly for the Pear, is developed
as follows: The one- year whip is cut back before the buds start in
Spring to leave about twelve inches if the whip is sturdy, ten, eight or
even six if weak. The uppermost bud will develop the leader which
must not be Summer pinched unless it is robbing the others of food,
that is, growing too sturdily. The other shoots must have their tips
pinched. When the uppermost side shoot (leader), grows much
stronger than the lower ones, as is usually the case, it must be pinched
back early in the season, perhaps in late May. The one next to it
may be pinched a couple of weeks later and so on down till the lowest
one is pinched latest in the season, perhaps not till mid- July or early
August. This method tends to balance the strength of the branches.

During the Summer, as undesired twigs appear below the lowest
desired branch, rub them off with the hand while still very small.
Leaves on the trunk should remain. Any side shoots that may develop
on the leaders must be pinched back as already indicated. Should
they be growing slowly their ends must be pinched during late June,
regardless of their length.

Dormant pruning before the buds start during the second Spring
is practically a repetition of the first year's dormant work. The
young growth of the main leader is cut back 50 to 75 per cent., the
cut being made where it will favor upward growth of the erect stem
from the uppermost bud. Lower buds on the leader will develop
side shoots which must be treated as those of the previous year were
handled. The idea is to have the lowest leaders longest, the upper-
most ones the shortest as the tree grows older. Side shoots on all
leaders are pinched back as the previous year.

Each year the dormant pruning is repeated as just outlined,^

DWARF FRUIT TREES

83

the lowest lateral leaders being cut back a little, each one higher
up perhaps more and the vertical stem or main leader most so as to
maintain the pyramidal outline of the tree. A good proportion
for a pyramidal tree is a spread of the lowest branches about one- third
the height. The height and the size of the tree may be kept prac-
tically the same after, say, five to ten years by the amount of dor-
mant pruning given the leaders.

THE PALMETTE FORM is never used where the trees must stand
alone, only when trained to a stake, upon a trellis, against a wall or
a fence. Pruning of the
newly set tree is as in-
dicated for the pyramid.
The uppermost bud will
form a new leader; the
two best placed but op-
posite buds that develop
into shoots below this
must be fastened obliquely
upward on opposite sides
of the main stem. All
other shoots must be cut
off close to the trunk.
No other arms must be
allowed to form the first
season, side shoots on all
the young growths being
pinched back as already
indicated in discussing the
pyramid. No other atten-
tion is necessary the first
season unless the vertical
leader is growing too ram-
pantly, when its tip may
be pinched back to favor
the two secondary or oblique two leaders.

Before the buds swell the second Spring cut off all but about a
foot of the principal or erect leader (8 or 10 inches may often do)
above the oblique leaders (arms, they are often called). Let the
uppermost b ud develop a new vertical leader, and the two best placed
opposite one s as nearly as possible immediately above the two oblique
leaders alrea dy developed. During the growing season pinch back the
small lateral s and cut off superfluous ones as before. These processes
a re repeated year after year so that in time half a dozen to a score or

Fig. 65.— The second season after
dwarf Bartlett Pear tree

ntmg a

84

HOME FRUIT GROWER

Fig. 66.— Wall training is a beautiful way to grow dwarf fruit trees

more oblique arms are developed from the main stem. The height
and the spread of the palmette may be governed by the amount of
dormant pruning done from year to year. Each of these arms may
be made to branch as desired.

THE FAN FORM is started from a "whip" cut to a stub at eight or
ten inches from the ground before the buds swell. Among the shoots
that start those favorably placed are saved, others cut close to the
main stem. While the fan may ultimately have eight or ten arms only
four to six may be available the first season. Each sprout to be saved
must be fastened as early as possible to the trellis in about the position
it is to occupy when fully grown and be allowed to extend without
hindrance except when one is growing at the expense of the others.
The side shoots that develop upon it, however, must be pinched back
as already indicated. All unnecessary growths on the main trunk must
be suppressed.

Before growth starts the Spring after planting the leaders must
be cut back to six or eight-inch stubs from which to develop new
branches. From these the desired number of leaders may usually be
secured — two from some and one from others. Fastening the new

DWARF FRUIT TREES 85

growths to the trellis, cutting off unnecessary ones and pinching off side
shoots are the same as during the first season. As the desired shoots
grow into leaders the development must be kept uniform by pinching
the tips of any that grow too rampant. From the end of the second
season forward, Summer pinching and dormant pruning of Apples,
Pears, Cherries and Plums are the same as in the other methods
described.

Peaches, Nectarines and other trees which bear their fruit buds
on last year's growths need a little different handling, thus: When
the dormant pruning is done the second Spring and each year there-
after the leaders must be cut back more or less to insure the growth of
side shoots. Most of these must be pinched back, but a few— two to
five or six — on each leader must be left to become side branches to fill
in spaces between the main leaders thus to make an unbroken fan.
They will also be needed to bear fruit buds. It is necessary to allow
plenty of side shoots to develop on Peaches and Nectarines, each year,
for old wood produces no fruit. So when an arm begins to fail in
fruit bearing or when the fruit buds are borne far out it must be cut
back severely to some point where a vigorous growing shoot may
be left to take its place.

GORDONS, or branchless but "spurred" stems, are trained vertically,
obliquely or horizontally in single U-shaped and double U-shaped
forms. The upright is the simplest. The "whip" is cut to eight inches
and one shoot allowed to grow vertically without any check. All
other shoots are suppressed. Side shoots on the leader are pinched
back as already indicated. Should more shoots be needed than have
formed by early Summer they may be forced by pinching back the
leader tip. In the Spring the young growth of the leader must be
cut back 50 to 75 per cent. Similar shortening must be done each
Spring till the leader is nearing full size — six or seven feet tall. Then
the cutting is made just above the lowest bud on the new growth.
When dormant pruning is done all unnecessary spurs and short branches
are cut off.

OBLIQUE AND HORIZONTAL GORDONS are managed exactly like
upright ones except that they are trained and fastened in the desired
position while young. U and V shaped cordons are managed like
upright ones except that two leaders are grown instead of one. The
arms for the U are first trained horizontally 10 or 12 inches apart. The
double U form is simply two U's developed from one.

CHAPTER IX

Insect and Disease Control

Biting Bugs, Sucking Bugs and "Sappers and Miners" —

Poison Sprays for Biting Insects — Contact Sprays for Sucking

and Soft Bodied Insects

IT ought certainly to be reassuring to the amateur fruit-grower
who has been reading the fat tomes on bugs to learn that, so far
as control is concerned, insects may be lumped in two general
classes: the ones that nibble and swallow little pieces of plant tissue,
and those that pump the juices precisely as a mosquito helps himself
to human gore. Here is not only the distinguishing point between the
bugs, but also the deciding one as to the method of fighting all except
those that burrow beneath the skin of the leaf, or the bark of the trunk
and limbs.

The bugs that bite off and swallow pieces of leaves — beetles, grass-
hoppers and caterpillars — are most easily controlled by poisons which
they take into .their stomachs. They are the easiest to get rid of
because the poison may be spread upon the threatened parts somewhat

in advance of their arrival,
then when they do arrive
they will promptly depart.
The sappers and miners
— Peach and Apple borers
— which constitute a sub-

^P ^m^m • mr division of the chewers

Y ^^KSD KflC^ cannot be effectively con-

^T Xiii Iri^feMhi^. trolled by poisons, simply

because they have bur-
rowed beyond the reach
of such materials. Like
military sappers and
miners, they must be met
on their own ground —
fought in their own tun-
nels where such methods
are feasible.

Bugs that suck, such as plant lice and leaf hoppers, are the hardest
to fight. They are not affected by poisons because they do not take
such materials into their stomachs — nothing but plant juice ! Caustics,
oils, poisonous gas and other materials that kill them through their

Fig. 67.— When the "shucks" begin to fall off the
Peaches is the time to spray

INSECT AND DISEASE CONTROL

87

skins or breathing apparatus are the only effective remedies for them.
Such being the case, except where gas is used, each individual bug must
be hit with the insecticide or it will continue to feed as unconcernedly
as if no spraying at all had been done. But here's a reassuring thing:
The amateur is likely to do better spraying of the plants he owns than is
the hireling on a big fruit plantation, and by being on the qui vive for
attacks the work is likely to be done at the proper time.

In a book of this kind space is not available to discuss either the
common insects or diseases. What is more to the point is a brief
presentation of the means of control. Should any reader wish to
identify insects that interest or give him trouble he should send a few
living specimens, with some of the food, plant in a wooden or metal box,
to the "Entomologist," at the Experiment Station, or Department of
Agriculture at Washing-
ton. Inside the box he
should place his name
and address, and in a
letter sent separately de-
scribe the work of the
creatures, name the plant
they are feeding upon,
and ask such advice and
information as he may
need.

In a general way
plant diseases may be
grouped as physiological,
bacterial and fungOUS. F^ 68. -After the petals fall and while the sepals
„ -. * . i are °pen is the time to spray Apples and Pears for

Fortunately, many of the coddling moth

first are preventable, or

even curable, by good cultural care. Yellowish foliage and puny
twig growth usually indicate lack of nitrogen. Unfortunately, the
other groups of maladies cannot be as simply dealt with as can the
two classes of bugs. Spraying must be preventive: the spray material
must be on the leaf before the disease would normally make a start.

The hints given concerning fungicides will cover the majority of
cases, but where results are not satisfactory write and send specimens
to the "Plant Pathologist" at the Experiment Station, or the Department
of Agriculture. One notable exception is the blight of Pears, Quince
and Apple, a bacterial disease worst on the Pear. This appears first
in the Spring as brown leaves among the green. It spreads down the
twigs to the branches and even the trunks. Every week from the
time the flowers appear the trees should be inspected and the diseased

88

HOME FRUIT GROWER

twigs removed and burned. Just as a surgeon sterilizes his instru-
ments so the knife used must be sterilized. If the wood is healthy
looking where cut, well and good; but if there is a brownish discolora-
tion below the bark a new
cut must be made lower down.
The discoloration shows that
the disease has worked lower
down than the cut. Remem-
ber: Sterilize the knife every
time before making the cut.
A tablet of corrosive sublimate
in a pint of water is the steriliz-
ing solution which may be
applied with a sponge or a rag.
It is a deadly poison and must
be kept where it will not be
reached by children or pets.

Before spraying for any-
thing be sure to know whether
it is a bug or a disease. If
a bug know whether it sucks
or chews. Then be thorough.
For medium-sized gardens and
orchards a knapsack spray
pump and the portable com-
pressed air sprayer (Fig. 69)
are very satisfactory; for little
ones and small plants the
squirt-gun styles may answer.
Areas larger than a quarter of
an acre are easier to manage
with a barrel sprayer. In
choosing such an apparatus
give preference to one lying on
its side to one standing on end,
because when so mounted the
pump is lower, there is less
danger of its catching in
branches and being tipped
over, and the sediment settles
immediately below the pump
and is removed before it gets

Fig. 69.— The compressed air sprayer Is a
handy affair for tree as well as low spraying

abundant or hard. For the-.

INSECT AND DISEASE CONTROL

89

family orchard it will probably not pay to get a gasolene power-
spraying outfit, even though the engine may be disconnected and
used for other purposes such as sawing wood, churning, making ice
cream and as a substitute for the hand that rules the world — via the
cradle.

Such materials as
arsenate of lead, Paris
green, hellebore, and
nicotine preparations
must be bought. Cer-
tain others, such as
lime-sulphur wash,
may he purchased or
made at home. This
stuff is, however, so
unpleasant to make
that it had better be
bought.

There are many
brands. They should
be bought and used
upon the basis of
specific gravity. Bor-
deaux should always
be made at home be-
cause it is simple to
prepare and is more
effective when freshly
mixed. Kerosene

emulsion may as well Rg 7Q_An extension rod makes ^ bucket pump
be made at home as serve for tree spraying

the process is simple

and there is little danger of making a mistake. There are many pro-
prietary preparations, such as Scalecide, Pyrox, Sulphocide, many of
which justify the claims of their makers.

POISON SPRAYS FOR BITING INSECTS

Arsenate of Lead. — Two forms, paste and powder differing in
composition, the former preferable, better than Paris green as it does
not usually injure foliage and sticks well and long As the com-
mercial brands vary in strength, apply according to manufacturer's
directions as to quantity.

90 HOME FRUIT GROWER

Hellebore. — A whitish powder made from the roots of the plant.
Must be fresh and kept in a tight receptacle as it quickly loses strength.
Not poisonous to human beings. May be used shortly before fruit
ripens. Usually applied dry while the plants are moist with lime dust,
sifted coal ashes or cheap flour at the rate of one to three parts, or some-
times steeped in warm water, one ounce to the quart, and diluted with
another quart when cold.

Paris Green. — Hard to keep suspended in water, likely to burn
foliage unless lime is added to the mixture. Rate, four ounces to
one pound of quicklime and 50 gallons of water.

CONTACT SPRAYS FOR SUCKING AND SOFT-BODIED INSECTS

Tobacco Sulphate, Black Leaf 40, Nicofume, preparations of
waste tobacco, specially recommended for plant lice or aphis.

Soaps. — Laundry soap, one pound to five or six gallons of water,
and soft soap twice as strong, also used for aphis. Whale oil soap,
two pounds to one gallon of water in Winter and one to five or six
in Summer, is better, especially if made of potash instead of soda.

Kerosene Emulsion. — Dissolve one pound of laundry hard soap
in two gallons of hot water. When dissolved and while still hot pour
in four gallons of kerosene and churn the liquid with a paddle, or pref-
erably a small hand-spray pump, till the mixture is creamy and cool.
It will be semi-solid when cold and will keep indefinitely. This
quantity when diluted with 34 gallons of water will make a 10 per cent,
solution, useful for Summer work; when mixed with 14 gallons a 20
per cent, and with 10 gallons a 25 per cent, solution, useful while the
trees are dormant.

Carbolic acid solution is made by dissolving one pound of hard
soap in one gallon of hot water and when fully liquified adding one
pint of crude carbolic acid, then churning as suggested for Kerosene
Emulsion. Before applying to foliage add 30 gallons of water.

Lime-Sulphur Wash. — Better buy it made because of the varying
strengths of the material. Be sure to know the strength of the one
bought and dilute accordingly. The dilution will range from one
gallon to five of water— a very strong one used for San Jose scale
during Winter — down to one to twelve, the comparatively weak mix-
ture used for blister mite of Pear. Lime-sulphur has also an im-
portant fungicidal action.

Miscible oils, those oils that mix readily with water, are useful
only on dormant trees for killing scale and similar insects. They are
much less disagreeable than lime-sulphur to apply. They also have
a greater "spreading" power, thus being effective in a wider area. ...^

INSECT AND DISEASE CONTROL

91

Bordeaux is most conveniently made from "stock solutions" as
follows: 1. In a clean barrel place a certain number of pounds of
quicklime. Upon this throw water in measured quantity, little by
little, and stir constantly until the lime has all dissolved and the mixture
is about as thick as cream. Then add enough more water to have a
total equal to the number of pounds of lime. For instance, if 25
pounds of lime are used, use a total of 25 gallons of water. Stir up
this solution and strain through a fine mesh sieve or a cloth to remove
all particles. Cover
the liquid with a pint
or more of kerosene
or naphtha to pre-
vent evaporation.

2. In another
barrel, perfectly
clean, place a certain
number of gallons of
water. Then hang an
equal number of
pounds of copper sul-
phate in a burlap bag
so the bottom of the
bag is only slightly
belowr the surface of
the water. If this is
done in the evening
the whole of the sul-
phate should have
dissolved before
morning, but if the
sulphate is placed in

the bottom it may Fig. 71.— For fairly large orchards a barrel may serve
take a month or more all spraying needs

to dissolve. Pour

some kerosene or naphtha on the solution. Use wooden or earthen-
ware receptacles for the liquid because metal ones (except copper
and brass) are ruined by copper sulphate.

3. When Bordeaux is to be made, pour the required quantity of
stirred-up lime solution into an empty barrel and the required quantity
of copper sulphate solution into another, and dilute each with water
until the quantity in each barrel is half that required for the com-
pleted mixture.

4. Through a hose attached to the bottom of each of these barrels

92 HOME FRUIT GROWER

allow the diluted liquids to pour into the spray tank, or barrel, so that
each stream will strike the other as it falls. This makes the finest
kind of mixture.

5. To make sure that the completed solution contains no "free"
copper sulphate place a spoonful on a plate and let a drop of ferro-
cyanide of potassium (yellow prussiate of potash), dissolved in water,
fall into the sample. If a reddish-brown color appears add more lime
solution, stir up thoroughly and test again. If none is noticed the
mixture is safe to use.

One Bordeaux formula is four pounds of copper sulphate, four
pounds of lime to 50 gallons of water. That is four gallons each of
the above stock solutions with 21 gallons of water in each of two barrels.
These poured together would make 50 gallons. As this formula is
too strong for Peaches, Plums and Cherries, the following is used:
three pounds sulphate, three of lime to 50 gallons of water.

Self-boiled lime-sulphur wash is made by placing eight pounds of
quick-lime in a barrel with eight pounds of sulphur on top, then adding
boiling water, little by little, stirring constantly until the lime is slaked
and becomes about like cream, and then allowing the mixture to cook
by its own heat for fifteen minutes, the barrel being kept covered with
burlap to hold in the heat. When "done" add enough water to make
50 gallons. This mixture is specially useful against brown rot of stone
fruits. It is useless for fungi during Winter, on San Jose scale at any
time, but it is safer than commercial lime-sulphur against fungi dur-
ing the growing season.

These cross sections of a Y-crotch show decay works its way

downward and weakens the union until a break follows. The

dark spots show the progress of decay

CHAPTER X

Storage of Fruits

Construction of the Outdoor Storage Cellar — Types of

Storage Houses in the North and the South — Storage in

Banks or Pits

THE house cellar of my boyhood was ideal. It was stone walled
and brick paved and had wide inside and outside stairs with-
out a turn and with very easy grade, a sloping trap door over
the outside one and a thick, heavy, insulated one, internal tight board
shutters on the windows, prison barred, (through which boys could
see but not reach the forbidden fruit,) and it was large enough to serve
a young hotel without strain. But in spite of the fact that it con-
tained no heater, the plan being to keep the house above freezing by
stoves and fireplaces, it was considered too warm because of the
kitchen fire above, so no more than a couple of weeks' supply of perish-
able fruits and vegetables was kept in it at a time, the main supply
being stored in the "outside cellar" (Fig. 72).

From experiences with
other cellars in which hot
air, hot water and steam
house heaters are placed
I know it is useless to try
to keep fruits or vege-
tables in such places. The
air is so dry and so warm
that shrivelling and rot-
ting are the certain results.
When the original house
plan has not included a
storage cellar, it is often
possible to partition off a part of the general cellar at one end or
one corner, or to cut a door in the wall and make an excavation out-
side for one. As I have never had to build such a cellar I quote the
following somewhat condensed suggestions from J. H. Beattie in
Farmer's Bulletin No. 879:

"At least one window is necessary, two or more are desirable for
light and ventilation. If the cellar is square or rectangular, a room
similar to the one illustrated in Figure 73 can be arranged in one corner.
If built L-shaped it should be made by partitioning off the offset,
as shown in Figure 74. In some cases one end of the cellar may be cut off
with one straight wall.

93

Fig. 72. —Entrance to outside storage cellar

94

HOME FRUIT GROWER

Shelves :for<

Barrels, boxes., etc., may act irx this spa.ce

Vegetable Storage "Room
8'* 9'

JL

Bi

Fig. 73.— Floor plan of a vegetable and fruit storage room in the

corner of a basement. The arrangement of the shelving and

bins may be changed to suit conditions. While the construction

of the wall may be varied, it must be tight

"The size of the storage room should be determined by the space
available and the amount of material to be stored. Natural earth
makes a better floor than concrete or brick, as a certain amount of
moisture is desirable. (Brick being porous is better than concrete.)
The walls of the storage rooms should be parallel to the walls of the
cellar.

"Lay 2x4 inch scantling flat on the floor and secure them
by pegs driven into the floor or by nailing them to the top of short
posts set in the ground. Set 2x4 inch studding from this sill to
the ceiling, spacing them 16 inches apart from center to center. Locate
the door at the most convenient point, making it large enough to
admit barrels, boxes, etc., a good size being two and one-half feet
wide by six and one-half feet high. Set the studs on either side of the
door 32 inches apart, to allow for the door and the frame. Put a
header over the door, allowing one inch for the frame and seven-
eighths of an inch for the sill at the bottom. Set the studs against
the walls where the cellar walls and the storage walls meet. Care
exercised in making the frame square and plumb will enable the
builder to get the structure tight with a minimum of labor.

STORAGE OF FRUITS

95

"A good room is made by covering the studding on the outside
with tongue-and-groove material, but a better way is to sheathe
the outside with plain lumber, tack building paper on this, and side
with tongue-and-groove material. This construction in connection
with lath and plaster or wall board on the inside makes an excellent
room.

"Ventilation may be secured by opening one or more windows.
An air duct of wood, metal, or terra cotta fitted in one of the window
panes (Figure 75) is desirable, as it permits the cool air to enter at
the bottom of the room. Two or more joints of six-inch stove pipe, one
with a damper and an elbow may be used. Another pane may be
removed and a small-hinged door fitted in its place. When open
this will allow the heated air to escape. In cold weather both door and
damper must be closed. The windows should be darkened (as light
is unfavorable to keeping fruits and vegetables).

"Movable containers are preferable to built-in bins, as it is pos-
sible to remove them for cleaning. It is advisable to construct shelves

shelve* for eorn«J goods [

Birrels, Boxes, etc. ma.y set in this space

Vegetable Storage Room
IO'XI2'

Fig. 74.— Floor plan of vegetable and fruit storage quarters in house cellar,

showing possibility of constructing such a room by partitioning off a portion of

the cellar under the wing of the house

96

HOME FRUIT GROWER

or a slat floor to keep the crates, boxes and baskets off the ground,
to insure a free circulation of air and to prevent the containers from
harboring mice, rats, and other vermin. The shelves for canned
goods along one side of the room need not be more than six inches
wide."

The house in which I now reside has a room 6x9 feet
separated from the main cellar by the foundation wall and an ordinary
tongue-and-groove single door. Though small it is adequate for
the needs of my family, now reduced to three. A double, insulated door

Fig. 75. — Details of construction for the ventilation of a storage room in a
basement. The air duct may be made of wood, terra cotta, or metal and in-
stalled in place of a pane of glass, thus avoiding cutting through the cellar
wall. A hinged door the size of another pane of glass may serve as an
outlet for warm air

would greatly improve it as the hot water heater is located in the main
cellar.

One of my neighbors has partitioned off a part of the north
side of his main cellar room with wooden walls filled with sawdust or
planer shavings. To regulate the temperature he admits cold air
through a stovepipe, which, unlike the chute shown in Figure 75, dis-
charges near the floor on the warmest side of the room near his hot-
water house heater. An ordinary smoke damper regulates the inflow
of air. This is a good plan, especially where the partition wall is
large and the balance of the cellar warm.

STORAGE OF FRUITS

97

Such little cellars as mine, while very handy and good are too
small to hold the product of even one full-bearing Apple tree, to say
nothing of vegetables, canned goods, meat, eggs and other supplies
for an ordinary sized family. Since the construction of a storage
cellar beneath a dwelling already erected becomes more and more
undesirable as its size increases, both because of the cost and the
possibility of tainting the air upstairs, it becomes more and more
important, where a larger quantity than a barrel or two of fruits and
vegetables must be kept to have a separate storage building.

Outside or separate storage cellars are almost necessary where
the quantities of fruit and vegetables to be stored are large enough to

Fig. 76. — Style of storage house popular in the South where the temperature does not

go very low

supply a family of four or more from, say, November to March or
April. They are especially desirable on farms since they furnish
inexpensive and convenient facilities for saving surplus crops that
might otherwise spoil. Though they may not have all the advantages
of storage room in the house cellar they excel such rooms in being
more easily chilled and kept cold during long periods. Ry opening
the door, the windows and the ventilators in the evening and closing
them in the morning, whenever the outside temperature is lower than
the inside, the storage room may be kept colder than the day tempera-
ture and the fruit made to keep well. Whenever the day temperature
outside is lower than that inside the cellar the door, windows and
ventilators should also be opened, the idea being to take advantage of
every fall of temperature to lower that of the fruit. This opening
may continue until the outside temperature goes down to, say, 30 to
28 degrees, that is, two to four degrees below freezing point, for Apples
and Pears are not injured by so slight a degree if in close packages and
if the duration of this temperature is only a few hours.

98

HOME FRUIT GROWER

If vegetables and fruit
must be stored under one roof
they should be kept in sep-
arate and insulated compart-
ments, each with its own
ventilators.

CONSTRUCTION OF THE
OUTDOOR STORAGE CELLAR

"As the cellar must be
kept free from moisture and
free from frost," writes Mr.
Beatty, "its type and con-
struction will vary with the
geographical location. In the
South the structure is usually
entirely above ground and
protected by only a few inches
of sod, straw, leaves, etc.
(Fig. 76). In the North out-
door storage cellars are made
almost entirely below ground
and covered with a foot or
two of earth.

"The former may be built on a well-drained site at slight expense.
A row of posts may be set five or six feet apart, extending seven or
eight feet above ground with a ridge pole on top of them. Against
each side of the ridge pole planks or puncheons are placed in a row,
their opposite ends resting in a shallow trench four or five feet from
the line of posts. The ends are boarded up, a door being provided in
one and the roof covered with five or six inches of sod.

"In sections of low temperatures it is necessary to insulate the
storage house to prevent freezing. An above-ground type of house,
popular in the North, has thick walls filled with insulating material
such as sawdust or shavings. The construction is of frame and the
walls are usually ten or twelve inches thick. Both inside and outside
walls are sheathed with matched lumber to make them air-tight.
The rafters are similarly ceiled on the under-side and the space between
the rafters filled with dry insulating material. Building paper in the
roof and walls is of great assistance in insulation. Ventilation is
secured through a flue in the roof and an air inlet in the floor (Fig. 77).
"A type of storage cellar much used in Northern sections is built
partly underground. The masonry walls extend to a point just

Fig. 77. — Floor plan of a simple concrete
storage cellar which may be used for Apples
and other fruits. The floor is of earth, but the
barrels, crates, etc., used as containers, are
set on a slat floor. Bins decay so quickly that
movable receptacles are usually preferable

STORAGE OF FRUITS

99

above the surface of the ground. On these walls plates are set and
a roof of frame construction erected. The roof structure is ceiled on
the under side of the rafters and dry sawdust or shavings packed
in the space between the rafters, and then the sheathing, paper and
roofing material. This type of structure is preferable in many respects
to the above-ground type, as it is easier to maintain the temperature
at the proper point and its insulation is a comparatively easy matter.
"Protection from freezing may be secured with an entirely under-
ground structure. In order to avoid steps down to the level of the
floor, with the consequent extra labor in storing and removing the
vegetables, a side hill location is desirable (Fig. 78). The excavation

Fig. 78.— Outdoor view of a side hill fruit storage house

in the hill should be of the approximate size of the cellar, using the
dirt for covering the roof and for banking the sides. A frame is
erected by setting two rows of posts of uniform height in the bottom
of the pit near the dirt walls and a third line of posts about 5 feet
higher through the center of the pit. These posts serve as supports
for the planks or puncheons forming the roof. The door is placed
at one end and a ventilator in the roof. The whole structure with
the exception of the portion occupied by the door is covered with
dirt and sod. The thickness of the covering must be determined by
the location; the colder the climate the thicker the covering. Out-

100

HOME FRUIT GROWER

Fig. 79. — Longitudinal section of an outdoor storage cellar,

1 2 feet long, built of concrete. The structure may be lengthened

to increase the storage capacity, but additional ventilators

must be provided

side storage cellars usually are left with dirt floors, as a certain degree
of moisture is desirable. These cellars may also be made of concrete,
brick, hollow tile, stone, or other material.

"The type of outdoor storage cellar just described, while low
in first cost, is short lived, as conditions are favorable to decay. The
concrete storage cellar, although higher in first cost, is permanent.
In the construction of a small structure suitable for the home it is
possible to make the roof self-supporting and to employ unskilled labor,
thus lessening the cost. It is a simple matter to waterproof concrete,
a feature highly desirable in a storage cellar.

"The site for the concrete storage cellar should be selected with
the same considerations in mind as for the wood frame cellar, namely,
a well-drained, convenient location, preferably a side hill, into which
it may be built as shown in Figures 79 and 80. The excavation should
be just large enough for the dirt walls to serve as the outside form
for the concrete. For that portion of the wall which is above the
surface of the ground a board form must be used. The inside form
usually is made of boards held in place by scantling spaced about
18 inches apart. Temporary supports should be placed across the
top to carry the form, so that it will be of the size and shape desired.

"The side walls and roof should be so constructed that there
will be no joints to weaken the structure. The form for the ceiling
may be slightly arched by setting a temporary line of posts through
the middle of the excavation. A plate placed on these posts a few

STORAGE OF FRUITS

,,,, „ ., , , 101

inches higher than the height of the side walls will allow the form
boards to be laid crosswise of the cellar, springing the ends down and
securing them to the inside of the walls. An arch a few inches high
makes a strong roof and helps in ventilating the cellar.

"The whole structure, with the exception of the portion occupied
by the door, is covered with earth to prevent freezing, the thickness
of the earth covering depending upon the geographical location. In
the colder sections of the country two or three feet is not too much.
In severely cold weather both the top and bottom air ducts must be
closed. It is well to cover the outside ends of the air inlets with woven
wire to prevent small animals from entering.

STORAGE IN RANKS OR PITS

"Outdoor banks or pits for Apples are constructed as follows:
A well-drained location should be chosen and the product piled on the
surface of the ground; or a shallow excavation made of suitable size
and six or eight inches deep, may be lined with straw, leaves, or similar
material on which the fruit is placed in a conical pile and covered with
straw or similar material and finally with earth to a depth of two or three
inches. As Winter approaches, the dirt covering should be increased
until it is several inches thick. The depth of the earth covering is
determined by the severity of the winters in the particular locality.
It is well to cover the pits with straw, corn fodder, or manure during
severely cold weather.

Fig. 80. — Cross section of concrete storage cellar, showing arrangement of

ventilators, slat floors, and bins, with provision for the circulation of air

under and around the slat floors and bins. This cellar is 10 feet wide and

8 feet high, inside measurement

102 HOME FRUIT GROWER

"The amount of ventilation necessary will depend upon the
size of the pit. Small pits containing but a few bushels of fruit will
receive sufficient ventilation if the straw between the fruit and the
dirt is allowed to extend through the dirt at the apex of the pile. This
should be covered with a board or piece of tin held in place by a stone to
protect it from rain. In larger pits ventilation may be secured by
placing two or three pieces of rough boards or stakes up through the
center of the pile of Apples so that a flue is formed. This flue is capped
by a trough formed of two pieces of board nailed together at right
angles.

"Apples keep well in such pits, but it is difficult to get them out
in cold weather, so that when a pit is opened it is desirable to remove
its entire contents at once."

Even as a boy I never liked the pit storage method because the
fruit always tasted earthy and in Spring had to be used very soon or
it would spoil. The former fault I have been told may be prevented
by constructing a roof of branches or boards to keep the straw and
earth several inches above the fruit so a large air space would be
formed. Be that as it may, I prefer other plans.

For storage in ordinary house cellars, especially ones not as
cold as they should be, Apples and Pears are often wrapped in paper.
We have had good success with this method. It is not necessary to
buy commercial fruit wrappers, handy though these are and even
though they usually cost less than 50 cents a thousand sheets. News-
paper pages cut in four will do for medium-sized Apples, but for large
fruits the sheets should be about a foot square. Each fruit is placed
in the center of a sheet and the paper brought around it. Then the
fruit is put in a box which for convenience in filling is tilted. The boxes
need not be filled as snugly nor as full as for shipment. Those to be
kept longest should be covered and placed in the coolest place in
the cellar — on the floor. Wrapping prevents wilting, reduces changes
of temperature, retards ripening, checks the spread of decay and
disease and prevents bruising.

No matter what plan of storage be adopted it will pay to store
only the good specimens — those not wormy, bruised, decaying (even the
least bit) and free from diseases that may spread in storage and ruin
the fruit. Better err on the safe side and avoid storing any doubtful
specimen, for it is not merely the one specimen that will suffer; all
that touch it may become infected and spoiled.

Grapes may be kept successfully from several weeks to several
months, provided the family appetite will let them. It never did when
I was a boy, but that was because there was too much boy. When-
ever attempts were made the fully ripe clusters were always cut on a

STORAGE OF FRUITS 103

dry day, trimmed clean of defective berries, placed in shallow trays,
boxes or baskets, and stored in a cold but frost-proof room where there
was little movement of the air. Some people pack in clean dry sand,
others in wheat, oats or other cereal, still others in buckwheat hulls,
cork, hardwood sawdust, soft hay, dried lawn clippings, etc. Still
others place the clusters on shelves in an airy room for a few days
then wrap in soft paper, pack one or two, not more than three, layers
deep in cardboard boxes and store in a cool, dry room.

Another Canadian method is as follows: Naturally long keeping
varieties are chosen for storing. The berries must adhere well to the
stems and not be subject to shrivelling. The longer they remain on
the vines without being frosted the better. They are gathered in
clear, dry weather, placed one layer deep in shallow trays or spread on
tables in a room kept open in dry, clear weather but closed at night
and in damp weather. In two weeks or perhaps less when the stems
have shriveled enough to resist mold, the fruit is carefully cleaned
of defective berries and laid on storage trays piled to any convenient
height, the top one being covered. A crack of one-eighth inch between
trays is necessary for ventilation. A dry, cold, but frost-proof room,
will hold the best keepers until Midwinter or later. Among varieties
that have been kept in good condition by this method until Thanks-
giving Day are Lady Washington, Worden, Delaware and Concord;
until New Year's Day, Duchess, Barry, Agawam, Massasoit; till Mid-
January or later, Salem, Catawba, Vergennes, Wilder and Gaertner.

Pears should always be gathered when they will separate easily
by gentle lifting, not pulling, from the tree, without breaking either
the stem or the fruit spur. This may be a week to two weeks before
they would become ripe on the tree. A dry, well-ventilated but not
drafty, room or a clothes closet is excellent and will supply best con-
ditions for final ripening. Where too many are secured for such
quarters they may be placed on trays or wrapped in paper and packed
in boxes and stored in a cool, dry room. Winter Pears may be stored
like Winter Apples, except that a week or more before they are to be
eaten as many as will be needed should be moved to warmer quarters
for the final ripening mentioned above.

Quinces may be stored like Winter Apples successfully until
Christmas; usually, however, they are used soon after gathering.

CHAPTER XI

The Various Species of Fruits

Apricot — Apple — Crab Apples — Barberry — Blackberry — Buffalo Berry
— Cherry — Cranberry — Currant — Cydonia, or Japan Quince — Elder-
berry — Fig — Gooseberry — Goumi — Grape — Huckleberry and
Blueberries — Japonica — Juneberry — Loganberry — Loquat or Biwa —
Mulberry — Nectarine — Papaw — Peach — Pear — Persimmon — Plum
Species and Varieties — Pomegranate — Quince — Raspberries — Sand
Cherry — Strawberry — Viburnum — Wineberry —

APRICOT

THE Apricot is sadly neglected as a family orchard fruit. This
is regrettable, first, because the early varieties begin to ripen
fully six weeks before really good Peaches, and second, because
Apricot flavors are different from those of every other fruit.

One reason why this tree is so little planted east of the Rocky
Mountains is that people have formed their opinions of the fruit from
the supplies shipped East from California. This is unfortunate be-
cause the varieties growing there for shipping are not of the best
dessert quality and also because the fruits when gathered are imma-
ture. If these same commercial varieties could be eaten when fully
ripe and fresh from the trees in California the Eastern prejudice

Fig. 81.— Apricots well grown set fruit like this every year

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS 105

against the Apricot would largely disappear and if the choicer
kinds could then be tasted the judgment would probably be in
favor of planting at least a tree each of several varieties for family
use.

A more direct but also erroneous reason why the Apricot is less
planted in the East than it should be is the belief that the tree is not
hardy. This belief is based on the experiences of people who have
planted the trees where they should never have been set, namely,
in warm positions — eastern, south-eastern and southern slopes, or
near buildings or walls that face these directions. The result is the
premature swelling of the blossoms with the almost inevitable result
of injury by a cold snap during bloom or shortly after the fruit was set.
The coldest and least exposed site — a northern or western slope should
always be selected for the Apricot, because the opening of the buds will
thus be retarded and the danger of frost damage much more fre-
quently avoided. An eastern wall should always be avoided because
if the buds are very cold or frost-bitten the early morning sun will
prevent their recovering as they might on a western or a northern
wall.

When planted on rich, deep, well-drained soils the tree is as
hardy as the Peach and almost as reliable a cropper. To have the
surface few inches of soil dry is not enough; the subsoil must be
dry too. Apricots are almost sure to die when planted where the
subsoil is wet. When there is no choice as to soils it is desirable to
buy trees budded on Plum roots if the soil is at all heavy and hard
to drain and on hard-shelled Almond or Peach roots when the soil
is light and porous. In general the Plum stock is the more popular;
while the Peach root seems to make a better union, the Plum produces
a hardier, longer-lived tree and one almost immune to borer attack.
Apricots on Peach roots must be "wormed" every Fall just as if they
were Peaches.

Another, now needless, cause of failure is the curculio which is
especially partial to the fruit. Rut this is easily controlled by thorough
spraying and by confining chickens around the trees from the time
the flowers open till the fruit has been gathered. As the foliage is
sensitive the spray formula should be two pounds of arsenate of lead
to each 50 gallons of self-boiled lime-sulphur, first when the calyces fall,
second two or three weeks later.

Pruning is practically the same as with the Plum. The bloom
buds are borne partly like the Peach — two with a leaf bud between —
on last season's wood and partly on spurs. Unless severely thinned
the fruits are likely to be small and inferior and the trees are almost
sure to bear only in alternate years.

106 HOME FRUIT GROWER

LEADING VARIETIES
BREDA EARLY. Small to medium. Orange with reddish cheek. Flesh

orange, rich and high flavored. Freestone. Sweet kernel. Tree hardy

and very prolific.
EARLY GOLDEN. Small, pale orange; flesh orange; fairly juicy, sweet and

good flavored; kernel sweet. Freestone. A week or more earlier than

Moorpark.

HARRIS EARLY. Medium, bright yellow, red cheek, juicy, good. Tree
hardy and prolific.

MOORPARK. Old standard of Apricot excellence. Unrivalled in quality.
Round, often over two inches in diameter. Orange with brownish red
cheek, dotted. Flesh orange, firm, juicy, rich, luscious. Parts freely from
the stone which is perforated along the back. Kernel bitter. Usually
ripens unevenly. Tree rather tender, bears irregularly. Should be
first choice for family orchard.

PEACH. Often two inches in diameter. Yellow, orange and brown
mottled in sun. Ripens rapidly just before Moorpark. Flesh yellow,
juicy, rich, high flavored. Stone resembles Moorpark. Kernel bitter.

ROMAN EARLY. Medium, pale yellow with few red dots; flesh fine grained,
rather juicy, good flavored. Kernel bitter. Tree prolific.

ROYAL. Fairly large. Dull yellow with reddish cheek; flesh pale orange,
firm, slightly subacid, juicy, high flavored. Freestone. A week earlier
than Moorpark.

ST. AMBROISE. Large, early; yellow with reddish cheek. Flesh firm,
juicy, sugary, rich.

(Russian varieties are reputed hardier than the others mentioned. They are
considered inferior in quality. Leaders offered by nurserymen are
ALEXANDER. ALEXIS, and BUDD.)

LEADING CALIFORNIA APRICOTS.
BLENHEIM OR SHIPLEY. Rather large, orange, juicy, fairly rich. Good

grower and prolific cropper. Follows Royal.
HEMSKIRKE. Follows Royal. Orange with red cheek. "More juicy and

sprightly than Moorpark with rich, luscious plum-like flavor" —

Downing. Kernel bitter. Hardier, earlier, more regular cropper

than Moorpark.
MOORPARK. Described above.
NEWCASTLE. Freestone. Smaller, less rich, higher colored and three

weeks earlier than Royal. Good regular cropper.
PEACH. Described above.
ROYAL. Described above.
TILTON. Regular, prolific bearer, large. Freestone. Ten days after Royal.

Colors prematurely; hence maybe picked too soon for best quality.

APPLE

No tree fruit is so universally popular, has developed so many var-
ieties, is so extensively grown, is prepared for the table in so many
ways or is so frequent a subject for poetry and song as the Apple.

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS

107

Everyone enjoys it, its varieties run into the thousands and according
to a pamphlet published by the Apple Advertisers of America (a now
extinct organization) it may be prepared in 197 ways for the table, to
say nothing of cider, vinegar, and other products not strictly culinary.
To quote a few lines from Fruitful Reflections, by Florence Ferguson
Branch:

"... When Winter's comin' on

And Summer's flowers and heat are gone,

Ripe Apples growin' on a tree

Of your own plantin' — seems to me

There's nothin' in this world so fine.

"There is no nectar anywhere,
No ambrosia to compare
With Apple juice — and Apple pie
And Apple-jack — sh-sh-sh, Kansas is 'dry' —
I guess we'll stop at Apple pie.
That's good enough — just ap-ple-pie."

The quality of an Apple variety, perhaps more than of any other
fruit, must be judged by the use to be made of the fruit. For dessert
the Apples should be of medium size, good color, regular form and the
flesh fine grained, rich, aromatic and more or less "sprightly" or
"vinous." Except, perhaps, for certain culinary purposes, extra large
and coarse-fleshed varieties are attractive only to boys and undis-

Fig. 82. — The swing bale basket and the collapsible crate are convenient recep-
tacles for Apples. This style of basket should be lined with burlap because of the
angles on the wood

108 HOME FRUIT GROWER

criminating grown-ups. Best cooking Apples should be decidedly more
acid and more pronounced in flavor than the dessert kinds, because
heat dissipates part of the acid and the volatile oils upon which flavor
depends. They should be capable of cooking evenly to a tender, not
necessarily "mushy," consistency. For cider it is customary to use the
cull fruit, but a product of finer quality may be made from fruit of
the tart varieties rather than the sweet ones.

The Apple will thrive on practically all well-drained soils except
very dry and sandy ones. It does best on strong and heavy loams.
"A deep, strong, gravelly, marly, or clayey loam, or a strong sandy
loam on a gravelly subsoil, produces the greatest crops and the highest
flavored fruit, as well as the utmost longevity of the trees."

In the southern half of the United States the trees will generally
do best when planted on western or northern slopes so as to reduce the
effect of the Summer sun; in the northern hah" and in Canada other
aspects may be preferred.

In planting Apple trees always remember that you are making
an investment for at least two generations and that, therefore, the
conditions for dividends in the form of crops must be made as favor-
able as possible. First, place the trees far apart. While varieties
differ in their spread and in their height it is wiser and safer to exceed
the maximum distance between trees than to approach the minimum;
for trees so liberally treated will be far lower-headed and therefore
more easy to prune, spray, etc., than closer set trees. The space
between may be utilized while the trees are small, as already sug-
gested. (Page 34).

APPLE VARIETIES TO COVER THE WHOLE SEASON
(Arranged in relative order of their beginning to ripen, from

Midsummer to Midwinter, the season of each extending from two

or three weeks, mostly with early kinds, to three or four months, mainly

with the late ones).

MIDSUMMER

EARLY HARVEST. Pale yellow, medium sized, tart, tender fleshed, good
dessert or cooking variety, highly valued by hornets, wasps — and boys!
Fruit scabs badly unless sprayed well. Tree moderately good grower
and fairly long lived. Almost an annual cropper.

PRIMATE. Medium sized, pale yellow or whitish, often pink cheeked.
One of the earliest really good dessert kinds. Ripens during long season
-^-sometimes eight weeks. Tree good grower, reliable biennial, some-
times annual, bearer; rather tender in some sections, but generally
thrifty, fairly long lived and productive.

SWEET BOUGH. One of the choicest sweet Apples. The yellow, luscious
fruits ripen unevenly during four to six weeks. Tree rather precocious,
long lived, but in unfavorable locations sometimes injured by cold and
canker.

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS 109

YELLOW TRANSPARENT. Medium sized, yellow, excellent for cooking
while immature, but too tart for eating until fully ripe. Tree remark-
ably precocious, fairly vigorous, hardy, healthy, but sometimes suffers
from fire blight.

LATE SUMMER

BENONI. Beautiful little red, high quality, dessert variety. Tree a
fairly precocious, biennial bearer.

EARLY JOE. Small to medium, red striped, dessert variety. Tree slow
growing but rather precocious, fairly long lived; generally bears bi-
ennially. For an early variety the fruit hangs well on the tree.

EARLY STRAWBERRY. Very beautiful, small, deep red, dessert variety,
useful also for cooking. Unless well managed often undersized and
imperfect. Tree precocious, almost annual bearer, hardy, healthy.

RED ASTRACHAN. Beautiful red, medium sized, tart, culinary variety,
specially fine for pies and jelly; when fully ripe and well grown good for
dessert. Tree good grower, medium sized, long lived, precocious,
almost an annual bearer of good to heavy crops. Fruit hangs well till
ripe, but ripens unevenly.

WILLIAMS. Beautiful red, medium to large, rather dry fleshed. Needs
thinning and several pickings. Tree only fairly sturdy, precocious and
a reliable, almost annual cropper, when well handled.

EARLY FALL
CHENANGO (Sherwood's Favorite). Beautiful red striped, elongated.

Unless well sprayed much subject to rotting on the tree. Trees bear

young and annually. They are healthy ^ hardy and fairly long lived.

Delicious dessert variety.
KESWICK (English Godlin). Medium to large, yellow, tart, cooking.

Tree sturdy, vigorous, hardy, healthy, long lived, bears young; fair to

very good; crops almost yearly.
OLDENBURG (Duchess). Handsome red striped, cooking. Ripens for

several weeks. Tree wonderfully hardy, vigorous at first but rather

slow growing when once in full bearing. Does well on clayey soils.

Very precocious, reliable, biennial, often almost annual, cropper. Fruit

hangs well on trees properly managed.
PORTER. Elongated, mostly yellow, rather tart dessert and culinary.

Tree vigorous, hardy, compact, precocious, fairly regular biennial

cropper.

ST. LAWRENCE. Large, handsome red striped, very juicy, dessert. Pre-
cedes Fameuse which it somewhat resembles. Tree hardy, fairly

strong grower, generally healthy, fairly long lived, reliable biennial,

good to heavy cropper.
SUMMER RAMBO. A prominent southern Pennsylvania general purpose

fruit. Tree strong grower, bears young, moderately to liberally and

almost annually.

MID-FALL

BLENHEIM. Large to very large, red striped yellow, dessert or cooking
variety, mid-Fall to early Winter, sometimes later. Drops badly and
unless well managed produces many culls.

110 HOME FRUIT GROWER

Cox ORANGE. One of the choicest English varieties. Fruit red and
yellow, medium size. Tree fair grower. Excellent as a dwarf.

FALL PIPPIN. Large, yellow, tender-fleshed dessert and culinary variety.
Mid-Fall to early Winter, but often difficult to keep late. Unless well
sprayed likely to scab. Tree strong grower, hardy and very long lived ;
very large with age.

FAMEUSE (Snow). One of the choicest dessert Apples. Excellent for
jelly but poor for cooking. Very subject to scab. Tree medium size,
fair grower, hardy, healthy, rather long lived, reliable biennial, almost
annual cropper.

GRAVENSTETN. Splendid red striped, dessert fruit, but unrivalled in its
season, if at any time, for cooking. Tree not fully hardy or healthy in
some sections; bears rather young and is a fairly reliable cropper. Fruit
should be picked several times.

MAIDEN'S BLUSH. Lemon yellow variety with beautiful crimson cheek.
Flesh white, acid, juicy, excellent for cooking. Tree good grower,
hardy, fairly long lived, rather precocious and almost an annual bearer
of good to full crops. Fruit drops badly on light soils.

MOTHER. Medium sized red, tender fleshed, aromatic dessert. Tree
rather small, subject to trunk and root troubles; slow to begin
bearing and only moderately productive biennially.

WEALTHY. Bright red, medium sized, general purpose. Trees precocious,
famous for hardiness, but as they age they are prone to bear much
undersized fruit, especially when overloaded. Two or more pickings
advisable, because crop ripens unevenly.

LATE FALL

BLACK GILLIFLOWER. A very pointed, often dark reddish purple aro-
matic dessert fruit not acid enough for cooking. Apt to become
mealy when fully ripe. Yields clean fruit regularly and well on good
soil.

GRIMES (Golden). Rich color, excellent flavor, medium size. Poor
keeper. Productive but usually biennially. A leading western Mary-
land variety. Tree subject to trunk and root troubles.

HUBBARDSTON. Excellent, but rather large for dessert. Bears young and
very heavily but almost biennially. Trunk somewhat tender in severe
Winters and susceptible to canker.

LOUISE. Somewhat resembles Fameuse and Mclntosh in flavor and
Maiden's Blush in skin, but is a late Fall to Midwinter sort. Tree hardy,
healthy, fairly precocious and moderately productive annually.

MC.INTOSH. Beautiful rich red, medium sized, delicious, tender fleshed
dessert Apple similar to Fameuse, which it follows in season. Tree
strong, hardy, healthy. A somewhat slow grower and sometimes not
very productive, though usually fairly precocious and almost an annual
cropper.

PECK (Pleasant). Yellow blushed dessert fruit of best quality. Tree
often shy bearer, though sometimes prolific; somewhat subject to root
and trunk troubles. Unless well sprayed fruit often undersized and
ill-shapen.

POMME GRISE. A little russet of highest dessert quality. Specially fine
in the St. Lawrence valley and other cold sections. Distinctly a home

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS 111

fruit. Tree hardy, healthy, long lived and fairly prolific. Fruit hangs
late.

SMOKEHOUSE. Prominent in southern Pennsylvania. Often poorly and
unattractively colored. Excellent dessert variety but scarcely acid
enough for cooking. Tree vigorous, healthy, hardy; alternating large
and moderate crops; bears young. Needs interior branch trimming.
Fruit hangs well. Subject to scab.

STAYMAN WINESAP. Delicious red Apple, but rather large for dessert.
Largely planted in sou them Pennsylvania, western Maryland and
adjacent sections. Growers complain that the fruit "water cores"
and the tree is not robust.

TOLMAN (Sweet). Medium sized, yellow, sweet fruit, popular for spicing
and baking. Tree sturdy, long lived, fairly precocious, reliable but
usually moderate biennial, or almost annual, cropper.

TOMPKINS KING. Beautiful large red and yellow streaked fruit of excellent
quality for dessert and cooking, especially baking. Tree often a shy
bearer, subject to trunk and root troubles, short lived. Fruit drops
badly; is especially subject to coddling moth ("worms") and "water
core."

WAGENER. At its best a fruit of surpassing excellence and beauty for
dessert — rich flavor, fine grain and beautiful blush red. Tree vigorous
and upright at first but later becoming weak and too branchy. Pre-
cocious bearer and while healthy a reliable almost annual cropper,
often overbears.

EARLY WINTER

BALDWIN. Bright red medium-sized fruit of fair quality when well grown.
Keeps till Spring. Leading commercial culinary variety from Massa-
chusetts to Michigan. Tree slow to reach maturity and apt to bear
sparingly in alternate years. Fruit subject to a physiological defect,
unsightly brown flecks in the flesh.

ESOPUS (Spitzenburg). Standard of excellence among early Winter
Apples, both for dessert and cooking. Variable in keeping quality in
different sections and seasons. Very susceptible to scab and canker.
Fairly regular but often light yielder.

EWALT. Clear yellow blushed, large fruit, too acid for dessert but excellent
for cooking, especially baking. Tree rather shy bearer. Popular in
southwestern Pennsylvania.

JONATHAN. Beautiful brilliant red, highly flavored dessert fruit but
variable in size. On fertile soil trees bear young and abundantly, but
usually biennially.

NORTHERN SPY. When well grown, one of the best Winter Apples. Large,
bright red, crisp, juicy, tender. Excellent culinary and dessert variety
through Winter. Trees erect, large, slow to bear but long lived;
reliable biennial, sometimes almost annual, cropper. Very leafy trees
yield many poor, often inedible specimens.

RAMBO. Prominent general purpose southern Pennsylvania variety.
Excellent when well grown but variable in size and quality, especially
on old trees and on heavy soils. Because the wood is brittle breakage
is common unless the fruit is thinned.

RHODE ISLAND (Greening). Prominent culinary and fair dessert variety
from Massachusetts to Michigan. Tree rather slow to start bearing,

112 HOME FRUIT GROWER

but long lived, large, very spreading; needs extra space; when well
handled almost an annual cropper. Needs interior thinning of branches
to admit light.

SUTTON. Beautiful red, fine flavored dessert fruit. Follows Hubbardston-
Trees vigorous, usually biennial croppers. Reported remarkably
healthy in some sections but susceptible to fungous diseases in others.

SWAAR. Specially delicious home variety. Trees often attacked by root
and trunk troubles. In some sections shy biennial bearer; in others
heavy croppers annually. They require deep, rich sandy loam to pro-
duce best. Damp and cold soils are unsuitable.

SWAZIE. Equal if not superior to Pomme Grise, from which it differs
in being more elongated and yellower. Trees not very vigorous.

WINTER BANANA. Large, yellow blushed, aromatic dessert. Too mild
for cookery. Tree fair grower, bears young and almost annually;
crops usually fair to large. Resembles Maiden's Blush but larger.

YELLOW BELLFLOWER. Large when well grown; often small otherwise.
Tart but popular for dessert. Excellent for cooking. Scabs and bruises
badly, hence the need of thorough spraying and careful handling. Tree
sturdy, fairly hardy, healthy and long lived, but only moderate cropper.
Thrives best on warm, well-drained soils.

MIDWINTER

GOLDEN RUSSET. Famous for long keeping — till mid or late Spring.
Medium size. Fruit hangs well on trees till loosened by frost. Hard
to pick because borne largely on branch tips. Excellent for dessert and
cooking. Nearly an annual cropper.

NEWT o WN (Albermarle Pippin). Two forms, Yellow and Green. Superlative
quality. Trees bear young but usually biennially. Fruit hangs well
on tree. Susceptible to scab, especially on clay soils. Unless well
cultivated and sprayed, likely to be wormy and small.

ROXBURY (Russet). Very popular Russet in Northern and cold sections.
Varies greatly in size and appearance in different sections. Wonderful
keeper — till late Spring or early Summer. On rich soil the tree bears
full crops biennially; on poor ones it is unsatisfactory.

STARK. A very productive, hardy, healthy, thrifty, reliable bearer of
smooth red though often poorly colored fruit that keeps well till late
Spring. Though not of highest quality, superior to Baldwin, which it
surpasses as a keeper. Succeeds well where Baldwin thrives.

WINESAP. One of the most popular American Apples, especially in the
Alleghanys from Pennsylvania southward to North Carolina. Usually
small, dark red, very firm and fine grained. Midwinter to early
Summer. Tree vigorous but not rank, bears young and practically
every year. Succeeds best on deep, light, rich soils, not on heavy or
damp ones.

CRAB APPLES

EXCELSIOR. Large for a Crab, beautiful red; excellent for dessert or
cooking. Season early Fall. Tree sturdy, healthy, precocious biennial,
heavy cropper.

FLORENCE. Medium sized, pink and yellow fruit of good quality. More
prolific and attractive, but not superior in quality to Martha. Trees
bear young and abundantly, usually in alternate years.

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS 113

HYSLOP. Large, brilliant dark red with purple bloom, clustered. Tree
hardy, good grower, reliable biennial, almost annual, cropper. One of
the best-known and widely grown Grabs.

MARTHA. Large, handsome yellow and red, excellent quality. Tree
fairly sturdy, very hardy, precocious, almost a regular annual, good to
heavy cropper. Fruit hangs well to the twigs.

TRANSCENDENT. Rather large, red and yellow streaked; excellent culinary
variety. Precedes Hyslop. Tree good grower — spreading, hardy, very
productive, almost annually.

WHITNEY. Large yellow and red late Summer Grab; very popular in the
Northwest. Good for dessert and excellent for cooking. Tree vigor-
ous, precocious, very productive.

BARBERRY

Among the many species of Rarberries grown for ornament the
"common," not the Japanese, one is of interest for its scarlet fruits
which ripen in late Autumn and hang on the bushes until Spring
unless eaten before that time by birds. These berries, while too
acid to eat raw, make an ornamental pickle useful for garnishing, an
acceptable though rather seedy preserve and an excellent jelly of
peculiarly brilliant color and distinct tart flavor. The plant will
grow in any well-drained soil and with no attention except the occasional
removal of failing stems in the interior of the bushes.

BLACKBERRY

The Blackberry is nature's barbed-wire entanglement. Of all
the untamable, obstinate, "sot-in-its-way," fruit plants it is generalis-
simo. With rare and trivial aberrations of purpose it has refused to
part with its needle-like spines and it similarly refuses to spare any
mortal who attempts undue familiarity with it. The only two safe
ways to handle it are to wear mediaeval armor and to keep a safe
distance away from it! For it seems to take delight in finding vulner-
able spots and stabbing, grabbing and tearing human flesh when
least expected.

Then why give such an unappreciative, distrustful, vindictive
plant a place in the home garden among docile, self-respecting fruit
and vegetable society? Let the following conversation supply the
answer.

One of my city friends who has recently moved to the suburbs
was asking me about the kinds of fruits to plant in his garden. When
I came to Blackberry he said neither he nor his family liked them.
Then he remarked that very few people of his acquaintance enjoy them
and asked why I recommended them.

"City bred people," I replied, "have never eaten any but the
unripe, day old or older, fruit they get at the groceries. In order

114 HOME FRUIT GROWER

to reach the market at all this fruit must be picked while still firm,
which means unripe, for if picked when fully mature it would be a
mass of juiceless mush after the ordinary trip to town by express or
fast freight. At least a day, often two or three, must elapse before the
fruit is finally served. Unripe Blackberries do not ripen in transit;
they deteriorate from the moment they are picked. Then if they are
of a poor variety to start with, as most market varieties are, is it any
wonder 'so few people like Blackberries' ? But if you will grow
only the choicest varieties and if you will gather only those juicy,
fully ripe fruits that drop, off the bushes with scarcely more than a
touch and if you will immediately serve them you will forget the prickly
embraces of the bushes and be willing to concede that there certainly
are compensations.

"Every home," I continued, "should have its Blackberry patch
to appease the family appetite — no easy task if the berries are gathered
in the pink — or rather the black — of perfection. Why, man, when
the gods invented the terms 'nectar' and 'ambrosia' it was while the
delectable flavor of fully ripe Blackberries and powdered sugar (I'm
not sure about the sugar!) lingered on their palates. You simply must
have enough plants, a score, or at least a dozen, to live like the gods as
long as the season lasts."

"But," he said, "I've heard that Blackberries will take possession
of the place. Is that true ?"

"Yes, if they're neglected. But so will many other plants. If
you will pull up, while they are small, the suckers that appear where
they are not wanted instead of waiting until they have become woody
and then cutting them you'll have no difficulty in confining the plants
to the area and you will also prevent having the ground full of Black-
berry cane stumps from which new canes are sure to develop."

Blackberries of various kinds will succeed well in almost all soil
and temperate climate conditions, except the coldest, where, however,
by Winter protection even the only semi-hardy ones may be grown
successfully. Wherever the Peach will stand the Winter, Blackberries
will also. In hot, dry regions, unless irrigated, both the plants and the
fruits are inferior. The best soils for this plant are cool, deep, mellow
loams well supplied with decaying vegetable matter. Sandy and
gravelly soils are generally too warm but may be cooled and kept more
moist by mulching with straw, corn-stalks, leaves or other loose
material. Wet soils are decidedly unfavorable. Drainage, however,
may make them suitable. If the soil is naturally rich it will not
be necessary to fertilize very much. Manure must be used with
caution as it tends to make long, sappy growths which are often killed
by Winter and are less productive than sturdier, more stocky ones.

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS

115

Where mulches are not used
the essential vegetable matter
may be supplied by cover
crops, the legumes used with
caution to prevent getting so
much nitrogenous matter that
the growths might become
rank.

Blackberry and Red Rasp-
berry plants naturally propa-
gate from suckers which may
develop whenever a root be-
comes injured in any way for
instance, by tillage. The losses
among plants so produced,
often in amateur hands, reach
a high per cent., in spite of
apparently good care in plant-
ing. It is claimed by many
nurserymen and practical

Fig. 83. — Blackberry before Spring-pruning

growers that plants produced from root cuttings, though 10 to
25 per cent, more costly, are far more successful than sucker plants.
Still more expensive — perhaps 50 per cent, more, on the average —
but also more satisfactory in amateur hands, are the plants produced
from transplanted root-cutting plants — two seasons old when sold —
because they are surer to grow and may be expected to produce some
fruit the first season.

When plants are set closer than four by seven feet they are likely
to become too crowded when three or four years old. Five by eight
or nine feet is better. As this may be extravagant of space in the
home garden the plan of placing the plants three or four feet from the
fence is a good one provided the suckers are kept pujled on all sides.

The plants may be set six or seven inches deep with a spade.
During the first year vegetables may be grown in and near the Black-
berry rows. The second year none but early maturing vegetables
such as Lettuce, Radishes, Onion Sets and Spinach should be grown
so the Blackberries will not be robbed of plant food and moisture.

Every year as each desired cane reaches a height of 18 to 24
inches its tip should be pinched to make it grow short, stocky and
low-branched and to avoid the expense of trellising. While commercial
growers often have five or six fruiting canes to a plant, two to four are
better for home use because the fruit will be larger and of higher
quality. Since the earliest canes to develop are usually the best the

116

HOME FRUIT GROWER

later ones should be pulled as they appear, thus throwing all the food
and energy into the chosen ones.

Blackberries, like Raspberries and Dewberries, have a perennial
"crown" from which the best "canes" are developed. These canes
become branchy and woody by Fall (Fig. 83). A few varieties
occasionally produce some berries on these young canes late in the
season. I have had Kittatinny berries from such canes in October —
two months after the older canes had finished bearing. The main
crop is not borne until the following season.

In the Spring of each year the branches on the canes are shortened,
(Fig. 84), the amount depending on the fruit-bearing habit of the
variety. The branches of varieties that bear their fruit close to
the main cane may be shortened in rare cases to only eight or even
six inches. But to cut as closely as this, other varieties which bear
far from the main cane would be to destroy the fruiting parts. Until
the habit of the variety is learned the safest way is to leave the branches
15 or 18 inches long at first and make a second shortening a joint or
two beyond the outermost flower clusters when these appear. No
fruit can usually be counted upon the season the sucker and root
cutting plants are set and only a small amount the following year.
The third year is the first when liberal fruitage should begin. Trans-
planted plants bear the first year.
With proper care a plantation
should continue productive for
about ten years, but when the canes
begin to be spindly and the fruit
small a new plantation should be
started

After the crop has been gath-
ered every old cane should be cut
close to the ground, because from
that time forward it is a menace
to the well-being of the younger
canes since it is prone to become
infested by disease and insects.
Besides, it will die anyway during
the Winter. So the sooner it is
removed the better.

Tender varieties must be pro-
tected during Winter or the canes
may be killed back to the ground.

Fig. 84. -Blackberry after Spring- Hard7 ones may suffer more or
pruning less in their imperfectly ripened

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS 117

branches and canes. Hence another reason for preventing the de-
velopment of any but the earliest canes. The popular method of
protection is practised as follows:

Late in the Fall, but before the ground freezes, earth is removed
from two sides of the first hill or crown. Then the canes in this hill are
bent over with a manure fork across one of the excavations, towards the
starting end of the row. They are next covered with soil taken mainly
from beside the second plant, which in turn is bent down so its canes
perhaps overlap the first hill and so on till the whole hill is covered.
Sometimes straw is used instead of earth, but it demands more work
and is no better. Canes that break or split rarely survive the Winter.
In Spring when the buds begin to swell, the earth must be removed, the
canes straightened and the earth replaced around the crowns.

Most commercial plantations are tilled very shallow and kept
clean until the berries begin to turn black. After harvest one shallow
cultivation is given and a cover crop sown. Recause the Rlackberry
produces roots near the surface the tillage must always be shallow
to avoid injuring the plants and inducing the formation of suckers.
Heavy mulching after the first or second Summer of clean tillage is
recommended by some growers who claim that they get larger and
superior flavored fruit thereby. For home gardens the latter plan
seems to be specially adapted.

RLACKBERRY AND DEWBERRY VARIETIES

AUSTIN IMPROVED. A hardy, vigorous, healthy Dewberry which ripens
its large high quality berries fully a week earlier than Lucretia. Earli-
est of all.

RLOWERS. An erect variety noted for hardiness, great prolificacy, large,
luscious, fine-flavored fruit and long season of bearing — often July, to
October.

ELDORADO. A hardy mid and short season, medium-sized, productive,
sweet variety of good flavor.

ERIE. An early, vigorous, hardy, large-berried, productive variety of only
moderate quality.

ICEHERG. Notable because of its so-called "white" fruits which are said
to be large and sweet. The plant while very productive is not fully
hardy. Mine all died the first Winter they had a chance. They were
not protected.

JOY. A new mid-season variety more highly praised by the introducer
than usual. Plant said to be stocky, vigorous, healthy, highly prolific,
exceedingly hardy; fruit large, jet black, rich, luscious. One of my
friends addicted to fruit-testing but not to exclamation points and super-
latives declares it to be the best variety growing on his place. Mr.
Leonard Rarron, editor of the "Garden Magazine," told me, "It knocks
everything we've ever grown on our dry soil at Garden Gityr"

KITTATINNY. This late, large-fruited, prolific but somewhat tender variety
has stood at the quality head of the variety list for over 50 years. In a

118 HOME FRUIT GROWER

recent home test of six varieties — Snyder, Erie, Taylor, Eldorado and
Blowers — fifteen out of sixteen people who sampled the freshly gathered
fruits without knowing the identification of any one chose Kittatinny
as the most delicious.

LUCRETIA. For more than 20 years the leading Dewberry because of its
hardiness, prolificacy and large, very early, moderately high quality
berries. Being a trailer this variety must be staked or trellised.

MERCEREAU. A medium-sized fruit of excellent quality borne liberally
on vigorous, hardy canes.

RATHBUN. A hardy, erect growing but rather dwarf plant which produces
very few suckers, but, like the black Raspberry, roots at the tips of
the young canes. Fruit very large, juicy, sweet and high flavored.

SNYDER. Too small and of too poor quality for the home garden.

TAYLOR. An old, very hardy, late, productive variety which bears medium -
sized, fine-flavored fruit.

WACHUSETT THORNLESS (often listed under each of these names used
separately), being practically spineless and remarkably hardy is fairly
popular with amateurs, but unless carefully managed it is not very
prolific and the berries, though of good flavor, are inclined to be small.

WARD. A remarkably sturdy, prolific and hardy descendant of the
Kittatinny, with large, melting, high quality, handsome berries.

WILSON. A strong growing but rather tender highly prolific variety which
bears very early, very luscious sweet berries.

BUFFALO BERRY

In the Northern Prairie States, adjacent Canada and southward
to New Mexico, grows a handsome six- to twenty-foot wild shrub with
silvery foliage and red or yellow berries. Within the past ten or fifteen
years Western nurserymen have been offering plants for home plan-
tations of this shrub.

As the species is dioecious — that is, has "male" and "female"
flowers on separate plants — it is important to plant some of each in
order to get fruit. The male plant never bears fruit and the female
must have the male near by so pollen will fertilize the flowers. A
satisfactory proportion is one male to four or five female plants.

The wild fruits differ considerably in size, season and quality;
the cultivated varieties have been selected or bred from the best wild
plants. Some varieties are sprightly and good enough to eat raw.
Generally they are considered better after being frosted. Another
advantage of frosting is that less sugar is needed for making the delicious
jelly for which they are noted. Unfortunately the plant is so thorny
that gathering the fruit is more unpleasant than gathering Gooseberries.
But in sections of the country where fruits are hard to grow because
of the cold the Buffalo Berry deserves a place. Prof. N. E. Hansen
has conducted experiments with this fruit. His writings upon it have
been published by the South Dakota Experiment Station.

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS

119

Wild plants do not transplant very well. Therefore it is best
to get nursery grown ones. Seedlings are easy to grow from seed
washed free from the ripe pulp and stored underground in the garden
till Spring. But since one must wait till these produce blossom buds
to recognize the sex it is better to rely upon the nurseries for plants.
During the Winter male plants may be recognized by their dense
clusters of rounded blossom buds; and female by their fewer, smaller,
flatter and more slender ones. The plants need no special kind of soil
or method of cultivation.

CHERRY

With the exception of a few little-grown varieties of American
origin, cultivated Cherries (Fig. 85) have originated from Old World

Fig. 85.— "She can make a Cherry pie" with fruit like this!

species. They range in acidity from Morellos, which have very
tart, reddish juice, and Amarelles, which have less tart, colorless juice,
both originating from one species, to the sweet, soft-fleshed hearts and
the firm-fleshed Bigarreaus originating from the other. Besides these
there are the Dukes which being hybrids of sweet and sour partake
of the nature of each, their fruit blending the tartness of the sour with
the sweetness of the sweet in sub-acid fruits. The sour varieties are

120 HOME FRUIT GROWER

mostly too tart to eat raw until very ripe. The sweets are often
considerably thinned out, before fully matured, by birds and boys.

Of the two main groups the sour is by far the more cosmopolitan.
It is. grown from Newfoundland to British Columbia and in almost, if
not all, of the United States and it thrives in a wider range of climates
— cold, hot, dry — and soils than perhaps any other tree fruit. The
sweet varieties are more fastidious as to temperature, humidity and
soils, are less hardy, more subject to insect and fungous attack. But
regret on these accounts would not prevent my planting them in my
home orchard unless I knew them to be a failure in the neighborhood.
Even then I'd be tempted to risk planting a few. Sweet Cherries are
the earliest of our Northern tree fruits; they begin to bear while young,
produce fruit each year, and because freshly picked, ripe, home-grown
Cherries are wonderfully superior to those picked even the day before,
they should be in every home plantation.

Among the hundreds of varieties cultivated to some extent in
America are many which in some one respect may be better than
the sixteen listed on following pages, but for one or more reasons they
are less desirable or more difficult to grow to perfection, or they are
not usually carried by nurserymen. While the ones discussed are
among the most adaptable and otherwise desirable, they (especially
the sweet ones) may be disappointing in the South and in the Prairie
States, for there Cherries often do much more poorly than in other
parts of the country. In these less favored sections, therefore, the
sour varieties should be chosen first as the more reliable and the sweet
ones tried with caution.

In buying Cherry trees preference should always be given to those
propagated on Mazzard roots. These cost more than do those on
Mahaleb roots, but they are worth all the difference because they make
better, longer-lived trees. Nurserymen offer them less often than
the others because they have more difficulty in growing them and
unthinking or unknowing fruit growers call for cheap trees. In plant-
ing a big business orchard a large difference in first cost is, of course,
an important item, but for the home orchard it will be a small one
more than offset by the greater likelihood of success in making
the trees live and develop into large, healthy, long-lived and
prolific trees. So when looking over nursery catalogues be sure
to order from the one in which prices are quoted on Mazzard-grown
varieties.

Sour Cherries do best on moderately heavy loams; sweet ones
on lighter, especially gravelly, shaly, sandy or stony ones. Usual
distances for the former are 15 to 20 feet; for the latter 25 to 30. The
trees are generally headed at 12 to 18 inches and allowed to develop

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS

121

five to seven frame
branches (Fig. 86) instead
of a central stem. Thus
they develop a goblet-like
form. Removal of broken
and interfering branches
and shortening rampant,
whip-like growths is about
all the pruning required.
Soil management is the
same as that generally
followed with other or-
rhard fruits.

HOME ORCHARD

CHERRIES

SOUR VARIETIES

AMARELLES AND MORELLOS

DYEHOUSE. A. week earlier

and less productive than

Early Richmond, but of

as good flavor and not

so adaptable to soils and

climates. Small, dark

red, juicy, tart, of very

good quality.
EARLY RICHMOND. Most cosmopolitan of all Cherries. Leading early

sour. Fruit medium in size and quality, too acid for most palates till

very ripe. Culinary. Tree remarkably adaptable to varied soils from

Quebec to Carolina and westward to the Pacific States.
ENGLISH MORELLO. Standard late culinary variety. Follows Mont-

morency. Handsome, dark red. Resists brown rot and hangs long

on the trees, which are small, round-headed and drooping. Hardy but

sometimes unhealthy.
MONTMORENCY. Most popular sour Cherry. Mid-season, medium size,

light to fairly dark red, tart, very good quality. Tree very vigorous,

healthy and annually prolific; adapts itself to wide variety of soils.

SUB-ACID VARIETIES

DUKES

ABESSE D'OIGNIES. One of the best Dukes. Large, handsome, dark red,
excellent quality. Late. Tree remarkably vigorous, hardy and pro-
ductive. One of the few varieties that do well in the Middle West.
LATE DUKE. Two weeks to a month later than May Duke, which it some-
what resembles otherwise. Large, dark red, juicy, rich', sub-acid,
excellent. Hedrick writes: "Cherries of New York": "If those who

Fig. 86.— Four-year-old Late Duke Cherry

122 HOME FRUIT GROWER

want late Cherries will plant this variety on a northern slope, against a
northern wall or where in any way shaded or in a cool soil, these deli-
cious Cherries can be had until well towards August."

MAY DUKE. One of the most popular of all. Very early, dark red,
medium size, sub-acid when fully ripe. Hangs three to six weeks on
the tree after becoming edible. Tree adapted to wide range of soils;
hardy, healthy, prolific.

ROYAL DUKE. Mid-season, between May Duke and Late Duke, which it
resembles in quality.

SWEET VARIETIES
HEARTS

BLACK TARTARIAN. Leading black east of the Mississippi River. Tree
adapted to great variety of soils and climates, prolific, healthy, long
lived. Fruit medium-sized, attractive to eye and palate. One of the
best in quality. Second early.

ELTON. A dark red and amber yellow, rather pointed, rich, luscious, early
fruit. Very susceptible to brown rot. Tree sturdy, very productive,
somewhat tender to cold.

WOOD. Soft-fleshed, amber, medium-sized fruit of excellent quality, among
the earliest of the Hearts. Tree vigorous and healthy, somewhat tender to
cold, only fairly productive, a little exacting as to soils. Hedrick says:
"Cherries of New York": "It would be hard to name another Cherry
better suited to small plantations and it is hoped that it will long be
kept in the gardens of connoisseurs of good fruit."

BlGARREAUS

BING. Widely grown on the Pacific Coast. Very large, almost black, of
excellent quality. Mid-season. Tree vigorous, rather open, pro-
ductive.

LAMBERT. Equal or superior to its parents Napoleon, and Black Heart, in
size and flavor. Tree sturdy, healthy, very prolific. Mid-season.

NAPOLEON. Leading Bigarreau. Large, handsome, amber, high quality,
mid-season. Tree precocious, wonderfully prolific. One of the best.

SCHMIDT. Very meaty, mild and sweet. Delicious. Resistant to brown
rot. Tree vigorous, healthy, prolific. Mid-season.

YELLOW SPANISH. A large mid-season, amber, reddish, meaty, sweet
variety of excellent quality. Trees very large, vigorous, precocious,
annually prolific.

CRANBERRY

The Cranberry is so distinctly different from other fruits in its
soil requirements and its method of management; it is so easily and
cheaply procured in the markets and is so distinctly a commercial
specialist's fruit that it need not be considered as a home fruit. Those
who wish to grow the Cranberry may perhaps save considerable work
and money if they will first read the article on this fruit in the Standard
Cyclopedia of Horticulture or one of the authoritative books, Cape
Cod Cranberries by Webb, Cranberry Culture by White, or publications

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS

123

by the New Jersey, Wisconsin and Massachusetts Agricultural Experi-
ment Stations and the National Department of Agriculture.

CURRANT

People who have been accustomed to the discovery of a few
scrawny clusters of diminutive Currants on the naked stems of bushes
stuck in a fence row, or in some out-of-the-way corner of the garden,
will doubtless be surprised to learn that by proper care and feeding, indi-
vidual bushes of Red Dutch Currant have yielded more than 12
pounds (nearly 10 quarts) and that bushes of Kerry Rlack Currant have
borne over 10 pounds (about 8 quarts). The bushes which thus
distinguished themselves were at the Central Experimental Farm in
Ottawa, Canada, where only half a dozen of each were under test —
just the conditions that should prevail in the home garden (Fig. 88) .

Such possibilities, coupled with the wonderful, annual bearing habit
of the plants, makes it easy to be seen that half a dozen bushes of Red
or White Currants, or three of each, should give an ample supply for
a family. Every garden should have space for that many bushes.
Whether or not the black varieties should be included will depend
upon the taste of the household, since
the people who enjoy Black Currants
are by no means as numerous as those
who like red and white ones.

Currant flavor is fairly uniform
for red and white varieties; among the
blacks there is considerable variation.
In each group other distinctions be-
tween varieties are earliness and lateness
of ripening, lengths of the clusters and
of the fruit stems — some being short,
others long; the size of the berries —
some being large, others small, and in
many, cases diminishing in size from
large ones at the bases to small ones
at the tips of the clusters; and the
growth habits of the bushes — some
being fairly erect, others prone to droop
more or less.

Among the black varieties are
RLACK CHAMPION, whose vigorous
bushes bear medium-sized, mild fruits
in fair abundance; RLACK NAPLES,
similarly vigorous, but bearing variable-

Fig. 87. — Currant blossoms

124 HOME FRUIT GROWER

sized, acid, strong-flavored fruits; BLACK VICTORIA, as vigorous as
these two but rather more productive of large-sized, "fine-flavored"
fruit; LEE, a dwarf, fairly vigorous bush which bears small to very
large, acid fruits in moderate quantity; PRINCE OF WALES, a vigorous,
very productive bush whose mild-flavored fruit, almost sweet when
fully mature, varies from small to very large; BOSKOOP, a strong-
growing, prolific variety, with rich, sweet fruit which ripens evenly
and hangs long on the bushes.

Leading red varieties are: WILDER, an upright, vigorous, sub-acid,
early variety whose large-berried, large clusters hang long after ripening;
POMONA, noted for high quality, "sweet," large clusters of large berries
which ripen early but hang long on the vigorous bushes; DIPLOMA, a
very vigorous, highly prolific bush which in mid-season bears the
"largest" berries which hang for weeks; RED GROSS, a strong-growing
long, large-clustered, prolific variety with medium to large berries,
ranked "good to best" ; PERFECTION, awarded at least three gold medals
for its large, long clusters of mild, sub-acid, large, pulpy, few-seeded
berries, borne profusely on vigorous bushes; FAY, a rather sprawling
but vigorous bush which bears a profusion of large, uniform, sub-acid,
fine-flavored berries on large clusters with long stems; CHERRY, robust,
stocky bush which bears short-stemmed clusters of very large, thin-
skinned, sharply acid berries; VERSAILLES, much like Cherry but bears
larger clusters; RED DUTCH, tall, upright bushes which yield an abun-
dance of large, long clusters of medium-sized, sub-acid berries; NORTH
STAR, an improved Red Dutch, excellent for jelly; PRINCE ALBERT,
upright, stocky bushes bear abundance of rather short clusters of
medium to large, splendid quality berries late in the season (as the stock
is hard to propagate other varieties are unfortunately substituted
for this by some nurserymen); VICTORIA (RABY CASTLE), noted for its
vigorous, upright bushes, prolificacy and long clusters of medium-
sized, mild-flavored berries, said to be the best late variety; LONG
BUNCHED HOLLAND, vigorous bushes bear long clusters of medium-
sized berries of excellent quality, very late; LONDON RED, very prolific,
vigorous, upright bushes, bear abundance of short clusters of rather
acid, medium to large, berries.

Though only of moderate quality, WHITE GRAPE is the most
planted white Currant. The vigorous, but low spreading, prolific
bushes bear large clusters of large, mild berries. Three other white
varieties are considered probably of better quality: WHITE DUTCH,
an upright, vigorous, highly productive bush with long clusters of
medium-sized berries of excellent quality, early; WHITE TRANS-
PARENT, the large, high-quality berries are milder even than White
Grape or White Dutch; WHITE IMPERIAL, bush vigorous, prolific,

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS

125

clusters large, berries very large, sweet, excellent for dessert, by some
growers considered best of the white varieties.

The Currant does best in cool, well-drained moist soils — strong clay
loams, even stiff clays. Sandy loams, if moist and not too light, also
yield fairly well, but very light ones give poor results, unless kept
moist by some means. They dry out too much and the Currant
roots, which are mostly near the surface, suffer. Often a northern

Fig. 88. — Currants and Gooseberries do well on the north side of a
hedge

slope, partial shade near buildings and trees will help to offset lightness
and porosity of soil. Mulching with manure and soil also will help.
These aids will be found of most service as the Southern boundary
of Currant growing is approached; for this plant, being of Northern
origin, fails in the warm Southern States unless so handled.

Richness of soil is a necessity because the plants are gross feeders.
As the roots do not extend far and are largely near the surface the
food must be placed near-by. Stable manure applied as a mulch

126 HOME FRUIT GROWER

after the first or second years will serve both as a mulch and as a
source of part of the needed food. The best time to apply it is in early
Spring. This should be supplemented by annual dressings of some
form of phosphate and potash. Ground phosphate rock, acid phos-
phate and basic slag are all good forms of the former and muriate or
sulphate of potash, of the latter. Unleached wood ashes are also an
excellent source of potash. No fear of applying a dangerous amount ! A
well-spread, liberal handful of each, to each full grown bush will be ample.

One-year or two-year plants are better to plant than older ones.
They may be set in well-prepared soil four by six feet apart, or five
feet apart each way so as to favor cultivation in both directions. The
sprawling and tall varieties had better be given larger space than the
dwarfs and erect ones. Except to keep the surface soil loose and free
from weeds, the plants will need no cultivation for the first year or
two, after which the mulch may replace tillage. Care must be exercised
to prevent perennial weeds such as quack grass from growing among
the bushes (Fig. 91), or the quantity and quality of fruit will be reduced.

After the canes of red and white varieties have borne three or
four years they had better be cut out as soon as the fruit has ripened,
because they become weakened, subject to insect and disease attack
and the fruit they bear is smaller both in size and amount . A favorite
way to manage is to allow only the two or three best shoots that spring
from the bases of the bushes to remain, the inferior ones being destroyed
in early Spring. Thus the bush will consist of only six to twelve, pref-
erably not more than eight shoots, after pruning in the Spring.

Black Currants bear best on still younger wood and fail more
conspicuously on wood older than two years, so the canes may be
out out after fruiting the second time. Indeed, a writer in the Garden
recommends cutting off the branches while full of ripe fruit, first as
-a convenient method of harvesting and second a satisfactory way
to secure well-ripened wood and superior fruit the following season.

Half-grown Currants while still green make excellent tarts and
pies; for jelly they give best results when colored, not fully ripe,
but for dessert they are best if allowed to become "dead" ripe. If
the fruit must stand long after picking before being used it should
be picked while dry. In such cases the skins of the berries should never
be broken, because if broken the fruit spoils very quickly and injures
the perfect berries. Varieties with long stems are far easier to pick
than those with short ones.

The Currant season may easily be extended until early Fall by
covering the bushes of the late varieties with tarleton or cheese cloth.

Currants have special value not only for jelly and pies when
used alone, but for "shrub," a cooling drink made by crushing the

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS 127

ripe fruits and mixing with sugar and water. They also make a good
wine. Bar-le-duc and other jams are made usually from the red
varieties; jam and jelly also from the black, which are said to lose
their strong flavor if scalded for a minute or two and drained before
being put on to cook. An old-fashioned remedy for a cold was to
make a hot drink by putting a couple of spoonfuls of Black Currant
jam into a glass and pouring hot water on it, just before retiring. Red
and white varieties have special value for blending with fruits which
lack in acidity. They are very often added to Raspberries to make
jam and jelly; similarly they improve the richness of the Juneberry,
Nay, even the cloying and mawkish Russian Mulberry may be made
into more than passable preserves by its acid.

As a dessert fruit its value is underestimated in America, probably
because it is not allowed to ripen properly before being used. When
fully ripe, stripped from the stems by drawing the clusters through a
table fork, crushed and liberally dusted with powdered sugar, over
night or several hours before being eaten, it is delicious for breakfast or
supper — the very thing for the dog days, its period of ripeness. For
this and the preceding reasons the Currant is one of the most deserving
of bush fruits for the home plantation.

CYDONIA, OR JAPAN QUINCE — See Japonica, page 152.

ELDERBERRY

Until very recently no cultivated and named varieties of the
Elder have been disseminated by nurserymen. Maybe this is because
the fence rows and the waste places have supplied such an abundance
of fruit there has been no apparent need to cultivate this native shrub.
A few years ago, however, an Elderberry enthusiast introduced a
variety which bears clusters of berries which, if my memory serves
me faithfully, are "often half an inch in diameter and in clusters of a
pint or more." If this variety is what its introducer claims, it should
be more valuable as an addition to the fruit garden than most of the
wild plants now occasionally transplanted from the fence rows.

Elderberry bushes once planted in any soil or situation will take
care of themselves except for the occasional removal of old and failing
stems and a little police duty .to see that they do not go beyond bounds.
In this respect, however, they are not nearly such determined offenders
as Blackberries and Red Raspberries. Moreover, they have no
prickles and they are beautiful in June when loaded with their great
bouquets of fragrant creamy bloom.

Among the country people, while eaten out of hand more or less,
the Elderberry is famous for pies, tarts, canning, juice, syrup, wine,

128

HOME FRUIT GROWER

preserves and jelly. Though of a peculiar, and to some people strong,
flavor, the fruit and its prepared products are highly nutritive and
generally greatly relished after a few trials. In my estimation they
are far pleasanter than Black Currants, which they faintly suggest.
As the berries are deficient in pectins they are better adapted to making
thick syrups than jellies, but this lack may be supplied and better
jellies made by cooking Crab Apples, immature Grapes or tart
Apples with them.

FIG

While the Fig may be' made to grow out-of-doors as far North
as Southern Michigan and the lower Hudson Valley, the amount of

fussing and coddling is too
great and the quality of the
fruit too poor to warrant the
trouble. As a home orchard
fruit it is popular from North
Carolina (Fig. 89) southward
along the coast to Florida,
westward to California, where
its range is over the warmer
parts of the State.

In the Southeast the plants
are scarcely more than large
bushes; in California they be-
come trees, some of which ex-
ceed nine feet in girth, reach
more than 80 feet in height,
cover a circle of ground over
200 feet and bear a ton or
more of fruit annually.

North of Baltimore the

plants are dug up with large balls of earth, potted in late Fall and
stored in a rather dry cellar until Spring, when they are replanted out-
of-doors. From Norfolk, Va., southward to the Carolinas they are often
trained low so as to be bent to the ground in the Fall and covered during
Winter with straw and boards, though near the sea and from Georgia
to Texas they need no such protection.

Propagation is by means of well-ripened wood cuttings four or
five inches long, cut through the nodes and during late Winter or early
Spring set in the ground with their upper ends level with the surface.
Plants started thus and well managed should begin to yield in three
or four years, sometimes in two. Southern and California nurseries
offer plants of leading varieties briefly described on page 129.

Fig. 89. — Figs are borne in the axils of the leaves

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS 129

Throughout the South moist, heavy soils are considered best,
though for home plantings lighter soils, if well packed or if close to
dwellings where other plants have not been allowed to grow, give
good results. Moisture in the soil is essential. Figs are almost
sure to fail on dry soils. In sandy soils they are likely soon to die
from the attacks of nematodes (eel worms) which live upon the roots;
in heavy soils they thrive in spite of these worms.

In the Atlantic and the Gulf States Figs may be set 10 or 15 feet
apart; in California 40 or 50 feet because of the larger size to which
the trees grow. Planting is done in January or February in the
more Southern States; March or April farther North. Special care
must be taken to prevent drying of the roots. Figs in the Southeast
are trained in bush form, with three to five stems, as losses due to frost
are thereby reduced; in the Southwest usually with only one trunk.
For the former method the plants are cut back severely when set in
the ground. Pruning consists in removing unnecessary suckers, dead,
injured and crossing branches, and in shaping the bush during the
first three or four seasons. Branches should never be cut to stubs
but always entirely removed — back to the point of their origin. The
less pruning of the Fig the better.

Since Figs are shallow-rooted, no plowing or digging near the
plants is possible. After the first year or two cultivation must also be
of the shallowest nature near the plants. In home plantations the
scuffle hoe is perhaps the safest tool to use. Tillage should start when
growth starts in Spring and continue till Midsummer, or later for
late varieties. Manure and commercial fertilizers may be applied freely.
Southern Figs are mostly used fresh or canned; few if any are
dried. California Figs are used in all three ways. The fresh fruit
is of honey sweetness and of a peculiar flavor often not at first relished
by Northern people, but very much enjoyed by people who like sweet
fruits. In California about thirty varieties are very popular either
commercially or in amateur plantings. Among these are the following,
which are also popular in the Southeastern and the Gulf States. None
of these need artificial pollination as the Smyrna Fig does. Because
of this fact and the difficulties in the way of its successful cultivation
Smyrna Fig growing is not discussed in this volume.
BLACK ISCHIA. A late bluish black, creamy white fleshed variety of good

flavor. Though a strong grower it is not fully hardy or very prolific.
CELESTE. Early, violet to purplish brown, white fleshed, juicy, sweet and of

excellent flavor. Remarkably hardy. Specially valuable for canning.
TURKEY (Brown Turkey). A very hardy and prolific mid-season, brown,

pear-shaped, medium fruit with white flesh of excellent quality.
Other good varieties are BRUNSWICK, WHITE GENOA, WHITE ISCHIA,

and MAGNOLIA. The last is the favorite for canning in the Gulf States.

130

HOME FRUIT GROWER

Fig. 90. — Every twig of the Gooseberry bush looks like this

GOOSEBERRY

If there is any fruit more often mismanaged in America than the
Currant that fruit is certainly the Gooseberry (Fig. 90). Like the
Currant, its bushes are stuck in out-of-the-way corners and fence rows
where they fight as best they can against their arch enemy, "witch,"
or "quack" grass (Fig. 91), where the worms are encouraged to regale
themselves upon the tender foliage, and where the sparse and stunted
fruits wave distress signals from their defoliated stems until discovered
and rescued. Perhaps the fear that the worms will get them, but
more likely because of ignorance on the discoverer's part, the berries
are gathered while "green as grass" and made into callow tarts or
verdant jam which, however, generally pales to a jaundice yellow.

In spite of this program
of mismanagement these
culinary products are
fairly edible — if the cook
understands her business.
But why not give the
bushes good care and pick
the berries when they are
more mature, better flav-
ored and require less sugar
to make them palatable ?
Indeed, why not let them
ripen fully, as the English
do, for eating out of hand ?

Fig.' 91. -Quack grass is one of the worst enemies of Only because people have
Currant and Gooseberry bushes become accustomed to

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS

131

"the old way of doing," not because the Gooseberry is incapable of
better things.

As a family fruit plant the Gooseberry has special claims. It is
easy to grow anywhere, except in warm climates (even to the Arctic
circle !) since it is wonderfully hardy. Though blossoms and foliage
(Fig. 92) often appear before the snow has all gone they are not injured
by the cold. With ordinary good care it will yield annually for ten or
fifteen years. It is highly productive, a well-
grown, well-managed bush, yielding half a peck
to a peck (four to eight quarts). So half a dozen
bushes should give an ample supply for the
ordinary sized family. The fruit may be used
while only two-thirds grown, when fully mature
or when "dead" ripe, during a period of three
to six weeks. In the home garden (Fig. 93) it
may be gathered at any of these stages of de-
velopment; but in the market never except in
the greenest condition. Furthermore, the inten-
sive and more or less shaded condition of the
home garden is far more favorable to it than is
the open berry field.

Because of this last point the home garden
is just the place to try the culture of English
Gooseberries, which with few exceptions have
been proved unprofitable as commercial ven-
tures in America, because under sunny and dry
conditions they are much more subject to mildew
attacks than are American varieties, especially
on light soils. The moister, more shaded and
cooler conditions of the home garden and heavy,
cool soils make it possible to grow these splendid
varieties in America, particularly where the early
Summer climate is cool and moist. As grown
in England many of these produce fruits as large
as hen's eggs, often weighing two ounces each.
They are largely eaten like plums out of the
hand when fully ripe, though great quantities of ripe ones are also
made into jam. Can you name a rival of ripe Gooseberry jam ?

As the varieties are so much superior to American kinds they
should be given at least a trial in our home plantations. Fortunately,
Robert R. Whyte, an amateur grower, reported to the American
Pomological Society his methods and successes with nearly 50 varieties
in his home garden at Ottawa, Canada. His successes will appear all

Fig. 92.— Gooseberry
flowers

132

HOME FRUIT GROWER

the more remarkable when it is remembered that in America English
varieties are reputed to be very subject to mildew, but that for more
than 25 years Mr. Whyte has not sprayed for this trouble, because he
could discover no advantage in so doing. He does spray, of course, for
Gooseberry worm; but that's a different story altogether. Before
quoting Mr. Whyte it may be stated that in Niagara (Ontario) distinct
English Gooseberries have been commercially successful on heavy
soil when sprayed for mildew with lime-sulphur wash.

The factors that favor success are highly fertile, heavy soil, moist
air and cool temperature. There is no use in attempting to grow
Gooseberries unless you have a heavy clay loam, retentive of moisture

Fig. 93.— A trio of home-makers— Grapes, Gooseberries and Currants

and dark in color. In England they are not satisfied with turning
the soil a spade deep, but they dig it two feet deep. At the bottom of
the trench they manure heavily to have a substratum of fertile material
that lasts for many years. One of the evils of light soils is that the
roots run along close to the surface. Thus the roots are burned by
the sun's heat. To equalize the temperature plant the bushes in
partial shade, not under, but in the shade of buildings or trees, so
they will have protection part of each day from the excessive heat of
the sun. In very dry weather the ground must either be mulched,
preferably with manure, or the bushes watered; the former is the
more practical, though it may often be unsightly.

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS 133

Gooseberry bushes imported from England are three years old,
10 to 12 inches long with one straight trunk as thick as a finger, a
clump of roots at one end and a cluster of branches at the other. In
Canada they sometimes cost as little as 10 cents each, in the United
States perhaps twice as much as a rule for the same varieties. The
object of this tree form is to insure the absolutely necessary free cir-
culation of air beneath the branches. English growers never allow
Gooseberries to sprawl over the ground to encourage mildew i

As this form is difficult to maintain, Mr. Whyte tried other
methods of training. He never allows shoots to develop from below
ground but encourages the development of only three or four main
branches from the upper part of the trunk. All growths on these
branches are either shortened to "spurs" three or four inches long or
removed entirely. Thus there is a circle of short branches around each
stem. All shoots inclined to grow along the ground are cut off as
soon as discovered and all that grow too lustily are pinched back while
their tips are soft in Summer. As soon as the crop has been gathered
is a better time than in the following Spring to prune for next year's
crop. Better fruit and better success follow late Summer pruning
because in Spring pruning more or less fruiting wood is destroyed,
whereas in Fall pruning its formation is encouraged.

It is not wise to cultivate at all deeply around the plants in
Spring. Whatever digging is necessary should be done the latter part
of September or early October. At that time the bushes are slowing
down for Winter, so injuries are not only less serious, but the bushes
recover better than if they occur in Spring when the plants are active.
Mr. Whyte reports fifty per cent, better crops by following this plan.
Any cultivation in the Spring to keep the surface soil loose and prevent
weed troubles should be done very shallow. A scuffle hoe is excellent.

Of the nearly 50 varieties he grew, Mr. Whyte speaks as follows:
"The general classification of berries by nurserymen is white, green,
yellow and red, the last two groups being the most popular. Of the
white the KEEPSAKE is a heavy cropper of large, fine-flavored berries.
WHITE is inferior in quality to KEEPSAKE but very resistant to mildew;
TRIUMPH, so closely resembles WHITESMITH there is no need of growing
both." (Mr. Whyte does not comment on WHITESMITH, which is
perhaps the best known English variety grown in America, a large,
yellowish white variety of excellent quality.)

Among the green kinds, DELAWARE is one of the very best, a large,
fine-flavored berry; LOFTY has been continuously satisfactory for
twelve years, a rich, fine-flavored fruit; OVERALL is also a delicious
berry. The yellow varieties include WETHERALL, a dark greenish
yellow fruit of exceedingly high flavor. ALMA is "another very large

134

HOME FRUIT GROWER

and fine berry." The reds include SLAUGHTERMAN, one of the most
highly flavored; VICTORIA, a smaller fruit bears enormously and is
very good in quality; LONDON RED "produced more large berries"
than any other variety Mr. Whyte has grown; SPORTSMAN, "delicious
flavor when ripe."

Possibly the most successful seedling of American development
is RED JACKET (or JOSSELYN) "but it is inferior to good European
varieties. * * * The fact that our American varieties have little
or no flavor compared with European varieties I think precludes the
immediate hope of getting a really good Gooseberry by using our native
varieties. * * * If we are ever to have Gooseberries growing
all over this country as we have the DOWNING, it is only by growing
generation after generation of seeds from the best English varieties and
by selecting those varieties that are hardy, that withstand mildew
better than the others and that hold their leaves till the end of the
season."

After noting Mr. Whyte's success, methods and recommendations
it may seem that little can be said in favor of our American varieties.
It must be remembered, however, that these are the ones now most
widely grown iii this country, mainly because they will stand haphazard

management, even neg-
lect. Doubtless Mr.
Whyte's methods should
apply equally to them,
but apparently these have
not been tried. The best
method so far recom-
mended is to allow two,
or not more than three,
young shoots to remain in
each bush, each Spring,
and to cut out the stems
that after four or five
years of bearing show
signs of failing (Figs. 94,
95).

The American varie-
ties that have attracted
more than passing atten-
tion are the following:
POORMAN, large bushes

Fig. 94.-Gooseberry before being Spring.pruned £ear large excellent
and thinned flavored berries in abun-

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS

135

Fig. 95. — Gooseberry after Spring-pruning
and thinning

dance; PEARL, bush fairly
vigorous, fruit medium size,
fair quality; DOWNING, bushes
vigorous, prolific, fruit pale
green, soft, juicy; most widely
grown American variety;
JOSSELYN (RED JACKET), bush
vigorous, erect, prolific, fruit
pale red — "the one large
Gooseberry that can be planted
with confidence. " Besides
these are several varieties with
more or less European "blood"
in them. The best known
are probably: GHAUT AUQUA,
a pale green, excellent flavored,
fruit borne more profusely
than on INDUSTRY; INDUSTRY,
a large, fleshy, dark red, de-
licious berry — "the most suc-
cessful English variety of
American development."

GOUMI

A hardy Japanese shrub, five or six feet tall, called Goumi or
Gumi and botanically known as Elseagnus multiflora or Elxagnus
longipes, would bear a profusion of berries from June to August,
if the birds would allow it to. Generally, however, "our feathered
friends" hold a convention in the bushes just when the fruits are
ripe and leave a "Scotch plate" — nothing to eat — when they adjourn,
sine die.

The shrub is excellent for planting on lawns because of its good
form, its fragrant though inconspicuous flowers, but more because of
its leaves, which are green above and silvery-brown dotted white below.
To all this add the glossy, crimson, dotted berries and the plant is cer-
tainly a thing of beauty. The fruits are decidedly astringent until fully
mature, when they become spicy, slightly acid and pleasant to the
taste. Mr. Hamblin says they are like small, red Plums with the
acidity of Red Currants, but differing from either. For eating out of
hand and for preserving they are excellent. They make good jam
and jelly, either alone or mixed with other berries.

The Goumi will thrive in almost any well-drained soil. It does
best in a sunny situation. After once being planted it needs even

136

HOME FRUIT GROWER

less attention than a Lilac or a Currant bush, so for a novelty both
as an ornamental and a fruit-bearing plant it deserves a place on the
lawn. It is ornamental in leaf, flower and fruit and is not troubled by
bugs or diseases. Unfortunately, plants of two or three related species
are sometimes substituted for the true Elaeagnus multiflora (longipes).
As the fruit of these is inferior to the genuine they are useful only for
ornament.

GRAPE

Of all fruits the Grape exhibits the most Christian spirit,
since it returns a far greater measure of good for evil than does any
other. Under neglect Strawberries, Raspberries and Rlackberries
yield nubbins or nothing; Currants and Gooseberries shake their
gaunt and naked canes as warning fingers at their neglectors; and
the tree fruits petulantly fling their distorted, wormy, scabby speci-
mens as mute recriminations on the ground. Not so the Grape; in
spite of the most wanton neglect accorded any plant it smilingly reveals
its forgiveness by presenting fruit to its owner as a silent plea for

reasonable feeding and
care (Fig. 96).

You fear the pruning,
eh? Cast your fears
aside. The Grape is the
most forgiving plant in
the world. It will bear
in spite of unscientific
pruning. If that isn't
reassuring enough, remem-
ber that it bears in nature
even when no knife, saw,
shears, or other pruning
implement comes within
miles of it ! Furthermore,
remember that even
though perhaps you don't:
quite understand and
don't follow exactly the
method insisted upon by
John Doe or Richard Roe,
neither one of these fa-
mous gentlemen knows as

Fig. 96.-Grapes on ordinary trellises require an mucl? as the vines do! So
extraordinary amount of pruning in spite of what you may

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS

137

consider mistakes you may expect fruit. The canopy or Munson
method, described on page 139, is almost as simple as neglect! It
merely suggests to the vine that better results can be secured by
a little judicious control than by natural waywardness.

No other fruit so richly deserves the small attention necessary to
make it bear lavishly. From the earliest historic times only two
other fruits, the Date and the Fig, have rivalled it as a wholesome
human food, a position it still holds because of its richness in sugar
and muscle-forming components as well as its nicely blended acids

Fig. 97.— It is not necessary to have a fancy trellis in order to have plenty of good
Grapes. If you can, count the clusters still on the vine !

and its aromatic flavors. Still further, no other woody fruit plant,
not even the Apple, can be grown in so extensive a territory, upon
such a variety of soils, begin to bear so soon and continue for so many
years, or supply fresh fruit for so long a season in such a wealth of
colors and flavors, or whose surplus can be handled in such a variety
of ways. Some variety of Grape will succeed under home conditions
in every State of the Union and with adequate protection probably in
every Province of Canada.

138 HOME FRUIT GROWER

Reject the idea that it is hard to manage. It is not ! Such a
misconception is due to the literature on its commercial culture. To be
commercially profitable it must have this and that, be managed
thus and so, or the grower will not build a big bank balance thereby.
To have an ample family supply we don't need to follow commercial
practices if we don't want to. Even the marplot and the blunderer
are almost powerless to prevent the more determined varieties from
bearing their burden of fruit. Instead of trellises we may train the
vines on stakes, on arbors (Fig. 96) , on lattice screens, on fences, on
the sides of buildings and even on trees if we wish. Who and what are
to prevent? Mr. Rusiness Vineyardist or Mrs. Grundy? To be
sure we may not always get exhibition specimens or perhaps quite
as good fruit by some of these crude practices, but if such considerations
are to deter us what fruit of any kind shall we get ?
$J| The Grape does well on well-drained soils of any kind, though
for most varieties soils with large proportions of clay give better
results than those in which sand predominates. Always the situation
should be such that the vines have full sunlight during at least half the
day. If the soil is poor a hole as deep as a nail keg and as wide as a
wash tub may be dug out, or preferably, a trench four or five feet
wide and two feet deep prepared by removing the earth, providing
drainage, dumping in a bucket full of old bones for each vine — the
more the merrier — covering these with good earth and planting the
vines.

Two-year vines are preferred by most planters because these
uniformly give better results than older ones. Well-grown one-year
vines are also good. There's no need to pay "fancy prices" for vines.
In the price list of one of the leading Grape nurseries only one out of
nearly seventy, standard varieties costs over 30 cents, and only five
that much; whereas 20 cost 15 cents, or less, for two-year-old vines.
Whether set in FaU'or Spring is immaterial in most parts of the country.
In the former case the vines should not be cut back until Spring;
in the latter the tops/should be reduced to three or four buds. Most
planters shorten t;he roots. I don't, unless they are injured or dry,
because I want them to reach the bottom as well as spread out
wellrin the. hole. Of course it costs more in time and effort to plant
them,, but for atiLamateur vineyard I'd rather waste a little extra
elbow grease than impair my chances of having the vines root deeply.
Some men also recommend a mulch the "first yeai or two. I don't,
because that encourages shallow rooting. The deeper the roots can
be made to extend the surer will the vines be to have a good supply
of water. Clean, shallow cultivation will keep down the weeds and
prevent undue loss of moisture. When the vines begin to bear heavily

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS

139

will be time enough, if ever, to mulch.
Then extra roots near the surface may
be encouraged. ti| ^

During the first season only the
one or two strongest shoots should be
allowed to grow. These should be tied
to stakes about six feet long above
ground (Fig. 98). After the leaves
have fallen, or at earliest fully two
weeks before the sap starts the following
Spring, the best cane (that is, shoot)
of each vine should be cut back to two
buds and all other growths cut off
entirely. By cutting back in this way
all the energy of the plant will be con-
centrated in the one to three shoots
that develop from the buds. It may
still further be concentrated if after
the bases of the shoots have become
woody the inferior ones are cut off
entirely, thus leaving only one to utilize
the plant food.

If to be trained on a building,
leather strips may be used to fasten the
vines, but wires held six or eight
inches away from the wall by long
shanked screw eyes will make a neater
job and give better circulation of air.
If to be trained on an arbor stakes will
answer well the first season. In this

case the arbor need not be built until the Spring of the third year,
though strong vines may have the arbor built the second season.

Many styles of trellises are in use. The one I prefer, recommend
and herein describe, is the canopy or Munson style, because it pro-
vides a canopy of leaves over the vines and fruit high enough above
ground to admit free circulation of air and sufficient light to favor fruit
development and ripening. If an additional foot be added to the
height, Currant and Gooseberry bushes may be planted between the
vines beneath the trellis, thus providing these bushes with the partial
shade they need in warm localities. Furthermore, this trellis is easy
to pass under if one must chase his neighbor's hens off the premises !

Among the conspicuous advantages that the canopy trellis (Fig.
99) has over other trelKses are simplicity, cheapness, ease of doing all

Fig. 98. — First season in the vine-
yard. Ready for trellising next
year. Buckwheat cover crop
in row

140

HOME FRUIT GROWER

Fig. 99. — Munson system of Grape training. Vine unpruned.
vine pruned (Fig. 102)

See same

necessary work— pruning, tying, spraying, harvesting — without stoop-
ing, perfect distribution of light, warmth and air, shading fruit from
the sun, hiding it from the birds and reduction of wind damage. There
are others, but aren't these enough ?

Trellises if set parallel should be not closer than eight feet apart.
If the lines are long — 100 feet or more, the end posts should be five or
six inches at the small end and the line posts three to five. Their
lengths will vary with the locality. They should be long enough
to extend at least four feet above ground and several inches below
the "first line" in the ground. End posts should be braced to offset
the pull of the trellis when loaded with fruit. The posts should be
24 to 30 feet apart. Robust growing vines may be set 10 feet apart,
moderate growers eight and small ones six. Thus there should be three
or four vines between posts.

After the posts have been set a three-eighth-inch hole is to be
bored in each, six inches below the top. Through these a No. 11
galvanized wire must be drawn, fastened at one end and provided
with a tightening and loosening device at the other. This is the only
wire needed at first. It may be put up at the beginning of the second
season for strong growing vines or the third season for weak ones,
the latter being grown on stakes two years in succession. A stout
cord must be tied to the stump of each vine left after pruning and the
upper end tied to the wire so the cord is taut. Up these the shoots
will climb with only occasional encouragement to twine.

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS

141

To detail the growth of the vines year by year: At the beginning
of the second year exceptionally sturdy vines, those that have made a
growth of five feet or more, may be cut back slightly and allowed to
develop one strong shoot in each direction along the wire, all other
shoots from lower buds being nipped off while soft and green. The
shoots so developed may be allowed to bear one or two clusters of
Grapes each. Moderate growing vines must be cut back to 18 to 24
inches and only one shoot allowed to grow up and stretch upon the
wire. All fruit clusters must be cut off so as to concentrate energy.
The following year (the third) these vines may be allowed to grow
like the sturdy ones did the previous year. Very weak growing vines
may have to be cut back twice (two different years) before reaching
the bearing stage mentioned.

Annual Winter pruning is simple. Each year, preferably early
in the dormant season, November to February, the canes that extend
along the wire must be cut back, leaving twelve to sixteen buds on
strong vines (six or eight on each of the two horizontal canes on the
wire) and only four to six
on the weak vines. After
being pruned each cane
must be firmly tied in two
places to the wire around
which it should be coiled
once or twice.

At the beginning of
the second season after
the trellis is started cross
pieces of 2 x 4 scantling
and 24 inches long are
to be spiked or wired to
the tops of the posts
(Fig. 100). An inch from
each end on their upper
sides, shallow slits (one-
half inch is deep enough)
are to be sawed for the
two other trellis wires to
rest in. These wires are
to be stretched taut and
fastened at the ends like
the first. They are for the
Summer fruiting shoots to
rest upon and hang from.

Fig. 100.— Munson or Canopy trellis seen^from the
end

142

HOME FRUIT GROWER

Fig. 101. — Section, of Grape shoot showing flower
clusters and tendrils

Summer pruning is as
simple as Winter pruning.
First, a few days before
the Grapes begin to bloom,
cut off with a sharp knife
the tips of the shoots that
are to be allowed to bear
fruit, leaving two or three
leaves beyond the outer-
most cluster on each (Fig.
101). Second, at the same
time pick out two sturdy
shoots, which start from
near the crotch. Make
them extend right and
left. These are to replace
the canes grown the pre-
vious year and from which
this year's shoots and
fruits have developed. To
make these canes still
stronger remove all the

flower clusters from them. Third, remove all shoots that start to
grow on the main trunk below the crotch, because they will rob the
bearing part of the vine of food and bear nothing in return. Fourth,
a week or ten days after the work just outlined in 1, 2 and 3, inspect the
vines and shorten the shoots not previously cut back. Fifth, by this
time the shoots previously clipped will probably have pushed out
new shoots from their outermost buds. Clip these back to one or
two leaves. Then wait for the reward of fruit. It's as easy as it
sounds !

After the vines have begun to bear, the pruning during the dormant
season is as follows: Second bearing year. Gut off the arms that
produced the bearing shoots the previous Summer just beyond the
starting point of the two new sturdy canes (Fig. 99). Avoid injuring
these two new canes when removing the other wood. Shorten these
canes in proportion to the strength of the vine, leaving three or four
buds on each for weak growing varieties such as Delaware and six
to ten for strong ones and gently braid them with and tie them to
the lowest wire (Fig. 102). Each of the buds left on these canes should
produce a shoot and each shoot two or three clusters of Grapes.

The Summer pruning is the same each year from now forward,
but a larger number of strong shoots may be deprived of their flowers

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS 143

to develop arms, as the main branches are generally called. Weak
growing varieties may have four such arms 24 to 30 inches long; very
strong ones four, six or eight feet long, two of these being gently braided
with the lower wire in each direction and tied loosely in two or three
places. Here we see the reason for the varying distances between
vines: small growing varieties may be planted as close as six, but better
eight-feet; large ones 10 to 15.

Cultivation is the same as for other fruit crops, except that it must
be no deeper than for Currants, Gooseberries and other shallow-rooted
plants. The surface should be kept loose and open at least during the
first two years, when a mulch of straw, leaves — anything — deep enough
to prevent weed growth may be applied. If a liberal bucketful of

Fig. 102. — Munson system of Grape training. Vine Pruned

bones has been placed beneath the roots of each vine no further fer-
tilizer will be needed until the third or fourth year, when bone meal may
be applied at any convenient time. Other good fertilizers to apply
are unleached wood ashes, phosphate rock and, in case of yellowish
foliage and short growths, some nitrogenous fertilizer — this always in
Spring. Such fertilizers as manure of any kind and nitrate of soda
are best.

GRAPE VARIETIES

The growing of American Grapes is a development compassed by
the memory of men still living. Though countless attempts had been
made since colonization days to grow European varieties they had
failed, mainly because the vines fell victim to disease or to a plant

144

HOME FRUIT GROWER

Fig. 103.— By placing paper sacks over Grape clusters
finer though later fruit may be secured

louse called phyl-
loxera ; and though
several varieties of
purely American
origin had been
named and dissem-
inated they were, with
almost no exception,
of such poor quality
that they soon passed
out of existence. Not
until the Concord
was placed among
the "new varieties
which promise well"
in 'the official fruit
list of the American
Pomological Society

in 1854 can Grape growing in America be said to have received
a powerful impetus. Being, as Horace Greeley called it, "the Grape
for the millions" and a wonderful improvement on formerly introduced
varieties, the Concord gave stimulus to both the origination of new
varieties and to Grape growing in general, for better than any previous
variety it proved that our native species are worth the efforts spent
on them.

Except on the Pacific Coast, more especially California, and in a
few favored localities in other States, the European Grape continues
to fail unless grafted upon stocks which are not harmfully affected by
the phylloxera. Hence no attempts should be made to grow any of
these varieties anywhere upon their own roots. As their hybrid
progeny are more or less constitutionally weak or partake of the
susceptibility of the parent to disease they are distinctly amateur, not
commercial, varieties. Several of them are of high excellence and
are well worth planting in family vineyards, especially to add diversity
of flavors to the list and to extend the season.

Most people believe that Grapes have a season of only a month
or so. This is because they grow, or know, only one, or at most very
few, varieties which being in small supply are gobbled up promptly.
Yet a moment's thought should remind them that in New York,
Boston, Chicago and other large Northern cities Niagara and Concord
are usually seen in the fruit stores until Thanksgiving Day and Catawba
until Christmas and New Year. Those who give all the credit to com-
mercial cold storage will doubtless be astonished to learn that Grapes

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS

145

of properly chosen varieties may be kept under ordinary home storage
conditions until Easter, even when that festival, due to the vagaries of
the moon, falls in late April. Thus, since the Concord bore its first fruit
in 1849, American varieties have been developed to cover a season
excelled in length among Northern fruits by no other fruits than the
Apple and the Pear, fruits which attracted pomological notice cen-
turies before America was discovered !

Among the score or more of Grape species described by botanists
several indigenous to America have been used in the origination
of the two or three thousand varieties named and disseminated during
the past century. The great majority of these have been produced
in the Northeastern quarter of the United States and adjacent Canada.
Many important ones have been developed in the Mississippi Valley

Fig. 104.— Protecting Grapes from attacks of birds

and the Southeastern States; many more in Texas, mainly by the
late T. V. Munson; others in California and elsewhere. To a large
extent these varieties are best adapted to the regions in which they
originated; often the Northern varieties fail or do poorly in the South
and vice versa. It is, therefore, advisable to bear such points in
mind when choosing varieties for planting, first choice being given to
varieties known to succeed in the neighborhood or the region in which
the vines are to be grown. More than with, perhaps, any other fruit
the plants should be purchased from nurseries in the same region so
as to get varieties suited to the locality.

Since the great majority of family fruit planters live in regions
where the Northern varieties succeed best a large proportion of the

146 HOME FRUIT GROWER

kinds discussed briefly herein are suited to this region. The South,
and the Central Southwest are, however, not forgotten. Nevertheless,
it must be said that the varieties known to succeed there are fewer
because less has been done in those sections. As to California, it seems
advisable to give only very brief comments on the more important
or well-tested varieties. Some of these have been tentatively tried
in the East during the past few years, the idea being that when grafted
on phylloxera-resistant roots, properly sprayed and protected during
Winter, they may succeed where they formerly failed. Mr. R. D.
Anthony of the New York State Experiment Station suggests nine
varieties concerning which he has written me that most of them have
ripened at Geneva under normal conditions and that he believes they
will do much better on Long Island. So far I have not had a chance to
grow them. The varieties are: Buckland Sweetwater, Ghasselas de
Fontainebleau (White Sweetwater), Dattier de Beyrouth (Rosaki),
Feber Szagos, Golden Champion, Gradiska, Joannenc or Lingan, Malaga
and Sultanina Rosea. So far as I know, the European varieties are
obtainable only from California nurseries.

T. V. Munson, in Foundations of American Grape Culture, says
that certain European varieties (marked with an asterisk in the
following list), "if grafted upon the good resistant native Grape roots,
and the vines carefully sprayed with Bordeaux mixture, will succeed
all through the South to about the thirty-fifth parallel [the Southern
boundary line of Tennessee]. In the Northern parts of this region
Winter protection will be needed. A covering of straw, leaves, stalks
or weeds will be sufficient. In the moister regions it will be much more
difficult to succeed with these kinds than in the arid regions, and
their quality will be much better in the drier parts." The same
writer has also proved the following varieties suited to the same
region: Calabrian, Griesa de Piemonte, Perle of Anvers, Quagliano,
Muscat Rose, Sauvignon, Jaune, Semendia, Verdhelho and Violet
Chasselas.

Mr. Anthony, when addressing the New York State Fruit Growers'
Association two years ago, gave the following suggestions as to grow-
ing the European varieties in New York and other cold parts of the East:

"Both because of the necessity of laying down the vines in the
Winter and because of different habits of growth [from American
varieties] we are finding it best to modify the usual methods of Grape
pruning. When the scion starts into growth two shoots are saved and
when these are pruned in the Fall the lower one is cut to a spur of two
buds and the upper one is cut at the lower wire [which is 18 to 24
inches from the ground, the trellis being a different style — two or three
wires one above the other]. Each Fall the lower growth is cut to a

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS 147

spur and the shoots on the trunk at the lower wire pruned with a
new arm to the right and left along the wire with renewal spurs at
their bases. When the trunk becomes too old and stiff to bend down
easily, a shoot is brought up from the spur at the base of the trunk
and the following year the old trunk is cut off.

"The growing shoots do not have the horizontal or drooping direc-
tions of most of our Grapes, but have a stocky, vertical growth. When
they have reached the top wire they are tied to it and the tips broken
off just above the wire. At the same time all secondary shoots which
have started at the bases of the leaves opposite or below the flower
clusters are broken out. The buds near the top wire will start a second
growth. When this gets four to eight inches the tops are cut off with a
grass sickle. In years of vigorous growth it may be necessary to
repeat this cutting back.

"Winter covering is a minor item. As soon as the vines are
pruned three men start down the row. One bends the vine to the
ground while the others mound up the dirt three or four inches over
the bent trunk."

EUROPEAN VARIETIES

(Dates of ripening are for South Central California. Asterisks
indicate varieties suited to the area between South Carolina and
Texas — the Northern limit being about the thirty-fifth parallel of
latitude as indicated in the discussion.)
ANGULATO. Clusters large, dense; berries large, bluish black, firm, juicy,

sweet. August.
ASSOUAD ZEINE. Clusters loose; berries dark red, large, showy, excellent.

August.
BLACK CORNICHON. The large to very large purple or dark red, fair

quality berries are borne on medium to large, lo ng clusters during October.
BLACK HAMBURG (Frankenthal). Clusters large; berries large, black,

juicy, sweet. Late September. Famous old European variety, con-
sidered standard of high quality by variety originators.
BLACK MONUKKA. Clusters large; berries uniformly small, black, excellent,

seedless. Except in color closely resembles Sultanina. August.
BUCKLAND SWEET WATER. Clusters medium size, dense; berries yellow,

medium. August.
*CHASSELAS DE FONTAINEBLEAU (White Sweet water). Clusters large;

berries yellow, juicy, sweet. Late July. An old variety highly valued

wherever European Grapes can be grown.
DATTIER DE BERGROUTH (Rosaki). Clusters large, loose; berries very

large, amber, fleshy, juicy, sweet. August. Long keeping.
DROUKANE. Clusters very large, compact; berries red, firm, high quality.

November.
*FEBER SZAGOS. The large clusters of very large, whitish-green, excellent

quality berries ripen in September on vines of exceptional vigor.

148 HOME FRUIT GROWER

FLAME TOKAY. The large, pink, firm berries borne in very large clusters,
are of excellent quality when well ripened in September.

GOLDEN CHAMPION. Clusters large, berries large, juicy, fine flavored.
August. An old variety that has stood the test of time.

GRADISKA. Clusters large; berries greenish-white, excellent. September.

GROS COLEMAN. Clusters large; berries very large, firm, fine flavored.
November.

GROS GUILLAUME. Clusters medium size; berries black, waxy, very large,
excellent. Early September to mid-October.

JOANNENG or LiNGAN. Clusters medium, compact; berries golden, medium
size, juicy, sweet. Early July.

*MALAGA (Pense). The large to very large yellowish-green, juicy, sweet
berries are borne in large clusters during August.

MARA VILLA DE MALAGA. Clusters long, loose; berries red and blue, large,
excellent, long keeping. October.

*MUSCAT (of Alexandria). The very large, long, loose clusters carry large
to medium-sized pale, amber-colored berries of moderate juiciness,
sweetness and richness. September. This variety is the famous
source of Spanish Muscatel raisins.

OHANES D'ALMENA. Clusters medium; berries yellow, excellent.
November.

OLIVETTE BLANCHE. Clusters medium, rather loose; berries amber-green
with brown cheek, firm, crisp, well-flavored. October.

OLIVETTE DE VANDEMAIN. Clusters large, loose; berries yellowish-green.
Resembles, but is better than the Spanish Almena. October.

*RosE OF PERU. The medium-sized, dark-purple, high-quality berries are
borne in large clusters during October.

*SULTANINA (Thompson's Seedless). Bears medium-sized, yellowish-
amber, high-quality berries in very long, loose, large clusters during
August. Excellent for raisins as well as dessert. A sport called Thomp-
son's Seedless Improved has berries double the size of the parent.

SULTANINA ROSEA. Except that the berries are red, this variety is identical
with Thompson's Seedless.

AMERICAN VARIETIES

AGAWAM. A self -fertile, vigorous variety with large clusters of large, red,
rich, sweet, aromatic berries noted for long keeping. Follows Concord ;
may be kept till January. Does best on heavy soils.

AMETHYST. A comparatively new, excellent, almost fertile, dessert, long-
keeping variety which follows and resembles Delaware in growth, fruit
and hardiness, but is stronger growing.

BARRY. One of the best black varieties. The vigorous, hardy, prolific
vines bear clusters of various size and shape with large, sweet, delicately
flavored berries which ripen a little after Concord but keep in ordinary
storage till March.

BRIGHTON. Beauty, high quality, sureness of maturing, vigor, prolificacy,
adaptability to wide range of soils make this large, early red Grape a
leader. It is, however, more self-sterile than perhaps any other variety
and its fruit rapidly deteriorates in quality after reaching maturity.

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS 149

In no family plantation have I known this defect to manifest itself,
the fruit being eaten up too promptly.

CACO. A rather new variety which ripens earlier than its parent Concord,
but resembles its other parent Catawba in being red. The vigorous,
hardy, healthy, prolific vines bear medium-sized clusters of large, rich,
sugary berries.

CANANDAIGUA. A comparatively new black variety, which though very
good when mature seems to improve, or at least not to deteriorate, under
storage. In tests at the New York Experiment Station it has been kept
in ordinary storage until mid-April ! Its high quality and beauty also
recommend it.

CATAWBA. Wide adaptability, high quality, beauty, lateness, long keeping
(March), vigor, hardiness, prolificacy, recommend this famous old red
variety, which should be among the first to be chosen.

CLOETA. According to its originator, T. V. Munson, is "probably the
best of all American black Grapes." But since it "requires hot, dry
weather to acquire high quality" it is not a variety for Northern planting.
The very vigorous, hardy vines bear small to medium irregular clusters
of small to medium black berries.

CONCORD. The most extensively grown American Grape. Popular
because of its adaptability to diverse soils, annual prolificacy even under
neglect, hardiness, comparative earliness, hence fair certainty of ripening,
large size and beauty of cluster and fruit. It is however of only
moderate quality since it lacks richness, delicacy and aroma and is
strongly "foxy." Moreover, it is a poor keeper, losing flavor soon after
gathering. There are so many better varieties that this one should not
be added to the home vineyard until at least twenty other varieties had
been given preference. In my own home garden I have not planted it,
though I planted twenty-three other varieties !

CROTON. A Delaware descendant, though finicky as to soil, of poor growth
and tender to frost, is excelled by few if any "white" Grapes. Its late,
sweet berries hang until frost and keep till Midwinter.

DELAWARE. The ne plus ultra of American varieties, the first to reach the
high standard of Europe. Strong constitution, adaptability to varying
climates and most soils, prolificacy coupled with beauty and flavor
have made it also a leader in popular favor. It is also early enough to
ripen with certainty where almost all other varieties mature. Objec-
tions to it are small size of vine, cluster and berry, and slowness to
reach bearing age, but no family plantation would be complete without it.

DIAMOND. Earliness, hardiness, vigor, prolificacy, high quality and beauty
make Diamond one of the best of Grapes. It ripens a little earlier
than Niagara, to which it is superior, but which it somewhat resembles
in color of fruit — green.

DOWNING is noted for high quality, beauty, long keeping, but its vines
are tender to cold. Its large, purplish-black berries borne in medium
to large clusters ripen somewhat later than Concord but may be kept
till Spring. They are of excellent quality.

DUCHESS is notable for its beauty, delicious flavor and long keeping. The
vine, however, is tender to cold and particular as to soil. Its "white"
berries borne in large, compact clusters ripen in mid-season and keep
well. The vines resent rich soil.

150 HOME FRUIT GROWER

EARLY VICTOR. The highest in quality of early black varieties. The hardy,
healthy, vigorous, prolific vines bear small clusters of small berries.

EMPIRE STATE. One of the four leading "white" Grapes. Quality better
than Niagara and Pocklington but not quite equal to Diamond. The
fruit ripens before Niagara, hangs well and keeps long after harvested.

EUMELAN. Probably combines more good and fewer undesirable points
than any other black Grape — vines vigorous, hardy, prolific; clusters
and berries large and beautiful, juicy, rich, sweet, delicious. Though
early ripening the fruit keeps until January or February. Self -sterile.

GAERTNER. Beauty, high quality, large clusters and berries, vigor,
prolificacy and hardiness of vine make this one of the best of varieties.
But it is crotchety as to soil and requires special handling.

GREEN MOUNTAIN. (See Winchell.)

HEADLIGHT. A Munson hybrid, especially valuable for the South, though
successful as far North as Ohio. Prolific, vigorous, high quality
(approaching Delaware). Earliness and long keeping are two of its
prominent attractions. Berries small to medium, purplish black.

HERBEMONT. A reddish-brown, Southern variety equivalent to Concord
in popularity. Cultivated from Virginia to Texas, but not hardy
north of Missouri. It demands warm soil, rich in humus and a long
season in which to mature. Vine vigorous, healthy, annually prolific;
fruit handsome, small, rich, sweet, high flavored.

HERBERT. One of the choicest of black Grapes, being vigorous, hardy,
prolific, mid-season to Midwinter. Self sterile.

HIDALGO. A rather new, white variety of specially high quality, being
rich, sweet, delicately flavored, as its parentage (Delaware, Goethe and
Lindley) might imply. The berries ripen with Concord but keep
longer.

HIGHLAND. A late Grape of very superior quality. As it ripens after
Catawba it is not suited to short season localities. The vines also are
not fully hardy but are highly prolific. When well grown under favor-
able climatic conditions the handsome clusters of large, black berries
often exceed a pound and a half.

IONA. A red variety scarcely rivalled in delicate flavor or keeping quality
by any other American kind unless by the Delaware when at its best.
Though originating in New York, it is doubtfully hardy North of
Westchester County, beyond which its fruit often fails to ripen. When
the fruit does ripen it may be kept until Midwinter. lona does best
on sandy or gravelly soils.

JAMES. Cannot be grown successfully farther North than Delaware,
and adjacent New Jersey, being the progeny of a distinctly Southern
species. The vigorous, healthy, prolific vines bear clusters of three
or four to a dozen large, black berries of highest quality. The fruit
for two or three weeks after ripening and keeps well. Valuable for
the Southeastern States.

JANES VILLE. A small, black Grape, worthless except in very cold localities
where better varieties fail. Vines healthy, hardy, prolific, vigorous.
If varieties as hardy as Concord fail, due to cold Winters, perhaps Janes-
ville may live and bear fruit, for where there's life there's hope, even
though the fruition may be poor.

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS 151

JEFFERSON. Almost equal in quality to Delaware; has large, symmetrical
clusters of large, red berries which ripen about two weeks after Concord.
The fruit makes a fair raisin or keeps until Midwinter. Vines vigorous,
fairly hardy, fairly prolific.

LADY. Two weeks before its parent, Concord, this fairly vigorous and
prolific variety ripens its "white" berries, which are considered better
than those of any other Concord seedling. Because of its lateness
of bloom, its early ripening and its hardiness this is a good variety for
short season localities.

LINDLEY. Best red of the Rogers' hybrids. Beautiful when well grown,
yet the clusters are almost small, but the berries often large, rich and
aromatic. Though ripening in mid-season they keep well. The
vines are vigorous, hardy "and prolific when cross fertilized; otherwise
sterile.

MOORE EARLY. In effect a Concord variety two or three weeks earlier.
The vines demand rich, well-drained, loose soil, frequent tillage and
careful pruning. Clusters smaller, looser than Concord; berries larger
and of not as good quality.

NIAGARA. Unjustly the leading American white Grape, mainly because
over-ad vtertised when introduced. Several other white varieties
superior in quality. Vines vigorous, prolific, almost as hardy as
Concord, its parent. Clusters large, berries "foxy" when first picked,
milder a few days later. Poor keeper.

ROMMEL. An excellent white table variety suited to the South; not
sturdy, hardy or productive enough in cold localities.

SALEM. Earliness, hardiness, vigor, fair prolificacy, high quality and
long keeping combine to make this one of the best of Grapes. The
large red berries on medium to large clusters ripen a little earlier than
Concord, but keep until Midwinter or later.

SCUPPERNONG. Justly the leading family variety from Delaware to
Texas. Yet the fruit to lovers of European and Northern varieties
is too musky, even repulsive. The exceedingly vigorous vines are
wonderfully prolific of late, uneven ripening little clusters of big greenish
or brownish berries which drop as soon as mature.

TRIUMPH. One of the choicest of American dessert varieties; clusters
medium to very large; berries medium to large, greenish to golden,
juicy, tender, excellent, late (with Catawba) but not long keeping.
In cold climates almost tender; often fails to ripen its fruit. Elsewhere
adaptable to varied locations and warm, deep loams. '

VERGENNES. A regular annual cropper. Vines very sprawling, not fully
hardy in cold localities, prone to set too much fruit and therefore to
delay ripening a week or two later than Concord instead of at the same
time. Fruit red, of agreeable but not highest quality, long keeping —
January or February.

WILDER. The most reliable of Rogers' black varieties though not of
higher quality than several others . Vines vigorous, hardy, fairly prolific .
Clusters medium size; berries large, good, ripening about with Concord;
keeps fairly well.

WINCHELL (Green Mountain). A rare combination of earliness and
excellent quality. Vines vigorous, hardy, healthy, prolific. Clusters

152 HOME FRUIT GROWER

loose, rather small. Berries "white," small to medium, soft, sweet,
excellent.

WORDEN. The best and most favorably known seedling of Concord,
which it excels in its larger clusters of large berries, better quality and
earliness — a week or ten days earlier. In hardiness, healthiness, vigor
and prolificacy it equals its parent, but it is somewhat more particular
as to soil.

HUCKLEBERRY AND BLUEBERRY

Attempts have been made to grow Huckleberries and Blueberries
under garden conditions but have almost always been disappointing.
The main reasons for failure have not been known until very recently.
Through the investigations of Mr. F. V. Goville, Botanist of the
Department of Agriculture, it has been proved that success in grow-
ing these and several other plants depends upon acidity of the soil
and the presence of certain kinds of fungi or bacteria which perform
a function akin to that of the various species of bacteria which aid
Alfalfa, Glover, Beans and related plants to secure nitrogen from
the air. This is perhaps the most important horticultural discovery
of the century, since it indicates the kind of soil and situation in which
success may be expected and just as clearly indicates where no attempts
should be made to grow such plants.

Since home gardens rarely possess such conditions these fruits
should be excluded unless the grower is willing to stand the expense of
making conditions favorable. For full information on this crop the
reader should secure publications of the Department of Agriculture.

JAPONIGA

Few people know the Japonica Cydonia or Japan Quince as
more than a beautiful, ornamental, hardy shrub which blazes with
scarlet blossoms before the leaves appear. Some of these few value
it for its hard, green, fragrant fruits which they place in closets and
chests of drawers to impart perfume to clothes, a role which it plays
until it shrivels to a mummy. But very few know that these fruits
make a distinct and delicious conserve and jelly when treated the
same way as ordinary Quinces. Unfortunately, for this purpose it is
not very prolific, but where the bushes are used as a hedge enough
should be obtainable to make a home supply.

The popular scarlet variety generally sets more fruit than the
pink or the white kinds, so where jelly making is an object this one
should be preferred for planting. Besides, it is the most beautiful. The
shrubs thrive in almost all soils, but require sunny positions in order
to bloom freely.

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS 153

JUNEBERRY

The fruits of more than a score of Amelanchier species are called
Juneberry, Maycherry, Shad-bush, Service-berry, Grape-pear, Sugar-
pear and many other names — a sure indication of their popularity.
As yet they are scarcely known in gardens except where the bushes
or trees are planted primarily for their abundant, very early, white
flowers. The dark red, purple or black fruit is a tiny Apple rather
than a Berry, in some species no larger than Peas, in others, half to
three-quarters of an inch. Usually fleshy, small seeded, sub-acid to
sweet and very pleasant to eat ad libitum. Several so-called varieties
of the dwarfs are offered by nurserymen, but among wild plants,
especially in the mountains, are doubtless many just as good. As
they are easy to transplant and readily adaptable to all soils not
actually wet they are worth including in a family planting of fruits
where space is available. When given care similar to that given
Apples and Pears they will respond well. Birds and boys are their
chief enemies.

Because of the great diversity among the fruits of wild plants
this Juneberry offers excellent opportunity to the plant breeder for
the origination of superior-fruited varieties. Since the seeds germinate
readily it would seem that there are no special difficulties in the way.
Grafting and budding should be as easy as with other plants of the
Rose family — Apple, Pear, Peach, Cherry and Plum.

LOGANBERRY

Since 1881, when it originated, the Loganberry has become one
of the leading fruits of the Pacific Coast, but in sections where Winter
temperatures reach zero it is so tender that even when protected it
often kills back badly or fails to produce satisfactory fruit. The
purplish red fruit is perhaps the largest of all berries and when fully
ripe is pleasantly acid, but while immature is intensely sour. It
makes good "canned" fruit and "wonderful jelly."

The plant succeeds in any well-drained soil, but seems to prefer
those of a clayey nature to the sandy loams. Commercial plantations
have continued profitable for fifteen years or more without renewal.
New plants are secured from Fall-rooted cane tips which make best
plants when one year old. These are usually set four to sixteen feet
asunder in rows six to eight feet apart and given extra good care the
first year. At close distances they are kept severely headed back; at
great ones allowed to trail upon trellises. In a general way they may be
handled like Raspberries and Blackberries.

I know of many attempts to grow the Loganberry in the North-

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HOME FRUIT GROWER

Fig. 105. — Champagne, one of the best Loquats

eastern quarter of the
United States and
adjacent Canada, but
among them not one suc-
cess. Doubtless, better
results have followed
similar trials in the South-
east, but I have not heard
of them.

LOQUAT OR BIWA

The Loquat (Fig.
105), one of the most de-
licious of fruits, is popu-
larly grown as a door-yard
and garden fruit from
Florida to California.
While generally eaten
fresh it is often made
into preserves, jams, pies
and jellies (the acid ones).
The thin but tough skin
contains a firm to melting, juicy, cherry-like flesh and one to eight
or ten large seeds in the center (Fig. 106).

So far the majority of the trees growing in the South are seedlings
which, though mostly good, are inferior to the varieties recently
originated by C. P. Taft of California, and to some of those imported
from Algeria, Sicily and Japan, from which last country the Loquat
comes originally. The trees, which often grow 25 feet tall, blossom in
the Fall and in Spring ripen their globular to pear-shaped, yellow to
orange fruits, which sometimes are three inches long.

While the tree will grow and produce an abundance of fruit on
poor, dry soil, the specimens though of good flavor and quality, are
almost always small. A moist, deep, gravelly loam suits them well.
They will stand fairly liberal feeding, but unless the fruit is thinned
the size will be more or less disappointing. In order to offset this
the trees are sometimes set close together — 12 to 15 feet apart, though
about 20 feet is usual — and the fruit thinned considerably. Culti-
vation is the same as for other orchard fruits. Fertilizing may be
fairly liberal after the plants begin to bear. Pruning consists in
shaping the tree as other trees are trained and in removing inferior,
internal and dying branches, preferably a little annually after the
trees reach maturity. Since the flower buds are borne at the tips-

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS

155

of the current season's growths and at their bases bear buds which form
a whorl of branchlets around the fruit, much time may be saved in
thinning by cutting off these branchlets close to the limbs that bear
them. Pruning is best done after the fruit is gathered. Among the
choice varieties the following are considered best:

ADVANCE. Brilliant yellow, pear-shaped, often more than two inches

long, borne in very large, dense clusters from mid-Spring to early Sum-
mer— about two months.
CHAMPAGNE. A very precocious bearer, oval to pear-shaped, large (2 or

3 inches), white-fleshed fruits in mid-Spring. Considered finest flavor

of all.
VICTOR. Medium to large and showy, golden yellow, rather characterless

flavor. Valued for canning. Season late Spring to Midsummer.
EARLY RED. Pear-shaped, deep orange, small to medium (1 to 2 inches).

Earliest of all — Midwinter to mid-Spring, often more than three

months.
PREMIER. Yellow to salmon-colored, oval, medium-sized fruits. Light

colored, soft, juicy, sweet flesh. Season mid-Spring to early Summer —

about two months.

Besides these varieties, California and Gulf States nurserymen offer
several others — THOLES (or Placantia or Gold Nugget), TANAKA, ST \TELY,
GOLDEN MAMMOTH, PINEAPPLE, GRANT, BLUSH, COMMERCIAL and EULALIA.

MULBERRY

As a paid-up annuity insurance policy against bird depredations
the Mulberry richly deserves a place wherever Cherries and Rasp-
berries are grown. Apart
from this the fruits of some
varieties are delicious to eat
out of hand, or as dessert.
They make good "juice" and
wine and when mixed with
acid fruits, such as Currant
or Lemon, they are excellent
canned or preserved. Add
to this the ease with which
they are gathered — merely
jarring the trees to make the
fruits fall into sheets
spread below — and they
have a special attraction
especially for people who
like to get something for
nothing.

Fig. 106.— Tholes, a good Loquat

156 HOME FRUIT GROWER

Should some readers dissent from my description of the edi-
bility of the fruit, I shall not feel aggrieved, because they probably
have sampled the Russian Mulberries — the whitish or blackish,
sweetish, mawkish, sickish berries, gobbled by birds and boys who have
not the hardihood or perhaps the opportunity to pilfer better fruit.
No, the Russian varieties are decidedly inferior to the named varieties
of different origin.

Of these the NEW AMERICAN, which originated in New York,
is the best for the North, the STUBBS for the South. The former
bears glossy, black, sub-acid berries, often one and one-half inches
long, from June until September. The tree is not only vigorous and
very productive, but hardy, at least as far north as Michigan. The
Stubbs, a wonderfully prolific native of Georgia, averages larger fruits
than New American, the black, rich, sub-acid berries often being two
inches long and three-quarters of an inch in diameter. The HICKS,
which hails from Kentucky, bears very good, medium-sized, sweet
berries in abundance during three to four months. It is not so widely
known as the previous two but is a very worthy rival. The DOWNING
is unfortunate in several respects. It is not hardy in the Northern
States. Too often some other variety is innocently or purposely
substituted by the nurseryman for it. If the Northern grower is
given New American instead he need not feel badly cheated, because
true Downing might winter-kill, whereas New American is hardy.
Rut no one likes to be cheated! Downing is best known south of
Mason and Dixon's h'ne where its large, black, sub-acid, very good
berries are annually borne in profusion. The JOHNSON, an Ohio
variety, is too shy a bearer to commend it for general planting, so it is
being superseded by the others. Its sub-acid, black fruits are very
large — often two by three-quarter inches. The tree though strong is
irregular in habit.

TEAS' WEEPING MULBERRY is of no value except to people who
enjoy untrimmed poodles, Yorkshire terriers, Angora cats and other
unkempt creatures. It is grafted on a straight stem so its branches
will droop toward the ground. The fruit is small, reddish and as
mawkish as that of its Russian parent.

The erect growing Mulberries are handsome trees, often 30 feet
tall, ornamental in outline and foliage but not desirable to have close
to the dwelling because their fallen fruit often makes a mess beneath
them. A good place for them is where poultry have access to the
ground so as to eat the fruit, which they will do very thoroughly and
satisfactorily. Mulberry trees will grow in any well-drained soil
but do best in rather light and gravelly ones. After being planted and
started like other fruit trees they need little or no attention.

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS 157

NECTARINE

The Nectarine is really a smooth-skinned Peach, though formerly
botanists considered it a distinct species. Peach pits often produce
trees which bear "Nectarines," and "Nectarine" pits return the com-
pliment. Still more interesting is the fact that bud varieties are
common on both trees; that is, a twig on a Peach tree may bear
Nectarines, and one on a Nectarine tree Peaches. By graftage methods
these twigs may be used for scions or buds to graft or "bud" on other
trees and thus perpetuate the "bud sport."

Cultivation of Nectarines differs in no way from that of the
Peach. The only notable point is that extra care must be taken to
fight curculio, which seems to be specially partial to the fruit. (See
Apricot for spraying method.)

Recause little attention has been paid to it the Nectarine has
developed few varieties. These are generally inferior to Peaches.
Even in California, where it is grown commercially, it is used almost
wholly for drying and canning, for which purpose it is of very secondary
importance. If there is space for a few trees in the family orchard
choice should be made among the following varieties;
DOWNTON. Early. Medium to large, pale green with violet red cheek,

flesh greenish, reddish at the free pit, rich, melting and excellent.
HARDWICKE. Late Summer. Large, pale green, with violet ch3fck;
flesh greenish-white, reddish at the free pit, juicy, melting, ricFt high
flavored.

BOSTON. Large, beautiful yellow with red cheek; flesh yellow to the
small pointed freestone; sweet but not rich, and, being a native of the
Hub, pleasant but peculiar.

EARLY NEWINGTON (Lucombe's Seedling or Early Black). Large, bright
red with darker markings upon a pale green ground color. Flesh
greenish white but deep red at the pit (cling), juicy, sugary, rich, excel-
lent.

These are among the leaders in Europe and America, Besides
them Thomas recommends ELRUGE, EARLY VIOLET and NEW WHITE.

PAPAW

A small native American tree whose attractive flowers — greenish
at first but changing to purplish red — appear before the handsome
foliage and whose large, oblong, dark brown, highly aromatic, creamy
fleshed, soft, slightly gritty, very sweet fruits are relished when they
ripen in the Fall. The tree is of doubtful hardiness north of New
York City, though specimens are known to have thriven in Massa-
chusetts. Two or three varieties have been offered by nurserymen.

If desired for fruit it is important to have both male and female
trees as the species is dioecious and will not bear fruit unless the

158

HOME FRUIT GROWER

pistillate blossoms are pollinated. Therefore, it is better to grow
one's own seedlings, unless the nurseryman can guarantee the sex
of each plant. This he can do if the plants have been propagated
by any asexual method such as cuttings, budding or grafting, but
not if grown from seeds unless the trees have produced fruits. By
that time they will have become so large that transplanting will be
risky and difficult. Better start with seeds, transplant the seedlings
each year or root-prune them to make abundant fibrous roots and
select the ones that bear fruits with one male tree to each four or
five females.

PEACH

It is popularly believed that the
Peach is a short lived, tender tree, sub-
ject to incurable diseases and relent-
less insects and that therefore invest-
ments in trees or orchards of this fruit
are inferior to outlays in other directions.
From the standpoint of the amateur and
the family orchard this is highly re-
grettable. True, the tree, even with the
best of care, rarely reaches the old age
of the Sweet Cherry, the Apple or the
Pear, but I know commercial orchards
which have been productive and profit-
able for more than 25 years. Why may
not the home orchard perform as well ?
The fact that seedling trees are
common in back yards and fence rows
indicates that the Peach will thrive al-
most anywhere and that named varieties
of superior excellence should be given
preference, as they will doubtless give
far greater satisfaction. Unquestionably
the Peach, when of such varieties and
well grown, is the most delicious tem-
perate climate fruit. Next to the Apple it has the widest variety
of uses. Just look! Dessert, canning, preserving, jelly, syrup, wine,
vinegar, butter, marmalade, pickles, short-cake, layer-cake, pie,
cobbler, fritters, dumplings, meringue, sherbet, and, if you live in a
wet State — well, don't you wish you had a tree for each of these
purposes ?

While trees of some varieties are too tender to be grown in the

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS

159

Fig. 107.— Never "thumb" a Peach to see if it is ripe.
Train the eye to recognize the exact stage of maturity

coldest parts of the
country, others have
proved hardy even
in Maine, Wisconsin
and other cold North-
ern sections. To be
sure, it may not be
advisable to grow the
fruit for even a local
market, but we're not
interested in that.
It's the home we're
aiming to supply. As
a matter of fact,
then, Peach trees are
found in every State
of the Union and in
most of the Canadian Provinces.

Few fruits equal and none surpass the Peach for the home plan-
tation. It is easy to grow, quick to reach bearing age, highly, and
almost annually prolific. Its varieties cover three or four months,
are easily obtainable and are perhaps more likely to be true to name
than are other tree fruits.

Where there is any choice the trees should be planted on light
soil, on high or elevated land preferably sloping toward the north,
northwest, or west, on which sides, if possible, the orchard should
be protected from the prevailing winds. Sandy, gravelly and other
coarse soils are better than heavy, silty or clayey ones, but where
there's no choice the trees may be planted with confidence of good
results. Well-drained the soil must be and the situation must not
be in a pocket where cold air will settle, or the early opening flowers may
be nipped by frost.

While the Pear and even the Apple may be grown in sod, the
Peach never should be. The soil should be kept cleanly cultivated
at least until Midsummer and then cover-cropped for the Winter,
not too often with clover or other legumes because these tend to
supply too much nitrogen and to make the trees tender. No danger
need be expected from applications of potash or phosphoric acid.
For young trees and those whose foliage is thin, small and yellowish,
an ounce of nitrate of soda to the tree should help matters. A pound
of each of muriate of potash and basic slag or half as much acid phos-
phate will be a good allowance in most cases. When trie trees are
in bearing the nitrate dose may be doubled; the others tripled. In

160

HOME FRUIT GROWER

ill-cases the material should be spread in a circular band two or three
'eel wide as far out on the ground as the branches extend. There's no
need to spread any near the trunk as the feeding roots are not there,
[n all cases the fertilizer should be raked or harrowed into the surface.
The varieties to choose will depend first upon the section of the
pountry. In the South are grown certain varieties not generally
Successful in the North. Among these are the Peen-to, Angel and
Waldo of the flat Peach type; Honey or South China type, and Gobbler,
palveston, Lulu, Columbia, Texas and Victoria of the Spanish type.
These it does not seem necessary to discuss below. Many of the

Fig. 108.— When trees are low-headed there's no trouble reaching every part without
climbing. Compare this with high headed trees

varieties successful in the North are also popular in the South. Among
them there are yellow-fleshed, white-fleshed and a few red-fleshed
varieties, also some occasionally called "Melters" whose flesh parts
readily from the pits, and so-called "pavies" whose flesh clings more
or less tenaciously. There are gradations both in color and tenacity
of flesh, some having more or less red near the pits, some being "semi-
cling," a characteristic which is more pronounced in some seasons than
in others. For convenience the varieties characterized on the
following page are thus classified. Usually the clingstone varieties
are better for culinary uses than for dessert.

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS 161

CLINGSTONE VARIETIES
RED FLESHED

BLOOD CLING. A very late small to medium, red-skinned, red-fleshed
variety of special excellence for culinary purposes but good also as a
fresh fruit.

WHITE FLESHED

HEATH CLING. Oldest American variety still grown. Remarkably hardy
and healthy. Very late; fruit may be kept till Christmas! Quality
often below moderate, but when well grown may be sweet and even
rich. Flesh adheres tenaciously to the stone, hence not valued for
dessert. Noted for preserving and especially for pickling.

OLDMIXON CLING. A favorite for a century and a half, still a leader in
high quality — rich, luscious, dessert and culinary, white fleshed, late.
Trees vigorous, hardy, healthy, but not remarkably prolific.

WADDELL. A white-fleshed, semi-clingstone variety somewhat earlier
and better than Carman. Tree vigorous, hardy, prolific.

YELLOW FLESHED

ARP. The best early yellow variety. Medium sized, blushed, creamy-
yellow, with firm light yellow, sweet, rich, rather clingstone flesh
of excellent quality. Begins to ripen four to five weeks before Elberta.
Trees healthy, sturdy, hardy, prolific.

LEMON CLING. A large yellow, lemon-like, firm-fleshed, juicy, mid-season
variety, popular for canning in California. Tree vigorous, prolific and
regular bearing.

SEMI-CLING VARIETIES
WHITE

GREENSBORO. Among early white-fleshed varieties, one of the leaders
because of its large, showy, creamy-white, blushed, juicy, fair-quality
fruits, and its large, sturdy, healthy, precocious and prolific trees do
well on a wide range of soils.

IRON MOUNTAIN. Very late, large, white-fleshed, not attractive looking
enough for dessert, but excellent, especially for culinary purposes.
Flesh whit^, brown centered, juicy, tender, sweet, semi-freestone. Tree
hardy, vigorous but not always productive.

LOLA. A popular, Southern, white-fleshed variety, which follows and is
of superior flavor to Greensboro; superior also to Champion, which it
precedes. Same season as Carman. Very juicy, melting, sweet, semi-
free. Tree vigorous, productive, hardier than Carman.

FREESTONE VARIETIES

WHITE FLESHED

BELLE (of Georgia). One of the most beautiful, creamy-white, crimson-
cheeked fruits, with daintily marked white flesh of good but not best
quality; somewhat inferior to Champion. Early mid-season. Tree,
rather straggly, hardy and productive.

A handsome, creamy-white, brilliant red-cheeked, but rather
poor-flavored, early variety of medium size. Tree remarkably adaptable
to diverse soils.

162 HOME FRUIT GROWER

CHAMPION. Choice white Peach but prone to be small in unfavor-
able soils. A mid-season, medium to large, greenish to creamy-white
blushed fruit with white, very juicy, tender, sweet flesh. Semi-free
to freestone.

HILEY. An early, mid-season, white-fleshed, freestone variety of quality
superior to others of its season. Large and handsome when well
grown but variable. Trees not very hardy. Flesh creamy white,
red-centered, good quality.

IMPERIAL. One of the best of honey-flavored Peaches — popular in the
South. A large, late, greenish, blushed, white-fleshed, red-centered
fruit. Melting, tender, very sweet, well flavored, excellent. Tree pro-
ductive, rather tender Northward, prolific but drops fruit rather badly.

KALAMAZOO. A high-quality dessert and culinary, yellow-fleshed, freestone
variety, which ripens with and is more prolific than Late Crawford.
Trees vigorous but susceptible to leaf curl.

MOUNTAIN ROSE. One of the choicest early mid-season, white-fleshed,
freestone varieties, but not very prolific. Fruit medium to large, deep
blushed, creamy white. Flesh red-centered, juicy, melting, sweet,
excellent.

OLDMIXON FREE. Similar to Oldmixon Cling, but freestone, more sprightly
flavored but not of quite such high quality. Tree hardy, vigorous,
not highly prolific.

RIVERS. A high quality, rich, sugary, early but medium to large-fruited,
white-fleshed, European, freestone variety. Trees vigorous, hardy,
prolific.

STEVENS. A large, white-fleshed, late, freestone, of extra fine quality, and
as beautiful as excellent. One of the best for the family orchard.

STUMP. An unattractive looking but old favorite, white-fleshed, late free-
stone of the Oldmixon class. Its flesh is melting, juicy, and rich unless
over ripe, when it is almost poor. Trees vigorous, hardy, healthy,
prolific.

TRIANA. A small honey-fleshed, deliciously flavored Southern variety,
which, however, has been grown experimentally in western New York.

YELLOW FLESHED

BERENICE. Variable, but when well grown one of the choicest. A mid-
season, medium-sized variety, greenish yellow with red-blush cheek,
yellow, melting-sweet flesh. Tree healthy, hardy and moderately
prolific.

CAPTAIN EDE. A mid-season, medium-sized, yellow-blushed fruit with
yellow, dry, rather meaty, highly fragrant flesh of good quality. Tree
vigorous, hardy, generally productive.

CHAIRS. One of the choicest and long time- favorite varieties. Fruit mid-
season to late, medium to large, golden yellow with dull red blush and
yellow, juicy, sub-acid, excellent flesh. Tree vigorous, hardy, not
highly productive.

CROSBY. A splendid late dessert and culinary variety, medium sized,
orange yellow largely blushed. Flesh yellow, red-centered, juicy, firm,
but tender, sweet, of delicious quality. Tree somewhat small, remark-
ably hardy, vigorous, healthy and prolific, but not very adaptable to
diverse soils.

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS

163

EARLY CRAWFORD. (Fig.
109). Without a peer
in its mid-early season
and scarcely at any other
time. Fruit very large,
golden yellow, deep red
blushed; flesh yellow,
red veined, juicy, ten-
der, high flavored, ex-
cellent, freestone. Tree
healthy, vigorous, large
but slow, uncertain and
shy bearing.

EDGEMONT. A slightly
more acid, somewhat
later and more produc-
tive variety than Late
Crawford which it other-
wise closely resembles.
Its season is a little later
than Elberta, compared
with which it is more
juicy, less stringy, some-
what smaller but far
superior in quality. Fruit
large, light to orange
yellow, bronze flushed,
yellow fleshed, red-cen-
tered, very juicy, meaty,
mild, sub-acid, excellent
freestone.

ELBERTA. The most cosmopolitan of American Peaches because of its
productivity, size, adaptability to soils and climates. But its poor
quality should lead to the choice of finer varieties for the family orchard.
As frequently marketed, it is almost inedible to people familiar with
good Peaches.

FITZGERALD. Resembles Early Crawford, but is generally a few days
earlier, more prolific, hardier.

GOLD DROP. A medium-sized late Peach remarkable for its clear golden,
dull blushed skin, pale yellow, generally juicy, sprightly, freestone flesh
and its healthiness, precocity and hardiness of tree. It tends to over-
bear, so thinning is necessary.

LAMONT. Resembles Early Crawford in appearance and quality but more
prolific and later. A yellow-fleshed freestone. Excellent as a home
variety. Fruit medium to large, yellow, blushed, flesh red-centered,
juicy, sprightly.

LATE CRAWFORD. The highest quality yellow Peach. Fruit late, very
large, deep yellow with large dull cheek, flesh yellow, red-centered, firm,
tender, juicy, rich, excellent, freestone. Tree vigorous, readily
adaptable to diverse soils, but slow maturing and shy bearing.

LEMON FREE. Makes specially attractive looking canned Peaches, hence
its California popularity. A yellow, late mid-season variety of un-

Fig. 109.— Early Crawford, one of the choicest of
Peaches

164 HOME FRUIT GROWER

attractive appearance, very good quality but rather too dry flesh for
dessert. Tree large, hardy, rather shy bearing.

NIAGARA. A yellow freestone variety which resembles Early Crawford
but is larger, later, borne more abundantly. The tree is also more
adaptable and dependable.

REEVES. Old favorite, high-quality, yellow-fleshed freestone. Fruit mid-
season, medium size, yellow, red cheeked; flesh yellow, red-centered,
juicy, melting, sweet, excellent, freestone. Tree vigorous, hardy, only
fairly prolific.

ST. JOHN. An early yellow freestone dessert variety of the highest rank.
Fruit handsome, rich, sweet, excellent. Several days earlier than
Early Crawford, which it resembles. Tree vigorous, hardy but uncertain
of cropping.

SALWEY. One of the latest varieties, a yellow-fleshed freestone of good but
not best quality for dessert but excellent for canning, evaporating and
preserving. Often too late for Northern and cold sections. Tree
vigorous, hardy, healthy and highly prolific. This European variety
is probably the most widely grown of all in the world.

WAGER. A rather small, yellow-fleshed freestone, mid-season variety of
only moderate dessert quality but excellent for culinary uses. Its
hardiness, prolificacy and early bearing are remarkable.

PEAR

While the Cherry and the Peach have each special claims to
attention from home fruit growers the Pear has equal, if not superior,
rights. It is every whit as splendid a fruit and its varieties cover a
far longer season than either of the others. Yet how many of the
present or the rising generation know more varieties than Bartlett
and Kieffer, the one mediocre, the other decidedly inferior? To the
superabundance of these two, especially the latter, is largely due this
ignorance.

Many Pear varieties are suitable for culinary purposes and not fit
for anything else, yet there are several of such superlative excellence
that they deserve to rank with the choicest fruits of the world. Some
of the leading ones of these are described on succeeding pages.

The Pear succeeds almost everywhere that the Apple will grow.
While it thrives in a considerable variety of soils, it does best in the
heavy clays and clay loams. When planted in sandy and other
light soils it is usually short lived, perhaps because it there grows
too rapidly to resist the blight. For this reason also the trees seem
to do best when growing in sod, which tends to check growth partly
by using up nitrogenous plant food and water. Stable manure and
other nitrogen-supplying plant food must be given very sparingly
because they induce woody growth.

In handling the trees the same methods as those used for the
Apple may be used, as the habits of the trees are similar. Pear picking,

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS

165

however, demands more care and good judgment, for unlike most
other fruits Pears should be picked before getting ripe enough to be
eaten. The best rule is to wait until they are full size and have begun
to show the colors of maturity but not until they have begun to get
soft. With early varieties this may be a week before the fruit would
ripen on the tree; with Autumn kinds two to three weeks, with Winter

Fig. 110. — Could anyone ask for a more liberal setting of fruit?

sorts from a month to three months before the fruit would ripen in-
doors. (See storage, page 93). Each fruit should then be lifted
upwards and outwards so that it will separate where the fruit stem is
attached to the twig or fruit-spur. If ripe enough the fruits will
part readily without breaking either the stalk or the twig. As soon

166 HOME FRUIT GROWER

as picked they should be placed in a chest of drawers, a closed closet,
spread upon shelves and covered with paper, or wrapped in paper
and placed in boxes — any way to keep them out of a current
of air.

Many Pear varieties are specially successful when grown as
standard dwarfs upon Quince roots. Some do better, others as
well one way as the other, some fail unless "double worked." This
process consists in first grafting an amenable kind on the Quince,
then grafting this over to the desired variety. Among the varieties of
each class are the following;

Varieties better as dwarf than as standard trees: Angouleme,
Diel, Easter, Glout Morceau, Louise Bonne and Vicar. Varieties
equally good on Pear or Quince stocks: Barry, Josephine, Winter
Nelis, Gris d'Hiver, Danas, Hovey and Easter Beurre. Varieties
better on Pear than on Quince stocks are: Bartlett, Gray Doyenne,
Lucrative, Onondaga, Seckel. Varieties that generally fail on Quince
unless double-worked: Bosc, Sheldon, Winter Nelis. Before deciding
on any of the first two groups, I would choose the varieties I discussed
in the Garden Magazine as follows:

"The Cornice Pear, in my opinion, deserves more general plant-
ing, especially for home use. Of all the high-quality Pears I should
place it second only to Seckel, though Sheldon pushes it rather hard
for this high place. It is certainly finer flavored than any specimen
of Bosc, Anjou, or Clapp that I have ever eaten. In size the best
specimens I have sampled equal Angouleme, which they surpass in
texture as well as flavor. In juiciness it is the equal of Louise Bonne
de Jersey, which it surpasses in having a far less astringent, tough,
gritty skin. As to its sweetness, it is a close rival of Flemish Beauty.
For a Pear to form one of a succession it would cap the climax of this
list: Clapp, Flemish, Seckel, Sheldon, Cornice, thus covering the
season from mid-September to late November — provided the family
appetite would let it last that long."

Most of the early Pears are undesirable because their quality is
inferior to that of later ones, or they decay at the core before showing
any symptoms on the surface. But since the earliest begin to mature
nearly two months earlier than the Bartlett, it may be well to include
not more than one tree each of Madeleine, Manning's Elizabeth,
Tyson, Rostiezer, Clapp and Giffard. Unless there is plenty of
space I would omit Bartlett because it is not of as high quality as
later ones and it is always obtainable in the market. I would rather
devote the area to Onondaga, Hardy, Howell, Vermont Beauty,
Lawrence, Easter Beurre, Anjou, Boussock, Buffum, Madeleine,
Malines, Rostiezer, Superfine, Tyson and White Doyenne.

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS 167

PEAR VARIETIES TO COVER THE WHOLE SEASON
MID TO LATE SUMMER

BARTLETT. The leading commercial variety. Medium to large, clear
yellow often blushed fruit. Flesh white, fine grained, tender, either almost
sweet or slightly sub-acid, moderately flavored. Late Summer and
early Autumn. Tree erect, vigorous, precocious, very productive. One
of the best early Pears for canning. When well-grown, gathered
promptly and ripened in the house passable for dessert. Not com-
parable to later Pears in quality but valuable for the family orchard.

CLAPP (Clapp's Favorite). Large, yellowish-green to yellow with dark -red
cheek. Flesh greenish or yellowish- white, delicious, perfumed, juicy
and melting, but unless gathered rather early, ripened carefully and
eaten promptly, prone to decay at the core and be useless except as a
missile. Precedes Bartlett. One of the best early general purpose Pears.

MADELEINE. Medium, pale yellowish-green, faintly blushed. Flesh
juicy, melting, slightly acid, delicate, pleasant. Ripens best indoors
about Midsummer.

MANNING'S ELIZABETH. Small, yellow, blushed. Flesh very melting,
sweet, sprightly, fragrant, excellent. Late Summer. One of the best
earlies. Does best as a dwarf.

ROSTIEZER. Small to medium, brownish-green with dark reddish-brown
cheek. Flesh juicy, sweet, melting, highly perfumed, excellent — con-
sidered best of early Pears. Season late Summer.

TYSON. Small to medium, bright-yellow with reddish-brown cheek often
russeted. Flesh fine, buttery, juicy, melting, almost sweet, faintly
perfumed. One of the best early varieties. Late Summer. Tree slow
to reach maturity and often a rather shy bearer.

EARLY FALL

BELLE LUCRATIVE. Medium, yellowish-green, somewhat russeted. When
well-grown and properly ripened the flesh is very juicy, sweet, fine
textured, melting, rich, perfumed, excellent; scarcely excelled even by
Seckel. Sometimes poor, often rots at core. Season early Fall.

BOUSSOCK. Large, yellow, somewhat russeted, sometimes red-cheeked.
Flesh very juicy, melting, buttery, good flavor. Early Fall. A
reliable and valuable variety.

FLEMISH BEAUTY. Large, pale yellow, mostly russeted. Flesh very juicy
and sweet. Melting, often very rich, excellent when well-grown and
house-ripened. One of the choicest, but it must be sprayed thoroughly
or scab may make the fruit worthless. Season early Fall — follows
Bartlett.

SECKEL. The standard of excellence. Should be first choice for family
orchard. Small, brownish-green to yellowish-brown, often red-cheeked.
Flesh very fine textured, sweet, buttery, melting. Richest flavored of
Fall Pears. Tree slow grower, very hardy, notably free from blight.
Will stand higher cultivation than many other varieties. Early to
late Fall. Dangerous to take to school because too tempting to keep
in the desk.

VERMONT BEAUTY. Medium, yellow, handsomely red-cheeked. Flesh
very juicy, melting, very sweet, rich, fragrant, excellent. Early to
mid-Fall. Fruit remarkably clean but of variable size.

168 HOME FRUIT GROWER

MID-FALL

ANGOULEME (Duchess). Greenish-yellow, often russeted. Flesh yellow-
ish-white, melting, buttery, juicy, good when well-grown but often
inedible and fit only for spicing and pickling when fruits weigh less than
one-quarter pound. Mid-Fall. Best as a dwarf. Good specimens are
too large for a boy's pocket but not his "bread-basket."

ANJOU. Medium to large with dull red, often russeted cheek. Flesh
yellowish-white, fine-grained, buttery, melting, rich. Tree variable as
a cropper. Where it succeeds Anjou is one of the best of all Pears
because of its hardiness, uniformity and long keeping quality. Season
mid-Fall to Midwinter — if the supply can withstand family attacks.

Bosc. Large, deep-yellow, mostly russeted. Flesh juicy, buttery, rich,
fragrant, sweet, excellent. Tree a straggly grower. Fails as a
dwarf unless double-worked. Season mid-Autumn. One of the best.

COMICE. Large, greenish-yellow, often faintly blushed and more or less
russeted. Flesh white, fine, very juicy, melting, sweet, rich, rather
aromatic. An excellent keeper during mid to late Autumn. One of
the choicest when ripe. Not safe to put in a boy's pocket because it
will easily "squush."

GRAY DOYENNE. Medium russet. Flesh melting, perfumed, rich, excel-
lent. Mid-Fall to Winter — if enough to last ! Must be thoroughly
sprayed to prevent scab on the fruit.

HARDY. (Fig. 110). Large, greenish, russeted. Flesh buttery, rather melt-
ing, rich, somewhat sub-acid. Good in mid-Fall. Does well on Quince.

LOUISE BONNE. Medium to large, yellowish-green, brown-red cheek.
Skin gritty and acrid. Flesh yellowish- white, very juicy, buttery, melt-
ing, slightly sub-acid, rich. Tree remarkably productive, an almost
annual cropper. Does best as dwarf. While hardly of best quality
this variety is so sure a bearer and the fruit is so firm that it should
be in every family orchard to succeed the Bartlett. Season early to
mid-Fall.

ONONDAGA. Greenish to rich yellow with sometimes a brownish cheek.
Flesh a little coarse grained but buttery, melting, juicy, rich and fine.
While not of highest quality this is an excellent family Pear for baking
and canning. Season mid-Autumn. A good annual cropper. Few
boys can eat more than two at a sitting, they're so large and juicy,

SHELDON. Medium to large, greenish russet to brown. Flesh slightly
coarse-grained, but very juicy, melting, winey, excellent. Tree vigorous
as a standard but fails as a dwarf unless double-worked. Mid-Fall.
Hard to keep in a schoolboy's desk.

WHITE DOYENNE (Virgalieu of New York). Medium to fairly large.
Pale yellow often blushed. Flesh white, buttery, melting, very fine
textured; rich, excellent. Mid to late Fall or even later. Unless well
sprayed the fruit is sure to scab and in many cases be worthless.

LATE FALL TO MIDWINTER

BARRY. Large, orange yellow, russeted. Flesh juicy, buttery, rich, excel-
lent. Tree a poor grower, fails as a dwarf unless double-worked. A
leading late Winter variety, especially in California.

X) ANA'S HONEY. Small, yellow, somewhat russeted. Flesh
melting, excellent^ Season early Winter.

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS 169

EASTER BEURRE. Large, yellowish green, somewhat russeted. Flesh
juicy, fine-grained, melting, very buttery, excellent when well-grown
and properly ripened. Does not mature well in Northern States and
Canada. Mid to late Winter. Does best as a dwarf.

GRIS d'HiVER. Medium, greenish, russeted. Flesh greenish, very juicy,
melting, buttery, rich, sub-acid. Early Winter.

HOWELL. Medium to large, light yellow often handsomely cheeked.
Flesh white, melting, buttery, rather rich, aromatic, inclined to be
variable. Tree sturdy grower and producer of very clean fruit. Season
mid to late Fall.

JOSEPHINE DE MALINES. Medium, yellowish; flesh pale salmon towards
core, sweet, buttery, distinctive flavor. Tree best as a dwarf. Early
to Midwinter or later.

LAWRENCE. Medium, lemon yellow. Flesh whitish, aromatic, rich,
very good. Late Fall and early Winter. Tree a moderate grower,
rather spreading, precocious, good cropper. Fruit best early Winter
variety. Easy to ripen.

VICAR OF WINKFIELD. Large, pale yellow, or yellowish-green, sometimes
with dull, red cheek; flesh greenish or yellowish-white, buttery, juicy,
fair flavor, though sometimes rather astringent. Late Fall to Mid-
winter. Tree a straggly grower. Does well as dwarf. Very productive.
The fruit is specially valuable for cooking, almost never for dessert.

WINTER NELIS. Small to medium, yellowish-green, russeted. Flesh
yellowish-white, fine-grained, very melting, buttery, rich, sweet, rather
winey, fragrant, excellent. Early Winter. Tree slender, straggly.

PERSIMMON

According to tradition there was once a young lady who sought
to reduce the size of her mouth by frequently repeating the words
"prunes and prisms," because these are such "puckery" words. If
she had accepted popular belief, however, she could have enjoyed a far
more puckery sensation by eating, or attempting to eat, immature
Persimmons.

While it is a fact that Persimmons are astringent when unripe, it
is neither true that all must be frost-bitten to destroy this quality and
make them edible nor that frost is always effective in this respect.
There are varieties that ripen weeks or even months before the arrival
of the earliest frost and are bland and pleasant as soon as ripe; and
there are others which even after being frozen solid several times
continue to be "awful drawy."

Two classes of Persimmons are grown in the United States —
American and Japanese. The former, which includes few cultivated
varieties as yet, is common as a fence row tree in the Southeastern
States, and extends its range as far north as Connecticut and westward
to Kansas; the latter, varieties of which are planted for home and
market, is more tender, being doubtfully hardy north of Kentucky.

Though the native species in the forest often reaches a height of
75 feet, in the fence rows it rarely exceeds 30 feet. In the home orchard,

170

HOME FRUIT GROWER

therefore, it need not grow as tall as an Apple tree. As it is a par-
ticularly difficult tree to transplant, and as seedlings produce very
variable fruit, the best way to get good varieties is to gather seeds in
Autumn or early Winter, keep them in sand or soil out-of-doors until
Spring, then plant where the trees are to grow, the idea being to bud
or graft them the second or third Spring thereafter with varieties of
known merit. When the bark will separate freely from the wood is the
proper time. Ordinary methods of budding and grafting are successful.

If it is ever necessary to transplant the trees the operation should
be done as soon as the leaves drop in the Fall of the first or the second
year, so as to save as much as possible of the tap root. The top must
be cut back severely to balance the loss of this main root, otherwise
the tree will almost surely die. Any warm, deep, well-drained, well-
prepared soil will suit this tree, especially if placed in full sunlight
and kept clean cultivated for the first several years. When trans-
planted the trees should be set two or three inches deeper than in the
nursery, and 15 to 20 feet apart. The branches should be started
low to favor hand-picking. As the trees are very deep rooting, other
plants may be set near them, and as they are exceptionally free from in-
sects and diseases they are never a menace to other fruit trees or bushes.

Among the varieties so far disseminated the ones shown in the
accompanying table are described by W. F. Fletcher in Farmers'
Bulletin No. 685, which may be secured upon application to the
Department of Agriculture. The "season" for any locality may be
calculated from that given in the table by remembering that north of
the place of origin it will be later, but south earlier.

AMERICAN PERSIMMON VARIETIES

Name

Origin

Season

Size

Color

Seeds

Flavor & Qualitj

Boone

Barrier
Delmas . . ...

Ind...

Ky.. ..
Miss..
Ind...
111....
Ind ..

Oct. &NOV

Rather early. . .
Oct. & early Nov.
Oct
Sept
Aug. to Oct
Oct
Sept

Sept
Oct

Sept
Sept. and later . .

Oct
Oct. & Nov

Medium

Medium
Med. to large
Medium
Med. to large
Med. to large
Med. to large
Medium

Rather large
Large

Large
Small to med.

Large
Medium

Yellow blushed.

Yellow
Reddish yellow.
Dull yellow
Yellow
Dark orange....
Dark red
Bright yellow to
translucent.. .
Yellow, red
splashed
Dull red

Reddish yellow.
Yellowish red to
deep red
Dull yellow
blushed
Dull yellow
splashed red..

Many...

Very few
Many...
Few....
Few
Few. . . .
Few. . . .

Few. . . .

Few.'!;.
Many...
Few. . . .
Few. . . .

Sweet but not
rich, good
Soft, very good
Sweet, rich, gooc
Very good
Sweet, very gooc
Rich, sweet, gooc
Rich, very good

Sweet, rich, good

Rich, very good
Good though
not very rich
Sweet, good

Sweet, very good
Very good

Rich, sweet, very
good

Early Bearing
Early Golden
Golden Gem

Hicks
Josephine (Am. Honey)

Kansas
Marion

Miller
Ruby (Little's Ruby)..

Shoto
Smeech

Ind...
Mo...

Mo...
Mo...

Mo...
Ind...

Ind...
Pa.. ..

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS 171

The Japanese Persimmon or Kaki may be grown in the same way
as the American species, except that being more tender it will not
succeed in regions where the Winter temperature is very low. It is
grown successfully in eastern Virginia and even as far north as Newark,
N. J., but these cases are exceptional. The Kaki is decidedly a
Cotton-belt fruit, but bids fair to give rise to hardier seedlings suitable
for colder sections.

Until recently an objection to many of the varieties is the dropping
of the fruit. This is now understood to be due to imperfect, or no
pollination, and has been effectually remedied by planting other
varieties nearby. The Gailey, a variety highly prolific of pollen, is
recommended for this purpose at the rate of one tree to each six or
eight of other varieties. On the other hand, the Tane-Nashi is a
self-fertile kind that may be planted alone.

Another peculiarity of the Kaki is that fruits of the same variety
and sometimes on the same tree, show variations in color, shape and
size. Much of this variation is removable by good pollination. So
far as studied the seedless varieties have light-colored flesh. Often,
however, when part of the fruit is seedless and the other part bearing
seeds there will be sections of light and dark-colored flesh which corre-
spond with the absence or presence of seeds ! From the home standpoint
this is of far less moment than from that of the market. The dark
flesh is always pleasantly flavored, whereas the light flesh is usually
puckery until it becomes soft.

Among varieties more or less cultivated in America the following
are perhaps best known ;

COST ATA, medium-sized, salmon-yellow, few seeded, long keeping,
fine flavored. FUYAGAKI, medium-sized, orange-red, sweet, fine flavor,
excellent. HACHIYA, very large, showy, bright red, spotted, very fine, not
very prolific. HYAKUME, large to very large, buff-yellow, sweet, meaty,
fine, prolific. TABER No. 23, medium, rather dark red, dotted, sweet,
seedy, good. TABER No. 129, medium, dark yellowish-red, crisp, meaty,
sweet, excellent, good keeper. TAHOPAN, large, (often weighing a pound,)
bright orange-red, seedless, excellent. TANE-NASHI, lar^e to very large,
light yellow, changing to bright red when fully mature, high quality.
TRIUMPH, medium, yellow, few seeded, highly prolific, excellent quality.
TSURA, large, bright red, few seeded, good when fully ripe. YEDDO-!CHI,
large, dark red, with heavy bloom, flesh very dark brown or purplish,
crisp, sweet, rich, edible while still hard. GEMON (Among), large, light
yellow, changing to dull red mottled orange, few seeded or seedless, flesh
high quality. ZENGI, small, yellowish-red, seedy, very early, quality good,
highly prolific.

PLUM SPECIES AND VARIETIES

While more than a score of Plum species are described by botanists,
the most important of the several thousand varieties recognized by

172 HOME FRUIT GROWER

pomologists are descended from two European and one Japanese
species. Within the past half century efforts have been made to
develop useful varieties from several American species, not that these
species, or the varieties as yet developed from them, are superior to
those of the European or Japanese species, but they are needed either
to fill gaps in our season, or to supply Plums where these Old World
varieties and their descendants fail because of unfavorable climate.

The European varieties succeed best from Nova Scotia southward
to Pennsylvania and westward to Michigan, in the irrigated sections
of the Rockies and also on the Pacific Coast. In favored localities
of the Southeastern States are occasional orchards even to the Gulf
of Mexico, but in the Mississippi basin they are almost unknown.
The Japanese varieties as a class are less desirable than the European,
but they enhance the list of flavors, extend the Plum season and they
may be grown successfully in many sections where the Europeans fail
or are only indifferently successful, notably in the South and the
Southwest as well as in sections where the Europeans succeed. Except
a few varieties, characterized herein, choice should be first made among
the European varieties where these succeed.

Both European and Japanese Plums have been cultivated and
improved for centuries. So it is not surprising that they have numerous
varieties. American species began to attract pomological attention
scarcely more than fifty years ago, yet varieties have been originated
which are not only good in themselves but give promise of much better
ones to follow. The leading American species (Prunus americand)
grows wild from Nova Scotia to Florida and westward to the Rockies —
a pretty big territory! While perhaps none of its varieties, which are
practically all early ripening, equals in quality even the mediocre
European or Japanese kinds and may therefore be excluded from
the home orchard where these will thrive, yet they form a highly
welcome addition to the meagre fruit list where the more civilized,
more pampered foreigners lack stamina. A sub-variety (P. americana
mollis) is specially abundant in Iowa and Missouri. Its leading variety
is Wolf.

Another (P. hortulana) native from western Tennessee and Ken-
tucky to Illinois, Missouri and Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas,
is valuable because its varieties are specially suited to the lower Mis-
sissippi basin and the Southern States. They bear well at least as
far north as the Lake Erie shores. Varieties of a sub-species (P.
hortulana mineri), possibly a hybrid between hortulana and americana,
are specially valuable because they ripen late and thus extend the season
where only native Plums can be grown successfully.

The Canada Plum (P. nigra), considered by some botanists and

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS 173

pomologists as merely a botanical variety of americana being a native
from Newfoundland to northern Ontario and southern Manitoba
and to the tops of the mountains as far South as the Garolinas and
Tennessee, is specially valuable in cold sections where other Plums,
even the other American species> fail. They are noted for hardiness
of wood and buds, toughness and pliability of branches which with-
stand wind and snow, and earliness of fruiting, hence certainty of
ripening even in short seasons.

Still another species (P. munsoniand) common from central
Tennessee to northern Texas, has produced varieties of probably more
importance than any other natives for the South. Some of them are
also valuable even as far North as southern Michigan. Though
nearly all are clingstone some are valuable for dessert and many for
cooking.

AMERICAN GROUP

(Species names in parentheses refer to preceding general discussion
of the American Plums.)

CHENEY (P. nigra). Valuable only in coldest sections where better
varieties are tender. The medium-sized, reddish, clingstone fruits are
mid-season and ripen during a long period. Only moderate quality.

DE SOTO (P. americana). One of the best American Plums because of fair
tree growth, prolificacy, hardiness and moderate quality freestone fruit.

FOREST GARDEN (P. hortulana miner i). Widely disseminated in the
Middle West. A late red, medium-sized, spicy-flavored, clingstone var-
iety, scarcely of dessert quality but excellent for preserving. Tree
sturdy, hardy, precocious and of variable prolificacy.

HAWKEYE (P. americana). A satisfactory clingstone, mid-season variety
for eating raw or cooked, but very susceptible to brown rot. Trees
hardy, prolific, very straggling.

MAQUOKETA (P. hortulana mineri). One of the best American culinary
Plums. Trees hardy even in Minnesota. Fruits late, short season,
small, red, rather strong flavored, clingstone.

MILTON (P. munsoniand). A large, early, short season, dark red variety,
rather free from rot. The yellowish, very juicy flesh, .clings firmly to
the stone. Trees medium size, hardy, healthy, prolific.

MINER (P. hortulana mineri). A standard in its group and widely dis-
tributed, especially in the northern limits of Plum growing. Trees
sturdy, healthy and prolific. Fruit rather late, medium size, dull red
with pale yellow juice, flesh of good quality, especially for culinary
purposes, clingstone. Must be cross-fertilized or will not bear.

ROLLINGSTONE (P. americana). A medium-sized, rather dull red, mid-
season, culinary, almost freestone variety, with short period of ripening.
Tree rather dwarf, crooked, unkempt.

STODDARD (P. americana). A mid-season, medium-sized, red, plingstone
variety, with dark yellow, juicy flesh, sweet near the skin and tart at
the cling pit. Tree large, sturdy and prolific.

174 HOME FRUIT GROWER

WAYLAND (P.'hortulana). Valuable in the dry Southwest, because the trees
bear heavily but late. Fruits small, red, sour, clingstone, excellent for
culinary purposes. Trees large, sturdy and hardy.

WILD GOOSE (P. munsoniana) . A very early, handsome, medium-sized,
red variety, with tender, melting, pleasant flavored, clingstone flesh.
Tree large, healthy, hardy and prolific when well pollinated, sterile,
or nearly so, otherwise.

WOLF (P. americana mollis). A remarkably hardy, reliable American
variety which bears handsome, medium-sized, red fruits of good flavor,
almost freestone. Valuable in the upper Mississippi Valley, but
probably not elsewhere, unless in very cold sections where better
Plums fail.

WYANT (P. americana). One of the best American varieties. Tree small,
spreading, straggly, hardy, healthy, prolific. Fruit mid-season and
with short period of ripening. Medium-sized, dark red, flesh yellow,
juicy, tender, melting, sweet, of fair quality and nearly free from the pit.

EUROPEAN GROUP

AGEN. Particularly valuable for prune making because of its richness

in sugar and solids and its regular annual bearing. Good also for

dessert. Fruit below medium in size, late, reddish-purple, almost

freestone.

BAVAY. See Reine Claude.
DAMSON. Impossible to eat raw. Noted for twenty centuries for jam.

A little, late, astringent, blue Plum, borne profusely on small trees.

Widely adaptable to soils and climates, hence superior to several of its

progeny which excel it in other respects.
FRENCH. The largest and best quality variety of the Damson group.

Sometimes the stone clings to the flesh, sometimes it is free. Fruits

purple, late, follows Shropshire. Trees large, strong, prolific annual

croppers.
GOLDEN DROP. The largest and handsomest yellow variety, suitable

for dessert, culinary purposes and drying. Very late, freestone.

Particularly successful on the Pacific coast; almost a failure in the

East because the trees are tender to frost and susceptible to disease.
GREEN GAGE. See Reine Claude.
HAND. See Reine Claude.
IMPERIAL GAGE. See Reine Claude.
ITALIAN PRUNE. A late, short season, purple, freestone Plum, specially

useful for culinary purposes. Its good qualities have made it one of

the most widely grown varieties of the world.
JEFFERSON. Sae Rgine Clauds.
LAWRENCE. See Reine Claude.
MCLAUGHLIN. See Reine Claude.
MIDDLEBURG. A large, late, purple, almost freestone variety, of long

season and excellent quality for dessert and culinary uses. Trees

medium size, sturdy, hardy, healthy and prolific.
MONARCH. One of the largest, handsomest and best flavored of purple

Plums. Fruit late, clingstone. Tree medium size, prolific.

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS 175

PACIFIC. One of the most beautiful, largest and best flavored of purple
freestone Plums. Trees sturdy, hardy, prolific. Fruit mid-season,
ripens during long period. Favorably known in Oregon and Washing-
ton. Not fully tested in the East.

PEARL. See Reine Claude.
PETERS. See Reine Claude.
PURPLE GAGE. See Reine Claude.

REINE CLAUDE. For over two centuries the standard of high dessert
quality because of its richness, texture, juiciness and aroma. As
ordinarily handled and unthinned, it is not remarkably attractive in
appearance, but when well grown on healthy trees and thinned, it is a
handsome, yellowish-green Plum. Fruit mid-season, large. Tree
small, subject to sun scald, very prolific, an annual cropper, rather
short-lived.

Reine Claude has a numerous progeny differing in season, period
of ripening, size, prolificacy, etc. The ones discussed below have the
characteristic high quality of the parent. All except Purple Gage are
greenish-yellow, though some of them, notably McLaughlin and
Yellow Gage, often have blushed cheeks in the sun. The following
comments on individual members of the group will help in making a
selection of varieties :
BAVAY. Tree medium size and vigor, precocious, annually prolific;

fruit medium size, late, during long season, freestone.
HAND. Tree vigorous, hardy, not very productive, fruit large, mid-
season, almost freestone.

IMPERIAL GAGE. Tree vigorous, upright, hardy, prolific; does best in
light soils; poor on clay. Fruit mid-season, rather small, almost
freestone.

JEFFERSON. Tree vigorous, slow to bear, uncertain, not as hardy as
could be desired, pernickety as to soils. Fruit medium size, long
ripening, semi-freestone.
LAWRENCE. Trees precocious and abundant croppers. Fruits large,

mid-season, freestone.
MCLAUGHLIN. Trees large, vigorous, hardy, precocious, fairly prolific.

Fruit early, short season, medium size, clingstone.
PEARL. Trees medium size, healthy, hardy but not very prolific. Fruit

mid-season, large, clingstone.
PETERS. Tree large, sturdy, hardy, healthy. Fruit large, late, short

season, clingstone.

PURPLE GAGE. Trees large, sturdy, hardy, but not 'very prolific.
Fruit large, mid-season, long ripening, often shrivel as they become
fully ripe and are then of richest flavor, semi-clingstone.
WASHINGTON. Tree hardy, healthy, annually prolific, but rather slow

to begin bearing. Fruit large, mid-season, freestone.
YELLOW GAGE. Tree large, sturdy, hardy and usually prolific. Fruit

large, mid-season, long ripening, sub-acid, freestone.
SHROPSHIRE. Doubtless the best known Damson grown in America.
While French is larger, Shropshire is sturdier, hardier, healthier. Trees
remarkable for annual loads of fruit. Like most other Damson varie-
ties, this is purely a culinary kind, though its fruits may be eaten raw
after being slightly frosted. Fruit late, long season, small to medium,
purple, clingstone.

176 HOME FRUIT GROWER

TENNANT. A. large, handsome, purple variety, rather better than most
other varieties of its color. Fruit ripens late (before Italian Prune)
and during a rather long season, clingstone. Trees sturdy, hardy,
healthy and prolific. Popular for prune making on the Pacific Coast.
Little known in the East.

TRAGEDY. An attractive purple Pacific Coast variety, scarcely known in
the East. Fruit early, short season, fairly large, juicy, tender, sweet,
clingstone. Trees sturdy, hardy and prolific.

WASHINGTON. See Reine Claude.

YELLOW GAGE. See Reine Claude.

JAPANESE GROUP

ABUNDANCE. Early, short season, medium size, mottled red, yellow-
fleshed, very juicy, fairly sweet, moderately good, clingstone. One of
the most widely adaptable of the Japanese varieties.

BURBANK. A better quality, slightly later and much longer season variety
than Abundance. Medium to large, red, clingstone. Tree rather
sprawling, very brittle, therefore subject to breakage unless trained
and pruned with special care.

KELSEY. Latest and largest Japanese variety. So tender to frost it is
unsafe to plant in cold sections. Successful in the South and in Cali-
fornia whence the Eastern markets are supplied. Greenish-yellow,
meaty fruits, of very good quality. Stone almost free in well-ripened
fruits.

OCTOBER (Purple). A large, handsome, Japanese clingstone variety.
Passable for dessert but better for culinary uses. Trees sturdy, healthy,
but slow to begin bearing and uncertain croppers.

SATSUMA. A large, red, firm, but juicy-fleshed, clingstone, Japanese
variety, one of the best of its group for culinary or dessert purposes.
Trees medium size, fairly hardy and prolific though a little slow to
begin bearing.

WICKSON. Perhaps the largest of all Plums, certainly of Japanese varie-
ties. Handsome, purplish-red, pleasant-flavored, firm-fleshed fruit,
which ripens from early mid-season till rather late, clingstone. Trees
and blossoms tender to cold. In California a leader among Japanese
varieties. In Georgia and other Southern States also popular. Not
safe to plant in the Northeastern States.

POMEGRANATE

In a strip of warm
coast, from the Carolinas
to Texas, thence west-
ward to California, some
of the better varieties of
Pomegranate should be
included in family plant-
ings, first, because of the
beauty of the rather large
Fig. 111. -The Pomegranate shrub and the waxy coral

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS

177

pink flowers; second, be-
cause of their fruits (Fig.
111). The pink or crimson
pulp which surrounds the
seeds, though acid in some
varieties and in others a
very refreshing sub-acid,
is valued for desserts,
punches, salads, for stew-
ing with sugar and for
making very refreshing
beverages. The sweet
varieties have a delicacy
and sprightliness unique
among fruits.

The shrub does best
on moist but well-
drained, rather heavy soils,

Fig. 112. — Best way to open a Pomegranate

though it will grow on a wide range from almost pure sand to heavy
clay. On the former yields are smaller and the fruit less desirable than
on the latter. Early Spring planting is best. Preferably the soil
should have been in cultivation in previous years. Semi-monthly
tillage during the growing season and fertilizing as for other tree fruits
are all that is necessary. About the only pruning needed is to remove
the superfluous suckers, dying or crossing branches, and the shortening
of any too rampant growths.

The bush form is generally preferred to the tree style of training.
The fruit is borne terminally on short spurs of slow maturing wood
which bears for several seasons, when younger wood does duty. Most
of the fruit is borne towards the outside of the tree, little in the center.
Hence pruning except as above must be done intelligently so as not to
remove too much fruiting wood. Well-grown fruits often weigh two to
three pounds. The knack of opening the fruit is to cut a' disc from the
bulging calyx end, then to cut the hard rind along the partition walls,
to force the segments apart and to remove the pulpy seeds for use
(Fig. 112).
PAPER SHELL. A very large pale yellow, crimson-cheeked fruit with

very sweet flesh of good quality. Noted as a home-fruit variety.
RUBY (Spanish Ruby), A large, bright red, crimson-fleshed, juicy, sweet,

aromatic fruit. One of the best.
SWEET FRUITED and SUB-ACID are two other leading varieties grown

largely and listed by Southern and California nurserymen.
WONDERFUL, considered the best variety, is a glossy, purplish red with

deep crimson, very juicy flesh of excellent, rich flavor.

178

HOME FRUIT GROWER

QUINCE

No fruit with which I am familiar has so lasting a flavor as the
Quince. Any one who will allow his curiosity to get the better of
his judgment may prove that a single taste of a raw one will last a
lifetime. Having once sampled a handsome specimen in my early boy-
hood I have no more hankering to take a second bite than I have to eat
an unripe Persimmon; for as the surgeons say, "the operation was
a success, "my appetite for raw Quince has been permanently appeased.

While the Quince (Fig. 113) is said to be eaten raw as a dessert
fruit in Persia, we in America can use it only after it has been cooked.

Fig. 1 13.— No home garden is complete without at least one Quince bush

For the making of jelly, marmalade, jam and syrup it is capable of
playing a role which no other fruit can equal or even approach. When
used alone it may be too strong-flavored for some palates but when
toned down by combining it with other fruits, especially Apples and
Pears, it is delicious and distinct. Every family orchard, therefore,
should contain at least one tree. The orchard of my boyhood boasted
twelve, so we could have twelve months continuous supply of Quince
concoctions. By the way, after the juice has been removed from
the cooked Quince in jelly making, the residue may be passed through

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS 179

a colander to remove inedible parts and the strained stuff mixed with
an equal quantity of Apple sauce. It is too strong to use alone.

Few fruits grown in America have been so badly treated. It
is generally pushed off to a fence corner or a back-yard and forgotten
until someone goes out and discovers that it has borne a few flea-
bitten fruits, after the gathering of which it sinks into obscurity again
for another year. From personal experiences in renovating just such
neglected trees, as well as from having grown trees according to
approved methods, I know that splendid fruits may be counted upon as
an annual crop. Trees properly handled often continue to bear abun-
dantly for forty years, surely a long enough time to make their care
well worth the while.

Contrary to popular opinion, the Quince does best in a well-drained,
warm, not a damp, cold soil. Damp, poorly drained soil tends to
develop small, inferior, woody fruits. A fairly rich soil is better
than one very rich, because the tree is less subject to blight when it
grows moderately rather than rankly and the fruits are of superior
quality. The deeper the soil the better, because the roots will thereby
be encouraged to forage more deeply, the tree be more drouth-resistant
and less likely to be injured by cultivating tools which would cut
and break them if near the surface as they naturally are. Cultiva-
tion should always be shallow on this account. A good plan is to
cultivate moderately in Spring and early Summer, working the soil
towards the trees both to favor drainage and to protect the roots as
well as to keep the surface loose and open. A cover crop sown about
Midsummer is highly desirable, but care must be exercised to prevent
the soil becoming too rich in nitrogen from the excessive use of legumes,
such as Crimson Clover.

Since well -grown Quince trees reach 12 or 15 feet in height,planting
should not be closer than 15 feet, though often 12 and even 10 are
recommended. As the trees are long lived for the family orchard
I would prefer to plant them at maximum distances and to use the inter-
vening spaces for small fruits until the Quince trees need all the space.
When planted too close the trees become spindly and tall.

Because of its peculiar method of fruit bearing the Quince, if
improperly pruned, is likely to become crooked and full of useless
twigs. When this habit is understood the pruning is simple. The
fruit buds are borne singly at the tips of twigs which develop from
buds formed the previous season. Recause of this new twigs grow
in other directions, thus largely accounting for the irregular forms
of the branches. With this point in mind pruning should aim to keep
the top open and well spread out by removing superfluous interior
branches and by shortening the shoots where fruit is desired. Two-

180

HOME FRUIT GROWER

Fig. 1 14.— Please pass the powdered sugar and the
cream

year-old nursery trees are
better than older ones for
planting, and a height of
12 to 15 inches better than
more for the length of the
trunk.

Among the score of
varieties listed in Ameri-
can fruit books only two
are really very popular,
though four or five others
— VAN DEMAN, REA,
BENTLEY, MEECH and
FULLER — are grown to
some extent. These two,
ORANGE and CHAMPION,
are both large, yellow,
tender fleshed, excellent flavored varieties which ripen about mid-
Autumn. The former is somewhat the earlier and the larger. Well-
grown specimens often weigh a pound.

RASPBERRIES >

I recently lost an argument with a lady who insisted that the
Raspberry is superior to the Strawberry and that Henry Ward
Beecher was mistaken when he declared "the Lord might have made
a better fruit than the Strawberry, but he never did." Furthermore,
she asserts that simply because "Beecher ought to know" he has,
on account of this dictum, led countless other mortals to err. She
claims, "He ought to have known better. A moment's reasoning
would have convinced
him. For Raspberries not
only have a finer and
wider range of color and
flavor but they are always
clean and they never break
one's back to gather.
Finally," she announced
as a clincher, "the fact
that their season follows
that of the Strawberry
proves that they were
created later and are
therefore the result of Fig. 115.— Black Raspberries are wonderfully prolific

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS

181

experience in the creation business."
How can a mere man meet such
logic ? Can he assert that Strawberries
are invariably clean? No; they are
often gritty. Can he claim that they
are easy to gather ? No; for after picking
an hour or more he's often yearned for
a more supple, though none the less
manly, frame. As to range of flavors
of such fruit, are not honors about
even? And as to colors, has not the
Raspberry decidedly the advantage
with its red, yellow, purple, black
and varying intermediate tints against
the Strawberry's reds and pinks with
only an occasional albino? Then can
he be blamed if. like Falstaff, he proves
that "the better part of valor is discre-
tion" and though vanquished, bobs up
serenely, after the coast has cleared,
with untarnished and unshaken loyalty
— to the Strawberry?

My reader must not conclude from
the foregoing banter that I seek to be-
little the Raspberry. Really I think
no home garden is complete without it.

Fig. 117.— Well-rooted Black Raspberry "tip."
Note bud near the base of the stem

Fig. 1 1 6. — Red Raspberries are
determined to "sucker"

Indeed, if I had space I
would plant a dozen, or a
score, each of early and
late, of black and red
varieties, as many of one
of the purple kinds,
mainly for canning, and
also of Golden Queen, the
only really good yellow
one, that is six kinds —
or more !

In method of growth

182

HOME FRUIT GROWER

Fig. 118.— Red Raspberry before Spring pruning
and thinning of suckers

all Raspberries resemble
Blackberries since they
have perennial crowns and
biennial stems, which die
after having produced
fruit. Red varieties also
develop new plants like
Blackberries do from
suckers (Fig. 118), but may
also be increased by root
cuttings. The black ones
do not send up suckers
but bend their canes over
till their .tips touch the
ground. Then if these
tips become anchored so
they are not whipped
about by the wind they
form new plants (Fig. 1 17) ,
as do also adjacent buds
which develop stems near

the tips of the main canes. Half a dozen to a score of plants may
often be developed in this way. Yellow-fruited kinds may propagate
by either method, depend-
ing upon whether they
have originated from the
wild black or the wild red
species. The purple-fruited
varieties, many of which
are known to be hybrids
of red and black kinds,
may develop new plants
from cane tips, from
suckers or by both
methods.

Knowing the method
of propagation, therefore,
it is easy to increase the
number of plants when
necessary or to guard
against reproduction be-
yond desired limits. The Hg ,,9<_Recl Raspberry after Spring pruning and
Red Raspberry and its thinning of suckers

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS

183

Fig. 120.— Black Raspberry before Spring pruning
and thinning

yellow-fruited varieties,
like the Blackberry usually
demand close attention to
prevent the formation of
suckers (see Blackberry).
It is best to plant all mem-
bers of the Raspberry and
Blackberry family in the
Spring rather than in the
Fall, because of the prob-
able heaving and settling
of the soil and breakage
of roots when plants are
Autumn set.

Cultivated Raspber-
ries may be successfully
grown wherever wild ones
succeed, provided hardy
varieties are chosen. Ex-
cept in the mountains,
however, they are not very

successful south of Virginia. In the cold North and high altitudes,
it may be necessary to cover the canes during Winter, as in the case
of the Blackberry. A deep, well-drained, fertile, somewhat heavy
_ loam, well supplied with

humus, suits all species
better than do lighter soils.
Always the area should
be well air-drained be-
cause many varieties seem
to be more susceptible to
damage, either by frosts
or diseases, ' when grown
in pockety or low land.

Varieties that natur-
ally form restricted stools
or crowns — all the blacks
and some of the reds —
may be grown in hills or
checks if desired, (Fig.
121), but the usual way

Fig. 121. -Black Raspberry after being pruned in for the kinds .that form
Spring many suckers is to allow

184

HOME FRUIT GROWER

only three or four stems to the lineal foot of row, (Fig. 119),
or not more than four or five, preferably three, to the hill or
stool. When grown in hills five or six feet each way is necessary
between the newly set plants; when in rows three or four feet with
six or eight feet between rows, depending upon the size of the variety
and the richness of the soil. During the first season vegetables may
be grown between the plants and the rows. Frequent and thorough
cultivation is necessary the first year and unless the plants are deeply
mulched with straw, leaves or other loose material, also every other
year, especially up to the time the fruits are ripening so as to keep the
soil as moist as possible.

Besides the methods of pruning and training employed in Black-
berry growing, Red Raspberries are handled in many ways, among

Fig. 122. — Spring pruning Raspberry canes level with the top trellis wire

which the following are perhaps most common. Black varieties
more often than red ones have their young canes pinched like Black^
berries to make them stocky and branchy. The first year no training
is usually given, the plants being small. In the Spring of the second
year before growth starts a stake is driven beside each hill — when
tfafe hill system is employed — and the previous year's canes tied to it:
The canes that grow later in the season develop outside those tied
to the stake.

With solid rows and fairly dwarf kinds all the suckers in the row
may be allowed to grow without staking or trellising, only those between
rows being destroyed. The following Winter the inferior ones are
removed. With large-growing varieties the canes may be left un-
pruned until the following Spring, when the best ones are shortened

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS 185

to about three feet in height, the inferior ones being destroyed.
Sometimes the long canes are trained to trellises either erect (Fig. 122)
or bent over. The trellises may be either with one wire above the
other, the first at 18 to 24 inches from the ground, the upper at 30 to 36
inches, or with both wires at about 30 inches fastened to wooden cross-
pieces about 15 inches long and nailed on the tops of posts.

In the first case the canes may be fastened erect to the two wires
and cut about six inches above the upper one, or they may be bent
over the upper one and fastened to the lower one without cutting.
In the second case they may be tied half to one wire and half to the
other or all to one. In the former of these cases the new canes are
allowed to grow without being fastened to either wire; in the latter they
are fastened to the wire that is not at the time supporting the fruiting
canes. The main advantages of trellising are that the canes do not
interfere with picking or cultivating and there is less likelihood of
breakage.

As soon as a cane is done fruiting it should be cut out to favor
development of the young ones. By good care a home Raspberry
plantation should last six to ten years or even more. When the
plants begin to fail a new plantation should be started, the old one
being destroyed after the new one has begun to bear.

Among promising new varieties not described below are Sunbeam,
Ohta and Empire, all reds. The following are already well known:

BLACK VARIETIES

BLACK DIAMOND. An early, large, firm, sweet, high-quality berry, borne
abundantly on strong, hardy canes. Highly prized for evaporating.

CUMBERLAND. By many considered the finest of the black varieties because
of its mid-season, extra large, firm, sweet, high-quality berries and its
vigorous, hardy, stocky, prolific canes.

FARMER (Plum Farmer). A strong growing, hardy and prolific, early,
short season variety, with large, meaty, firm, high-quality berries
which ripen a week or so earlier than Gregg. The New York Experi-
ment Station says it is "the best fruit of this type grown on the station
grounds."

GAULT. A vigorous, hardy, black variety, which ripens its berries at
the same time as Gregg and later in the season produces more or less
fruit on the young growths.

GREGG. For many years a leading black variety because of its great
prolificacy and the large size of its mid to late season firm, well-flavored
berries.

KANSAS. One of the most widely planted of Black Raspberries because of
its strong, hardy, prolific canes and its jet-black, firm, sweet, excellent
flavored berries produced from early to mid-season.

SCARFF. A seedling of Gregg said to be hardy, larger than Cumberland
and highly prolific.

186 HOME FRUIT GROWER

PURPLE VARIETIES
COLUMBIAN. A strong growing, hardy, highly productive variety with

very large, fairly firm, dull purple berries which follow Guthbert. It

is particularly good for canning because it holds its form and size

remarkably well.
ROYAL (Purple). A hardy, deep crimson, prolific, firm-fruited, late

variety which produces its new plants from the tips of the canes.

RED VARIETIES
BRILLIANT. A hardy, prolific, large, firm, red-fruited variety which

follows St. Regis and precedes Cuthbert by a week or ten days.
CUTHBERT. For over 30 years the leading mid and late season variety

because of its large, crimson, fairly firm, high-quality fruit and because

the plants are hardy and readily adaptable to a wide variety of soils

and climates.
HERBERT. A Canadian variety highly recommended for its hardiness,

productiveness, and large, juicy, firm, high-quality red berries. It is

the finest variety I havener fruited.
KING. An early but long season, bright red, firm, large-fruited variety of

moderate quality and fair productiveness. The berries drop very easily

from the plants when ripe. The canes are sturdy, hardy and produced

sparingly. Of the red varieties it is therefore one of the surest to "stay

put."
MARLBORO. An early but long season, prolific, large, light crimson, very

firm berry of good quality.

PERFECTION. A hardy, very large, firm, bright scarlet, high-quality
variety of long season.

KANERE (St. Regis). A very early, bright red, prolific, medium-sized
berry with hardy, healthy, drouth-resistant canes. A second period of
fruiting begins on the young canes shortly after the old canes have
ceased fruiting and continues until mid-Fall. Unless the very numerous,
superfluous suckers are removed while soft the fruit of the first crop
will be small and no second one may form.

WELCH OR HONEY. A vigorous, hardy, prolific, mid-season, large, crimson,
very sweet-fruited variety, considered one of the best for home use.

YELLOW VARIETIES

GOLDEN QUEEN. A descendant of the Cuthbert, which it resembles,
except the yellow color of its fruits. Decidedly the best American
yellow variety. Needs extra work to prevent undue development of
suckers.

SAND CHERRY

In the Prairie States the Western Sand Cherry (Prunus Besseyi)
is a native shrub which grows three or four feet high and in Mid-
summer bears variable, dark purple fruits about half an inch in diameter.
Recently Prof. N. E. Hansen of the South Dakota Experiment Station
has hybridized it with other species and produced varieties that
give promise of being more useful than even the best wild forms which
are highly prized for culinary purposes.

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS

187

Fig. 123.— Native Sand or "Dwarf" Cherry

Plants of the original
species have been grown
more or less in other
parts of the country, but
have not made much
headway where other
Cherries can be grown
because they are less
abundant producers and
the fruit is neither as large
nor of as good quality as
even the small, sour Cher-
ries. Where Cherries fail,
however, where space is
at a premium or where
a distinct flavor is desired,
the Sand Cherry (Fig. 123)
may be planted. It will
succeed in any well-
drained, light soil, with practically no attention except the removal
of old failing stems.

STRAWBERRY

Perhaps no quotation attributed to Henry Ward Beecher is so
popular with fruit lovers as "The Lord might have made a better
fruit than the Strawberry, but he certainly never did." I have
yet to meet or hear of the man or woman who, after enjoying an
ample dish of luscious, home-grown, really ripe Strawberries, liberally
dusted with powdered sugar and drowned beyond resuscitation with
thick cream, would enter into a theological discussion of this question!
Howbeit, I have ingloriously disputed a somewhat different phase of
the subject with a Raspberry "rooter." (See page 180.)

Apart from what Beecher might call its "betterness," the Straw-
berry has its own particular appeal to the home fruit grower. Like
the Raspberry and the Blackberry, it reaches its highest quality when it
ripens fully before being gathered — a condition it can never be allowed
to reach when grown for the market; like the Currant and the Goose-
berry, it is easy to grow with ordinary good care and in a wide range
of country; but more than these, it requires the smallest amount of
space in which to grow. There may not be room for standard or
dwarf trees or even for Blackberries, Raspberries, Currants or Goose-
berries, but everyone who has even no more than a few square yards

188

HOME FRUIT GROWER

Fig. 124. -Dr. Burrill, one of the best Strawberries

of ground may grow
Strawberries, and grow
them to perfection. Pro-
ceed as follows:

As early as possible in
Spring, plow or dig the
ground and pulverize the
soil deeply with harrow
or rake. If the soil is
light make it firm by roll-
ing or pressing with a
board, laid flat and walked
on; if heavy no packing
may be needed. When pos-
sible manure the area the

Fall previous or at least several weeks before plowing if the manure is
fresh, if old apply it just before digging or plowing. A fair rule to
follow is about one to two pounds to the square foot, equivalent to
20 to 40 tons to the acre. If not convenient to apply previous to
plowing the manure may be placed between the rows after the plants
have been set. It will thus serve as a mulch and a supplier of plant
food which later will be washed into the soil by showers. Manure
not ' strawey" should not interfere with cultivation or hoeing. For
the ordinary home garden of about 200 plants occupying 500 to 600
square feet, five or six wheelbarrow loads will be about right — one
barrow load to each 100 square feet.

One special caution must be made: Never make a Strawberry
bed on ground that has been in any kind of sod, because white
grubs are sure to be there and will destroy the berry plants. It is
claimed that Glover, Alfalfa, Blue Grass and some other sods are not
breeders of this pest, but it is just as well to err on the safe side and
to avoid all sod where possible, and where not possible to plow or dig
the area the previous Fall so as to kill the grubs.

In setting the plants have the crowns set level with the surface
of the ground. If so high that the roots are exposed, the plants will
dry; if the crowns are covered even slightly they will usually decay or
the plants be stunted. As with setting other plants, the soil must be
firmed well about the roots. If the roots are long it is well to shorten
them by laying them across the hand with the crowns between the
index finger and the thumb and then shearing off what root-parts
extend lower than the little finger and the ball of the hand. This
will leave the roots about four inches long, easy to handle when trans-

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS

189

Fig. 125. — Bisexual or "male" Strawberry blossoms on the right, pistillate or "female"

on the left

planting. As trimmed it is well to throw them into water to keep
them from drying.

Should it not be possible to prepare the ground as soon as the
plants arrive from the nurseryman, set them after pruning in a V-shaped
trench, not in bundles but separated. It is a good thing to fill the
trench with water before placing the plants in it because they will
thus come in close contact with the soil and be moist. Fill in with
fine earth and firm the soil against the roots with the feet. Several
rows may be placed close together — about six inches between them.
If the soil becomes dry don't sprinkle it but drench it so thoroughly
that it will be soaking wet at least a foot deep. Plants may be kept
in this way six or eight weeks.

Before digging them up for transplanting be sure that the ground
in both the little bed and the garden area is moist so that the plants

will suffer the least pos-
sible check. Advantages
of buying plants early and
treating them in this way
are that one stands a bet-
ter chance of getting what
he wants, he has them
just when he is ready to
plant, does not have to
hustle unduly — the plants
being safe, he can spray
them very quickly, cheaply
and effectively, he can
delay planting until the
ground is in just the con-
dition he wants it and
Fig. 126.— A prolific Strawberry plant can reduce weed trouble

190

HOME FRUIT GROWER

by keeping the plants out of the prepared bed until late Spring if he
desires, by which time the worst of the weed seeds will have ger-
minated and been killed by cultivation.

It is important to know whether the varieties chosen are perfect
or imperfect; that is, whether they have bisexual or only pistillate
flowers (Fig. 125). The former are self-fertilized, the latter depend
on the pollen from bisexual flowers. Hence when the pistillate kinds
are chosen because of their high quality and their productiveness, or
because they are freer than the staminate from the attacks of weevil,
it is necessary to have other plants of perfect kinds near by to insure
a good set of fruit. A good proportion and arrangement is one row of
staminate (perfect) plants, then three of pistillate, then another row
of staminate and so on across the patch.

Fig. 127. — Good promise of luscious Strawberries

Some varieties make better combinations than do others either
because they bloom at the same time or they have an apparently
better affinity. This point can usually be decided by the Strawberry
nurseryman. Some plant growers are so particular that they will not fill
an order where the customer is making a mistake in a pollenizer for a
certain variety, but will write and suggest other varieties. So when
ordering plants it is well to ask advice on this point and allow
substitution of pollenizers.

It is generally recommended that all blossoms that appear on
newly set plants of "ordinary season" varieties be destroyed; and
those that develop on "ever-bearing" kinds be also removed until

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS

191

Fig. 128.— Setting a runner Strawberry plant in a
flowerpot

July first or even later,
because this tends to
strengthen the plants for
fruit production (Fig. 126) .

From the very start
keep the ground loose,
open, and free from weeds,
by weekly hoeing or
wheel hoe, (horse culti-
vation in a large patch).
Avoid cultivating more
than two inches deep and
very close to the plants
because of the shallow
roots. By keeping the
surface inch dusty, by frequent tillage, moisture will be held below
where needed and weeds will not have a chance to grow. Never
cultivate while the soil is wet.

Strawberries do best in rich, fairly moist soil and in cool seasons.
In the North, plants started from runners in flowerpots may be set in
July, August or September, but generally the runners are taken from
the old plantation in Spring and planted where they are to remain and
fruit the year following. For the home garden where only a few
score plants need be handled, the pot method is specially desirable
because the plants should bear a very fair crop the following Summer
and still be in good condition for another season's crop.

If well-rooted runner plants (Fig. 129) can be secured in July, or
early August, and transplanted just before a good rain, or each plant
given a pint or so of water, held in a little basin of soil around it, often
as good results may be secured as from potted plants. It may be
necessary in case of a dry spell to water the plants two or three times.
Such watering should always be in little cup-like hollows of soil with
the plants as the centers. After the water has seeped down and the
soil has lost its paste-like appearance, some loose, dry soil should
be drawn over the wetted earth to form a dust mulch and check
evaporation.

In order to get potted plants (Fig. 128) all that is necessary is to
sink 2, 2}^ or 3-inch pots, rim deep and filled with soil, in the beds.
The runners still attached to the parent plants are placed with their
rosettes of leaves immediately over the pots. A clod or a pebble will
hold the rosette in place until it has developed roots. In two or three
weeks the pots should be "full of roots" (Fig. 130) and the plants may
be set in the beds.

192

HOME FRUIT GROWER

The old-fashioned and lazy way of growing Strawberries was to lay
out a bed and let all the plants produce as many runners as they
"wanted to." Result: smaller and smaller and fewer and fewer
berries. The advance from this primitive way is the matted-row
system (!) in which the plants are allowed to form an unbroken ribbon
two to three feet wide from end to end of the plantation. This
"method" is still popular in field culture.

An improvement on it is the hedge-row system for which the

plants are set about two
feet asunder in the rows
which are three feet apart.
Only two runner plants
from each of the plants set
are allowed to take root
one on each side of the
parent plant and in the
line of the original set-
ting. Thus in the com-
pleted row the plants
will stand eight inches
asunder. No other run-
ners are allowed to take
root. Advantages of this
system are that the plants
become large, strong and
able to bear heavy crops
of berries, which average
much larger than those of
the matted row.

In the hill system the
plants are set either in
checks from 18 to 24
inches apart so they may
be cultivated in both
directions, or 15 to 18
inches apart in rows 24 to
30 inches apart. In these
cases no runners are al-
lowed to take root except
when new plants are
needed for making a new
bed. The result is very
large, sturdy plants, which

Fig. 129.— Potted Strawberry plant with earth
washed away to show root development

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS

193

produce the largest and
finest berries of all sys-
tems. The main drawback
to this system is the work
required to prevent the
rooting of runners; but
this is balanced by the
lessened cultivation work
around runners. Such
work is least when the
plants are set in checks so
cultivation may be given
in both directions.

While the Strawberry
is a hardy perennial herb,
it may, however, be killed
by the heaving of the
soil, due to alternate
thawing and freezing dur-
ing Winter. This fate
may easily be prevented
by mulching (Fig. 131)
with marsh hay, shredded
corn fodder or some other
material free from weed
seeds. The time to
apply such a mulch is

after the ground has frozen hard enough to bear a team of horses
and a wagon. Enough should be applied to cover the plants two or
three inches deep. As soon as Cherry and Pear buds begin to swell,
but not much earlier, this material must be moved off but placed
around the plants, otherwise they might be smothered. As it will be
needed, however, to check evaporation of water from the soil, to keep
down weeds and to keep the berries clean, it must be left between the
rows and the plants in the rows and there allowed to remain at least
until after the fruit is gathered. Such weeds as struggle up through
the mulch may be easily pulled after a rain or cut with a sharp hoe.
The fewer and smaller the weeds and the fewer the Strawberry plants,
the larger and finer the fruits and the longer will the bed continue to
bear.

After harvesting (Fig. 132) is over proper attention will make it
practicable to use the bed for a second, a third or even a .fourth crop,
though because of certain insects it is best to allow the bed to

Fig. 130. -Potted Strawberry runner ready to
transplant

194

HOME FRUIT GROWER

bear only two or even only one crop. When a second crop is to be
grown the leaves must be cut close to the ground with a scythe or a
lawn mower as soon as the last berries have been gathered.

If the mulch is of shredded corn fodder or other material that
clings close to the ground, it should all be raked off with the cut leaves,
placed in a compost pile and covered with sods and earth for making
"good soil." If the material is light it may be made as loose as pos-
sible by lifting and shaking with a hay fork and in a day or two when
very dry burned right where it lies, the fire being started on the wind-
ward side of the patch in several places so as to be hastened by the wind.
The patch will look very dismal for a few days and the fear will prob-
ably arise that the plants have been ruined, but unless the mulch is
allowed to remain thickly over the plants, no damage will have occurred
and the eye will in due time be rejoiced by a beautiful bright growth
of fresh green leaves. Burning should not be done unless the soil is
moist and the mulch and leaves dry.

The advantages of burning are that the old, perhaps diseased
leaves and stems and countless insects are destroyed and the plants

take a new lease of life. Which-
ever plan is adopted the spaces
between the rows should be
cultivated shallow and a dress-
ing of old manure given, both
to serve as a mulch and as a
supply of plant food. When
this cultivation is given a
layer of about half an inch of
soil should be raked over the
crowns. When either the hill
or the hedge-row system is
practised the runners must be
cut off the same as during the
first year, except where a few
may be needed to fill gaps.

While the Strawberry
thrives in every State of the
Union and in every Province
of Canada — is in fact the
most cosmopolitan of all fruits
— some varieties are better
adapted than others to certain

Fig. 131.-Spreading the Winter mulch on the conditions. Most Strawberry
Strawberries nurserymen know what ones

VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS

195

are thus adapted, so the
uninitiated should in-
dicate the type of fruit
he wishes to grow and
leave the selection of va-
rieties to them. These
men are not merely in-
terested in selling a few
plants ; more than perhaps
any other group of nur-
serymen, they seek the
good will of their customer
so as to secure repeat
orders and / orders from
the customer's friends.
Often when the nursery-
man sees that the custom-
er is making a mistake
in selecting he will suggest
changes that should be
more satisfactory.

Another advantage
in relying upon the judg-
ment of the nurseryman
is that because the varie-
ties of Strawberries change
more rapidly than do
those of any other fruit,
one can be surer of
getting up-to-date varie-
ties. The significance of this

Fig. 132. — The six-box carrier basket is convenient
for gathering Strawberries

will be apparent from two

instances: First, during 1894 and 1895 the Michigan Experiment
Station at East Lansing tested about 400 varieties of Strawberries, all
then offered by nurserymen all over the United States. Since then
so many new varieties have been introduced, and so many of the old
list found wanting, that of the 400 scarcely a score are now offered by
nurserymen and perhaps less than a dozen are at all popular. Second,
Dr. S. W. Fletcher in technical bulletin No. 1, of the Virginia Exper-
iment Station, discusses North American varieties of the Strawberry
and "includes 1879 names." Among these he picks out 34 "most
prominent," but of these scarcely more than a dozen were known
prior to 1900. Such facts as these suggest the inadvisability of dis-
cussing Strawberry varieties.

196 HOME FRUIT GROWER

Among the thirty-four "most prominent" the following may be
considered most worthy: AROMA, BEDER WOOD, BRAND YWINE,
BUBACH, CRESCENT, DUNLAP, GLEN MARY, MARSHALL, MICHEL,
SHARPLESS, WARFIELD and WILLIAM BELT. Besides these, however,
are many at least as good which should be considered and tested to
determine which best suit the family demand. Many Strawberry
nurserymen sell plants in lots of 25, a number convenient to handle and
sufficient to make a test. In making a choice of varieties it is well to
choose at least three kinds, one early, one mid-season, and one late,
so as to cover a month in the usual Strawberry season. In addition,
one or two "ever bearing" kinds should be included so as to have
berries until late Fall. Of these there are only a few, of which PRO-
GRESSIVE, SUPERB, PEERLESS, AMERICUS, ADVANCE, FORWARD,
ONWARD, and FRANCES are perhaps best known, with the first two
as the leaders.

VIBURNUM

Many people know the so-called "high bush Cranberry" as a
handsome, ornamental shrub, when covered with scarlet fruit in Fall
or Winter. In rich soil specimens often reach 15 to 20 feet. The
berries, borne in large clusters, are too acid and puckery to be eaten
raw, but they make an excellent jelly and a sauce considered by some
people equal to that made from Cranberries. As the bush is hardy
in the United States and Canada it may be grown anywhere. Should
it become overloaded with fruit, it may bend to the ground and perhaps
not lift itself erect again. Such a catastrophe may be prevented either
by growing the plants as trees, each with only a single trunk, or by
propping the stems. Each stem may have its own prop or each may be
wired to one central prop, and to each other at equal distances apart.
Perhaps the last method is the most feasible.

This Viburnum has special value to fruit growers because of its
freedom from orchard insect pests, its ability to make a good hedge or
windbreak and its fruit, which if not used for human consumption
is highly relished by birds during late Fall and Winter.

WINEBERRY

This hairy, rather than spiny, hardy, Raspberry-like plant often
grows ten to fifteen feet in a season. Like the Black Raspberry, the
canes take root at the tips to form new plants. The brilliant scarlet
fruits, which resemble small Red Raspberries, have a very refreshing,
sprightly flavor — when they can be gathered — but robins, catbirds
and other feathered friends also know a good thing when they see it.

CHAPTER XII

Diverse Species of Nuts

Almond — Butternut — Cashew — Chestnut — Chinquapin

Cobnut — Cocoanut — Filbert — Hazelnut — Hickory

Peanut — Pecan — Pistachio — Walnut

EVERY year nuts are being eaten in increasing quantities. Not
only are they used by confectioners, cake and ice-cream makers,
and as dessert, but some of them are rapidly approaching
the rank of staples in the daily dietary of the nation. Since more
than a dozen distinct species are now grown to some extent in the
United States, they are briefly discussed in this volume — Almond,
Butternut, Cashew, Cocoanut, Chestnut, Chinquapin, Filbert, Hazel-
nut, Hickory, Peanut, Pecan Pistachio and Walnut. With the exception
of the Peanut, which is an herb, all these are either shrubs or trees.

Many of the species so far cultivated are best propagated by
budding or grafting. Thus desired varieties may be secured. In
ordering nursery stock, therefore, it is as important to buy grafted or
budded stock as in the buying of Apple, Peach or Cherry varieties,
because seedlings, especially Persian (English) Walnuts, Pecans,
Almonds and Chestnuts, are generally disappointing. Another
advantage is that grafted and budded stock, when properly managed,
will usually bear sooner than seedlings, sometimes in even less than a
quarter of the time! Such trees are, therefore, worth the higher
prices nurserymen ask for them.

The tradition that nut trees are hard to transplant is not strictly
correct. However, they do require more care than most fruit trees.
More severe reduction of both roots and tops than in the case of fruit
trees has given best results, preference, as with fruit trees, being given
to young trees — two years old at oldest, one year better still.

Some nut trees have decided preferences as to soils. For instance,
Filberts, Hazels and Chestnuts do best on somewhat acid soils. Chest-
nuts prefer sandy land to clay, and they almost fail on limestone soils.
Hickory and Walnut must have either neutral or alkaline soils, prefer-
ably rich and well supplied with humus. They may be made to
succeed where acid soils are sweetened by liming; and Chestnut
may be given a start by making the tree holes large and filling them with
sandy, acid soil.

ALMOND

Except in specially favored sections of the Pacific Coast States,
Utah and the South, the Almond is a failure commercially, because its

197

198 HOME FRUIT GROWER

blossoms are so easily injured by frost. Even in the States where it
is grown commercially fire pots are kept as insurance against frost
damage. People elsewhere who like to gamble with nature have
succeeded with it in an amateur way by planting it on northern
slopes, in moist, but well-drained, fertile soils. But unless both the
site and the locality are free from frosts during blooming time, Jack
Frost is sure to win nine games out of ten. The trees are handled in
practically the same way as Peaches. Leading varieties grown in the
West are Ne Plus Ultra, Nonpariel, IXL, Languedoc and Drakes.
A hard-shelled Illinois variety, Ridenhower, is propagated by North-
eastern nurserymen for planting in home orchards. The nuts are,
however, inferior to the ones mentioned above.

RUTTERNUT — See Walnut

CASHEW

Cashew trees, natives of the tropics, have been grown in Florida
and California. Perhaps they may also be grown in warm parts of
the Gulf States and those of the Mexican border. They often reach
a height and a spread of 40 feet. The nuts appear singly at the tips
of Pear-shaped fruits called Cashew Apples and borne in clusters. In
form these nuts resemble overgrown Lima Reans, but are gray or
purplish. Reneath the outer skin is a caustic juice which acts on the
human skin somewhat like poison ivy. This poisonous property is
destroyed by roasting — the way the nuts are always prepared for
market and immediate consumption. The kernels underneath an
inner skin are among the most palatable of all commercial nuts.

CHESTNUT

At present it is risky to plant the Chestnut in States where the
Chestnut blight has recently been prevalent. Like other epidemics,
the disease may disappear or a way may be found to prevent its
damage. Rut until the scientists announce that happy time it will be
better to devote money, time and energy to other orchard fruits.

Five species 6f Chestnut are of importance; one of these is
European, one Japanese and three American, two being "Chinquapins" —
little fellows. These last, though smaller, are earlier than the other or
true American Chestnut and all the American species are better flavored
but much smaller than their Old World cousins, which are coarse in
comparison. The Chinquapin has produced few, if any, named
varieties; of the other American species, scarcely a score, the
following are the best known: Watson, Otto, Dulaney, Rochester,
Griffin, Murrell, Hathaway, and Kitcham. Among the many Japanese

DIVERSE SPECIES OF NUTS 199

varieties the following are most grown in America: Mammoth,
Reliance, Superb, Alpha, Success, Beta, Prolific, Felton, McFarland,
Killen, Parry, Biddle, Kerr, Martin, Boone, Kent, Hale, Black, Goe and
Giant. The English kinds popular in America are: Nouzillard, Styer,
Anderson, Scott, Lyon, Ridgley, Bartram, Quercy, Gombale, Paragon
(Sober), Darlington, Numbo, Moncur, Ghalon, Dager, Marron and
Corson.

The American Chestnuts grow to huge trees, sometimes more than
10 feet in diameter and 100 feet tall. Therefore, they need ample
space — not less than 40 feet. One of the Chinquapins sometimes
exceeds 25 feet in height, but is usually less than half that; the other
is a mere shrub rarely more than five feet high. They usually form
thickets. The European varieties may be planted 30 feet apart and
the Japanese 20 feet as they are smaller growing than the American. At
the start the trees of the three larger species may be set 10 feet apart,
each second tree to be removed when the branches begin to touch. The
European and American may be thinned a second time when the
trees left the first time touch each other. Thus several crops of nuts
and a goodly yield of wood may be secured each time.

A favorite way to propagate each of these species is by grafting
(page 72) upon "sprouts" developed from stumps where Chestnut
trees have been cut down. Thus rocky hillsides and other waste
land may be utilized. When planted in orchards the methods of
culture are the same as for other fruits, though mulching may prove
satisfactory also. While the trees are young they should not be
allowed to ripen all the fruits they set, as this might check their growth.

CHINQUAPIN — See Chestnut
COBNUT — See Hazelnut

COGOANUT

The Cocoanut is the world's most important nut. It is grown in
all tropical countries, but except hi Southern Florida and warm locali-
ties from Texas to Southern California it cannot be grown in the
United States. Even in these places it is more likely to be orna-
mental and a curiosity than a commercial fruit. The tree, a palm,
is rarely found in nature far from the sea coast but can be grown on
sandy soils farther inland. Though it is large-growing — 60 to 100 feet
tall — it does not need relatively as much space as more spreading
trees. Under favorable conditions it will begin to bear in eight to
ten years, sometimes less, and when in full bearing will yield 80 to 100
nuts annually for 70 to 80 years.

200 HOME FRUIT GROWER

FILBERT — See Hazelnut

HAZELNUT

Filberts, Cobnuts and Hazelnuts all belong to the same botani-
cal group of plants. Filberts are mostly oblong in shape and have
husks far longer than the nuts. In Cobnuts the husks barely
cover the roundish, angular nuts. The round, thick-shelled Hazels
extend beyond the husks much like acorns do from their "cups."
Filberts are largely grown in Europe and exported to America. In
the Eastern United States they have not succeeded, probably because
of tenderness to frost, susceptibility to disease, improper management
and lack of varieties adapted to our conditions. On the Pacific Coast
trials indicate that conditions are more favorable. Apparently they
do best in well-drained, fairly rich soil, steady Winter weather which
will prevent opening of the flowers and the absence of American species
from the locality, for this species, while not seriously injured by dis-
ease, is a disease-breeder for the European kinds. Bordeaux mixture
and self-boiled lime-sulphur have been suggested as remedies for the
disease, but so far as I know have not been tested.

The three American species, while somewhat cultivated, have
produced no named varieties. They may be started like the Filberts
from Fall-sown seed, from transplanted suckers and layers or by
budding or grafting. The plants should be set 10 to 20 feet apart in
Fall or Spring, and preferably headed at 12 to 24 inches, though they
may be grown in stools like Currants. In the former case suckers
must be kept down; in the latter thinned out. Pruning in after
years is best done shortly after blossoming. Spur-formation is en-
couraged by shortening strong shoots, and fruit-bearing by cutting out
old wood that has fruited.

When the husk begins to turn brown is soon enough to start
harvest; but it must then be done promptly or many nuts may be
lost by falling on the ground. They must be spread out thinly to dry
or they will mold. After drying and the husks removed, the nuts
are best kept when sprinkled with salt in closed kegs and stored in cold,
dry quarters. Some seedlings of European origin but American
development are: Grandis, Spanish, Jones, Alba, Red Aveline,
Cosford, Lambert, Du Chilly, Purple-leaved, Caspa and Downton.

HICKORY

Four species of Hickories are valued for their nuts; the Pecan
(page 202), the Shag-bark, the Shell-bark and the Pignut. Of these
the Pecan is easily the most important. Of the other three the Shag-

DIVERSE SPECIES OF NUTS 201

bark is best flavored, though the Shell-bark is a close second. The
Pignut is decidedly the poorest. As all these species are slow growing
they demand fertile soil, such as river bottom land and well-drained
loams. They are all large growing so must not be planted too close
together — 40 feet or more apart.

They are all difficult to propagate, so prices for trees of named
varieties will seem to be high. They should always have been trans-
planted at least once in the nursery before being sold. This will tend
to produce fibrous roots and thus make transplanting easier. Cleft
grafting (page 72) on seedlings two to four inches below the surface of
the ground, using scions four to six inches long and cut from the tips
of twigs, is the most satisfactory amateur method of getting new
varieties to grow. Seedlings may be started where the full-grown
trees are to stand and scions secured from trees of the desired varieties.

After the grafts have been made earth must be mounded so as
to bury both stock and scion. The shoots that develop must be tied
to stakes to prevent injury.

The leading Pignut variety is Brackett; the three principal Shell-
barks are Rieke, Weiker, and Lefevre. More than a dozen Shag-barks
are becoming prominent; Woodbourne, Swain, Vest, Curtis, Rice,
Jackson, Dover, Milford, Eliot, Kentucky, Hales (or Hales' Paper-
shell), Meriden, Kirtland and Learning.

PEANUT

The Peanut is a staple crop in the South, but it may be grown
as far north as Delaware and adjacent New Jersey. I have grown it
as a curiosity in Southern Michigan and Ontario, but the nuts are not
as numerous nor as large or fine as the Southern ones. On Long
Island I have been told it has done somewhat better. It does best
in rich, light-colored loams. The soil must be loose and very friable
so the nuts may burrow easily, otherwise they will not develop. Spanish
Peanuts are quicker td mature than the larger kinds. They need
about 120 days.

As soon as the soil is warm it is prepared as for Potatoes or garden
truck and the seeds sown like Beans, bunch varieties in rows 10 or 12
inches apart, running kinds 12 to 15 inches, the greater distance being
used in rich soils. Cultivation is the same as for Beans until the plants
cover the ground. At the last cultivation, at about blossoming time,
soil must be worked up toward the vines which from then until harvest
must not be disturbed.

Harvesting may be done with a Potato fork just before frost or
the nuts may be injured. After lying on the surface td dry for a
few hours the vines are stacked or racked loosely to dry. When

202 HOME FRUIT GROWER

thoroughly dry the nuts may be picked off the vines, otherwise they
will shrivel and be worthless. After picking they should be covered
with dust and kept dry and well ventilated till needed. The varieties
most cultivated in America are Virginia Bunch, Virginia Runner and
Spanish. Other well-known kinds are Tennessee Red, Valencia and
African. The last four are small-seeded kinds.

PECAN

Ry far the most important native nut is the Pecan, both because
it has hardy Northern varieties and because other varieties are of the
"paper-shell" and "solid meat" classes. During the past two or three
decades it has been planted so enormously in the South that it bids
fair to be the most important nut grown in this country, thus outranking
the Persian Walnut (page 203) . The hardy varieties can be grown from
Long Island to Iowa and southward; the tender ones in the Gulf States,
the Atlantic Coastal Plain, as far north as Virginia, or even Southern
New Jersey and in favored localities on the Pacific Coast.

It does best in well-drained, deep, fertile loams, but readily adapts
itself to less favorable soils. The trees, preferably budded or grafted
varieties, are planted and managed like other orchard trees except
that they should be set not less than 60 feet apart, preferably 75 feet.
Until they fill this space other crops may be grown between. Among
the hundred varieties so far named, the most valued for the Atlantic
Coastal Plain and to Mississippi are: Schley, Van Deman, Stuart,
Alley, Curtis, Rradley, Pabst, Russell, Moneymaker, Success, Delmas,
and President. In Texas, Kincaid, Colorado, San Saba, Halbert, and
Sovereign are leaders. These two groups are apparently not inter-
changeable as to territory. They both fail also farther inland.
Indiana and Illinois have given most of the hardy Northern kinds:
Warrick, Major, Russeron, Niblack, Greenriver, Indiana, Ruttereck
and Posey.

PISTACHIO

The Pistachio, though a native of Syria and Persia, is becoming
popular in Southern California and West Texas. It has been success-
fully grown in Kansas and one has even withstood the Winters of
Connecticut. Properly it is a mild climate tree which grows to about
20 feet in well-drained soil. It is slower growing than either the
Persian Walnut, the Almond or the Pecan.

The "Green Almonds," as the nuts are often called, form loose
clusters inside a leathery sheath. They have stout but thin, smooth
shells which generally open on one side when roasted. The green,
delicately flavored kernels are eaten with salt after being roasted, but

DIVERSE SPECIES OF NUTS 203

are more popular for flavoring cakes and confections, especially ice
cream. They become rancid very readily.

WALNUT

Edible Walnuts naturally form four groups of which the most
important is the Persian or so-called English which is the most cultivated
in the world. Asiatic Walnuts are second in importance, but they are
rather curiosities in America. Our native species are the black and
the white, the latter properly Butternut. Except for a few named
varieties of which the Thomas Black Walnut is best known, the last
two groups are scarcely in cultivation, the wild trees supplying
present demands.

Within the past quarter century hardy varieties of the Persian
Walnut have been grown as far north as the Niagara district, Southern
Michigan and Connecticut and have given considerable impetus to
home and even a few business plantings. Much dissatisfaction has
arisen because of the variableness of the product due to the planting
of seedlings rather than grafted stock. Except for the origination of
new varieties, none but grafted, or budded trees of well-tested varieties
should be planted.

In the Pacific Coast States the Persian Walnut is a commercial
staple. Everywhere it does best in deep, well-drained, but moist
loams, but will succeed in others. So far varieties have not been
sufficiently tested in the East to recommend any, but the ones most
planted are Boston, Potomac, Lancaster, Rush, Holden, Nebo, Hall
and Barnes. They all appear to be worthy of further trial, especially
when budded upon Black Walnut stocks. Varieties popular in the
Pacific Coast States are Mayette, San Jose, Franquette, Concord,
Chase, Placentia, Prolific and Eureka.

In general the Walnut is managed like other orchard fruits of the
neighborhood. When the nuts begin to fall others may be jarred from
the trees at intervals of a week or two for perhaps six weeks. For
home use they may be dried in an airy barn or loft. Black Walnuts
may be cured in their fleshy husks, but preferably with these removed.
Butternuts are always cured with their skins on.

CHAPTER XIII

Home Fruits as Educators
of Public Taste*

Where Western and Other Growers of Choice Fruits Got
Their Standards — Originating New Varieties

WHILE the past five, and especially the last three, decades have
seen more remarkable improvements in horticultural practices
than did the previous five — for instance, the development of
modern tillage, fertilizing, cover cropping, spraying and rational
pruning — which have made the fruit-growing industries of today highly
specialized arts, perhaps the most significant development of all is the
increased and steadily increasing public demand for fruit varieties
of high quality. For this growth, particularly so far as Apples are
concerned, Oregon, Washington, Colorado and other Western orchard-
ists doubtless deserve considerable credit, first because they boldly
nailed their colors to high standards of excellence, both as to variety
and to character of specimen, and second because they deliberately
set about the education of the public with respect to such standards.
In these two directions they have not only themselves benefited, but
they have performed a service alike to the consuming public and to
fruit growers in general. Fruit growers in other sections have been
steadily falling into line and the markets of our larger cities are annually
being more liberally supplied with high-quality fruits.

Where did these Western and other growers of choice fruit get their
standards? Did they adopt the caveat emptor (let-the-buyer-beware)
policy which so often tends to arouse the righteous ire of the long-
suffering and hoodwinked public? Not at all. Did they go to the
growers of Ben Davis Apple, Kieffer Pear, Elberta Peach, Lombard
Plum, Lady Thompson Strawberry and other low-quality varieties for
their standards of flavor? No, indeed! Doubtless they are no
more entitled to halos than are Eastern growers for the honesty
of their pack, because the cost of transportation prohibits their
adoption of dishonest packing methods; they have been forced
to pack honestly or go to the wall. But where did they get their
standards of flavor ? Certainly not in the big commercial orchards of
the Middle-West and the East — orchards of Gano, York Imperial,
Baldwin, Rhode Island and other, at best, culinary varieties. No ;

* Address before the American Pomological Society, Boston, 1917.
204

HOME FRUITS AS EDUCATORS 205

they ignored these plantations and went to sources which for them held
more vivid and desirable ideals — the fruit plantations of their boyhood.

Those fruit plantations were neither set out by specialists nor
primarily for profit. Their main reasons for existence were that
the family enjoyed good fruit and wanted a continuous succession
and an abundant supply throughout the year. Though doubtless
many of these plantations were larger than necessary to supply even
the largest families of those days, the surplus was just so much to
give away to less fortunate relatives and to neighbors or to sell in the
local market.

One of the most pleasing customs of those good old days, one that
deserves to be revived today, owed its charm to the choice fruit grown
in the family plantation. When visitors dropped in for the afternoon
or the evening the au fait thing was to have the company enjoy some
home-grown fruit before departing. This was not served in the
modern sense now too frequently employed to indicate that the social
session is at an end, but in the whole-souled spirit of hospitality in
the extending of which both host and hostess could take a keener
pleasure in serving a home-grown product and feeling that the favor-
able comments upon it were more genuine than is possible when
purchased provender is provided. What would have happened if Ben
Davis Apple, Kieffer Pear, Elberta Peach or Lombard Plum had
been used instead of the choice varieties ? Might not the guests have
felt that as direct a hint was being given them as when in baronial
times the cold shoulder of mutton was trotted out to apprise the guests
that they had outlasted their welcome ? But who would have planted
or grown such inferior fruits with bore-bouncing intent? Would it
not have wasted valuable land and time and also indicated a lack
of resourcefulness on the part of host and hostess ?

Upon no members of the family or of the district in those days
was the influence of choice fruit so profound as upon the boys. Setting
aside mothers' testimonies as biased we may perhaps accept the
popular view, that boys are voracious animals, but it is slanderous to
accuse them of having undiscriminating taste, accepting all as grist
that comes to their mills. If the confession of one of them, now grown
up, be insisted upon he would be forced to admit that he could always
find the choicest specimens of the choicest varieties not merely in his
father's and his near, and more or less dear, relatives' plantations,
where he normally would be expected to be welcome by day, but in a
very considerable range of territory and at hours when his elders had
usually relegated their vigilance to less somnolent watchers, dogs,
to be explicit, with which, however, he made it a point for obvious
business reasons to be on terms of intimate friendliness.

206 HOME FRUIT GROWER

The Ontario. village in which my boyhood was spent is typical
of hundreds from New England to Michigan and as far South as Mary-
land, if not of a much wider area. Practically every home had its
garden and fruit plantation, which often consisted of an acre or more.
Here I had unlimited free range in five fruit plantations, my father's,
my grandfather's and those of three uncles and a less restricted range
in many neighbors' gardens. Each of these had been planted to
meet the personal taste of the family and to furnish a liberal supply
of fruit throughout the whole year. Often the last of the Apples would
be taken from storage when the first of the Strawberries were gathered.
Again, since the smallest of these plantations was more than an acre
set in the interplanted plan, popular in those days, the aggregate was
a large list of varieties. Like many another boy of my day, while
still in my teens I knew intimately fifty or more varieties of Apples,
twenty-five or thirty of Pears, ten or fifteen each of Peaches, Grapes
and Plums, six or eight of Cherries and a goodly list of bush fruits and
Strawberries. This knowledge was fostered, supplemented and
extended by studying varieties at the county fair where many of the
boys, as well as their fathers, made exhibits.

While a reasonable proportion of the boys in those days went
direct from school into some branch of farming and planted orchards
more or less like the ones I have described and while a few took up
commercial fruit growing, the majority went into other lines of business;
but among these last are many, the influence of whose boyhood led
them later in life to take up fruit growing either for business or pleasure.
So far as I have been able to discover, they have, with remarkably few
exceptions, chosen the varieties with which they were familiar during
boyhood.

In those boyhood plantations fruits of low quality were con-
spicuous by their absence. Our fathers thought that what was not
good enough for them was not good enough for other people. They
turned deaf ears to the arguments that such varieties are robust,
prolific, have fine color and that the lowering of quality will not be
noticed by the public in general. They knew better perhaps than the
present generation of commercial fruit growers that nothing so tends
to develop an extensive demand as really fine fruit. For, to quote a
favorite proverb, "The remembrance of quality lives long after the
price has been forgotten." The man who eats a poor or indifferent fruit
will not be tempted soon to eat or buy again; whereas the man who eats
a good one wants another specimen right away. Not until money
making became the ruling passion in orcharding were low quality
fruits planted more extensively than for testing.

Though Ben Davis Apple and Elberta Peach must bear much

HOME FRUITS AS EDUCATORS 207

responsibility for curbing public appetites for Apples and Peaches,
respectively, it seems safe to declare that no one fruit variety has
played such havoc with public taste as has the Kieffer Pear. The train-
loads of this whited sepulchre of a fruit that for the past twenty years
or more have flooded the large city markets have led the public to
believe that Pears in general are inferior fruits, fit only for canning, if
that. Even the Rartlett has had its skirts soiled by the commercialism
that prompts California growers to gather it too green and ship it to
Eastern markets where its consequently flat flavor belies its fine color
and thus begins what the Kieffer finishes, the suppression of the public
appetite. Thus the rising generation has had little chance to learn
the truth that the Pear is one of our richest, most luscious and delec-
table of fruits.

To be sure the reaction against such bar sinister influences has set
in; men who have learned that the public is willing to eat really fine
Pears have begun to risk the difficulties of Pear culture and to plant
the choicer varieties, especially those that reach the market after the
California Rartlett season has passed. The rising generation may
therefore fare better than the present one.

While this commercial growing of fine varieties speaks well for
the prospective improvement of public taste, it is just as much to
be desired that the family plantation should become as prominent as
in days of yore. In such plantations should be at least some of the
choice varieties too difficult to grow or too sparsely productive to be
considered for commercial ventures. For they certainly minister to
the aesthetic admiration of color, form, fragrance and flavor, to say
nothing of the pleasure of achievement in their production. Rut
they exercise a still more subtle and important influence: they main-
tain and pass on to the rising generation high standards of excellence
towards which commercial fruit ventures should always strive.

Refore passing to our conclusion it seems necessary to criticize
adversely much of the present-day literature and many of the fruit
specialists of the agricultural colleges and experimental stations. The
great majority of the writings on fruit growing within the past twenty-
five or thirty years have too strongly emphasized commercial phases
and given too little heed to the stigmatized "amateur" features of fruit
growing as if these were of an inferior instead of a potentially superior
order. Amateurs are frequently connoisseurs. The writers seem to
have the dollar so close to their eyes that they can see nothing else.
As a matter of fact, the great authorities on fruit growing — Coxe,
Kenrick, Prince, Wilder, Hovey, Rarry, Thomas, Manning, Lyon and
the two Downings — were all amateurs, yet what does not the American
public and especially the fruit grower owe them? They made fruit

208 HOME FRUIT GROWER

growing popular, not only in their day but for ours. They undertook
and with their own private capital completed monumental works.
Nowadays the Government and the individual States pay their suc-
cessors and supply the funds to solve modern fruit problems. There-
fore, it behooves these successors to make broad, instead of narrow,
specialists of themselves so they may sympathize with and encourage
amateur, as well as commercial, fruit growing in their respective regions;
for among the amateurs, probably far more than among the commercial
fruit growers, are our authorities of the rising and future generations
to be found. To determine the truth of this statement I suggest that
my auditors examine the list of present-day investigators, teachers and
writers on fruit growing to see how few are the sons of commercial, and
how many of Amateur fruit growers. The result I venture to say will
be surprising.

Let me hasten to say my audience is mistaken if it has concluded
from these remarks that I advocate a return to the hit-or-miss methods
of former days. I most certainly do not. I am a firm advocate of
every method that makes for better fruit and more of it. What I have
striven to emphasize is the importance of replacing the now largely
decrepit fruit plantations with new ones of the choicest varieties to
be handled according to the best modern methods. Ry the establish-
ment of such plantations the standards of excellence will continue to
rise or at least be maintained. Fruit growing should, and thereby
can be made to minister perhaps as favorably as music, art and litera-
ture, to the sensibilities of the family, the community and the nation.
And finally, such environments as superior family fruit plantations
afford seem to be the most favorable for the training of future fruit
lovers and specialists among the rising generation. Thereby home
fruits will naturally continue as in the past to be educators of public
taste.

As a postscript to the above address let me say a few words as to
Originating New Varieties. In these days of Government and State
departments of agriculture, of agricultural colleges and experiment
stations, and of huge commercial fruit-growing interests, amateur
fruit growers are too prone to consider themselves as merely amateurs
and therefore relegated to a less useful class than that of the scientists.
From the spectacular standpoint they are doubtless correct, because
they have neither institution nor title to push them, whether worthy or
not, into prominence. Nevertheless, without the least intention to belittle
the work of the scientists it must be said that the world owes an in-
calculable debt of gratitude, to say nothing of monetary considerations,

HOME FRUITS AS EDUCATORS

209

to countless amateurs — printers, merchants, doctors, lawyers, lumber-
men, millers, editors, factory hands, and last, but by no means
least, nurserymen and farmers — who had no "college training" in
agriculture, who in no sense considered themselves scientists, but who
used what little knowledge they had to solve pomological problems
for the love of still better knowledge to give to the world.

Perhaps the greatest service they have rendered is in the origination
of new varieties. In this work they were largely gropers because the
laws of plant breeding a generation ago were far less understood than
today. Through enhanced knowledge this same field of variety origi-
nation offers even more wonderful opportunities than in the past.
While beyond the scope of this volume, I am eager to point out that
herein lies the greatest interest for the amateur; for just as in the
past the originator of new varieties may do his work in a back yard
now-a-days with far greater chances of making fortunate combinations
of parents and of finding varieties superior to those now under culti-
vation than in by-gone days.

In support of this contention let it be remembered that Luther
Burbank started his business life as a factory hand, but became a
grower of vegetables and seeds before he became a variety originator.
Though the practical results of his work have been exploited, magnified,
distorted and even caricatured by the press, they doubtless compare
favorably with those of other less conspicuous breeders; but his
results seem to be of smaller consequence than his influence in awaken-
ing general interest in plant breeding. He has proved that new
plants unlike anything hitherto known can be originated, and his
work has thus become an inspiration to countless amateurs who seek
to follow in his footsteps or blaze new trails for themselves.

A good way to prevent splitting of a Y crotch is by boring a

hole in each arm for a belt, provided with a large washer at

each end. Incorrect way is shown on page 46

INDEX TO CONTENTS

Page
A,

Almond, see Nuts. 57, 197

Apple. .13, 24, 29, 33, 35, 44, 57, 64,
74, 106-112

Planting Hints 108

Popularity of 106

Soils it thrives in 108

Varieties 108-112

See Various Species of Fruits.

Apricot 35, 57, 104-106

A Desirable but Neglected

Fruit... 104

Leading Varieties 106

Planting Directions.. . 105

Pruning 105

See Various Species of Fruits.
Asparagus 24, 29

Barberry 113

Beauty, Comfort and Utility 21-30

Biwa 154

Blackberry.. 13, 24, 34, 35, 36, 47,
53, 113-117

Pruning 116

Soil and Climate Conditions. . .114

Varieties.. 117

See Various Species of Fruits.

Blueberry 152

Brambleberry 36

Bridge or Repair Grafting 73

Budding and Grafting: Popular

Methods 70

Budding, Shield 71

Buffalo Berry 118, 119

Bugs, Biting, Sucking and Boring. 86

Bush Training 81

Butternut. . . . . 203

Cashew, see Nuts 198

Cherry. 13, 24, 35, 44, 51, 64, 119-122

Amarelles 121

Bigarreaus 122

Morellos 121

Propagation of 120

Sand 186

Sour 120

Sub-acid 121

Sweet 120

Varieties 121, 122

See Various Species of Fruits.

Chestnut, see Nuts 198

Chinquapin, see Nuts 198

Clean Cultivation, Advantages of. 61
210

Page

Cleft Grafting 72

Clingstone Peach 161

Cobnut, see Nuts 200

Cocoanut, see Nuts 199

Combination, Successful Exam-
ples of 21-30

Construction of Storage Cellars. . 98
Contact Sprays for Sucking Insects 90

Cordon Training, Upright 85

Oblique and Horizontal 85

Cover Crops, Benefits of 58

Crab Apple 24, 112, 113

See Various Species of Fruits.

Cranberry 122

High Bush (Viburnum) 196

See Various Species of Fruits.
Currant.. 17, 24, 34, 35, 36, 49, 53,
123-127

Best Soils for 125

Extending the Season 126

Fertilizing 126

Value for Many Purposes 127

Varieties 124

See Various Species of Fruits.
Cydonia 152

Dewberry ......... 34, 35, 47, 53, 117

Varieties ...................... 117

See Various Species of Fruits.
Disease Control ............... 86-92

Diverse Species of Nuts ...... 197-203

Dwarf Fruit Trees ............. 75-85

Bush Form .................. 81

Cordons

Espaliers

Fan Form

Palmette Form

Rules for Pruning and Training

84
76
84
83
80

The Place for 75

Their Claims for Attention 75

Apple 76, 77 Peach 76-78

Apricot 76-78 -pQOT. 7ft 77

Cherry 76,77 Pear 76'77

Nectarine.... 76-78 Plum 76-78

Elderberry 127

A Valuable Addition to Fruit

Gardens 127

See Various Species of Fruits.
Espaliers 76

Fan Training 84

Fence, Climbing Plants for 27

INDEX TO CONTENTS

211

Page

Fertilizers and Manures 55

Figs ..14, 45, 128, 129

Cultivation of 123, 129

Varieties of 129

See Various Species of Fruits.

Filbert, see Nuts 200

Freestone Peach 161

Fruit and Vegetable Storage Quar-
ters, Plans of.. 94, 95, 96, 98,
100, 101
Fruit-Bearing Plants, Ornamental

Use of 21

Fruit Plantations, Situations for. 57
Fruit Plantation, Unit of Intens-
ively Set 34

Fruit Planting, Distance Table for. 33
Fruit Trees, Dwarf, see Dwarf

Fruit Trees 75-85

Fruit Trees, June Budded, in the

South 49

Northern Grown 49

Fruits for the South 42-46

Fruits, Home, as Educators 204

Fruits, Storage of. 93-103

Methods of Storing 102-103

Outdoor Storage Cellar 98

Storage in Banks and Pits 101

Suggestions for Storage Rooms . 93
Types of Storage Quarters in

North and South 98

Fruits, the Various Species of . 104-196
Apple: Midsum- Japan Quince. .. 152

mer to Mid- Juneberry 153

winter . . . 106-112 Kaki 171

Crab .... 112, 113 Loganberry 153

Apricot 104-106 Loquat .... 154, 155

Barberry 113 Mulberry. .155, 156

Biwa 154 Nectarine 157

Blackberry .113-118 Papaw 157-158

Blueberry 152 Peach 158-164

Buffalo Berry Pear: Midsum-
118, 119 met to Mid-
Butternut 203 winter . . . 164-169

Cherry: Sour, Persimmon: Am-
Sweet, Sub- erican and Jap-
acid 119-122 anese (Kaki)

Sand 186 169-171

Cranberry 122 Plum: American,

High Bush . . . 196 European and
Currant: Red, Japanese Groups

Black, White 171-176

123-127 Pomegranate...

Cydonia 152 176-178

Dewberry 117 Quince 178-180

Elderberry . 127-128 Raspberry. .180-186

Fig 128,129 Sand Cherry. ..

Gooseberry 130, 135 186, 187

Goumi 135 Strawberry

Grape: European 187-196

and American Viburnum (High

136-152 Bush Gran-
Huckleberry. ... 152 berry) 196

Japonica 152 Winoberry 196

G

Page

Garden, Planning of a Utilitarian21-30

Utility, Plan of 22

Suburban Fruit, Vegetable and
Flower View of 25

Grafting and Budding, Popular

Methods of 70-74

Bridge or Repair 73

Cleft Grafting 72

Great Care Necessary 71

Proper Time for the Work 70

Protect with Grafting Wax 71

Selection of Trees 70

Shield Budding 71

Wax 74

Whip or Tongue 73

Grape 13, 14, 136-152

American Varieties 148

A Wholesome Human Food 137

Culture and Management 138

Easy to Handle 138

European Varieties 147

Its Extensive Territory 137

Summer Pruning 142

Winter Pruning 141

Varieties 143

See Various Species of Fruits.

Grape-Pear 153

Gooseberry.. 17, 24, 33, 54, 36, 49,
53, 130-135

Its Special Claims 131

Varieties 132-135

See Various Species of Fruits.

Goumi (Elceagnus multiflora or E.

longipes) 22, 135

Plant a Thing of Beauty 135

See Various Species of Fruits.

Heeling-in Trees 51

Hickory, see Nuts 200

High Bush Cranberry (Viburnum) 196

Home Fruit as Educators 204

Home Orchard in the South. . . .41-46

Honeysuckle 22, 26

Huckleberry 152

Hazelnut, see Nuts 200

Insects, Biting, Sucking and Boring 86

Insect and Disease Control 86-92

Biting and Sucking Insects 86

Effective Remedies 86, 87

Peach and Apple Borers 86

Plant Diseases and Means of

Control .' 87, 88

Sprays 89,90

Spraying Equipment 88-91

HOME FRUIT GROWER

Page

Japonica 152

Japan Quince 152

Juneberry 153

Kaki (Persimmon)

14, 171

Lemons 51

Loganberry 153

Loquat 13, 154, 155

See Various Species of Fruits.

M

Manures and Fertilizers 55

Maycherry 153

Methods of Storing Fruit 102, 103

Mice and Rabbits, Protection

Against 38,39

Mulberry .' 155, 156

Teas' Weeping 156

N

Nectarine 157

See Various Species of Fruits.
Neglected Trees, Rejuvenating. . 66-70

Nurserymen's Reliability 47

Nuts, Diverse Species of . .51, 197-203

Almond.. . . 197, 198 Hazelnut 200

Cashew 198 Hickory 200

Chestnut,. 198, 199 Peanut 201

Chinquapin .... 198 T> ono

Cobnut. . 200 £?can" • 202

Cocoanut 199 Pistachio 202

Filbert 200 Walnut 203

Orchards, Home, in the South. .41-46
Plans for Coastal Plain and

Piedmont Sections 42, 43

Apples 44 Peaches 44

Cherries 44 Pears 44

Figs 44 Pecans 45

Grapes 44 Persimmons .... 45

Muscadines 45 Plums 44

Originating New Varieties 208

Page

Freestone 161

Semi-Cling 161

How to Choose Varieties 160

See Various Species of Fruits.
Pear.. 13, 24, 34, 35, 44, 51,64,74,
164-169

Where it Succeeds 164

Method of Handling the Trees . . 164
See Various Species of Fruits.

Peanut, see Nuts 201

Pecan, see Nuts 45, 202

Perennials for the Hardy Border. . 27

Persimmon 45, 169-171

American and Japanese (Kaki)

Varieties 170, 171

See Various Species of Fruits.

Pignut, see Nuts 200

Pistachio, see Nuts 202

Plans: Utility Garden 22

Utility plus Beauty 29

Home Orchard for the South. 42, 43
Vegetable and Fruit Storage

Rooms 94, 95,96

Plantation, Planning a New. . . .31, 40

Summer Care of 61-74

Planting, Spring vs. Fall 51

Plants, Buying 47-53

Consult Reliable Nurserymen. . 47

Locality from Which to Buy 47

Plum.. 13, 24, 44, 51, 57, 65, 74,
171-176

Sections Where it Thrives 172

American, European and Jap-
anese Groups 173-176

See Various Species of Fruits.

Pollination 18

Pomegranate 176, 178

Style of Training 177

See Various Species of Fruit.

Poison Sprays for Insects 89

Pruning 62-66

Knives 68

Right and Wrong Ways 61

Rules for Training and 80

Saws 70.

Shears and How to Use 69

Pruning and Training Dwarf Trees 80
Pyramidal Training 82

Palmette Training 83

Papaw, see Species of Fruits 157

Peach. .13, 24, 34, 36, 44, 49, 57, 65,
74, 158-164

Clingstone 161

Cultural Instructions 159

Quince 24, 65, 178-180

Its Peculiar Method of Fruit-
Bearing 179

The Role it Plays 178

Where it Does Best 179

See Various Species of Fruits.

INDEX TO CONTENTS

213

Page
R

Rabbits and Mice, Protection

Against..- 38, 39

Raspberry. .13, 24, 29, 34, 35, 36, 47,
53, 180-187

Method of Propagation 182

Pruning and Training 184

See Various Species of Fruits.
Roses 23,27

Sand Cherry 186

Scions, Inserting, in Stock 72

Service berry 153

Shrubs, Flowering, for Garden

Pictures 26

Shadbush 31, 153

Shagbark 200

Shellbark 200

Shield Budding 71

Side Hill Storage House 99

Soil, Management of 54

Spraying Equipment 88-91

Spring vs. Fall Planting 51

Storage of Fruits. 93-103

Canadian, Method of 103

Cellars, Construction of 93-98

House in the South 98

In Banks and Pits 101

Quarters, Plans of Fruit and

Vegetable 94-101

Side Hill 99

Strawberry.. 13, 24, 25, 29, 35, 36,
47, 187-196
How to Propagate and Cultivate

188-195

Most Worthy Varieties 196

See Various Species of Fruits.
Sugar-Pear 153

Page
T

Thinning: A Simple but Important

Operation 74

Tongue Grafting 73

Training and Pruning Rules 80

Trees, Best Size and Grade 53

Rejuvenating Neglected 66-70

Transplanting, Rules for 73

How to Treat the Plants 38

Preparing Soil and Holes for 37

Protection Against Rabbits and
Mice 38j 39

U

Utility and Beauty, Combination

of 21-30

Garden, Plan of 22

Varieties, Choosing 13-20

How Many to Plant 17

Various Species of Fruits .... 104-109
Vegetable and Fruit Storage

Quarters, Plans of 94-101

Vegetables Between Plants 35

Viburnum (High Bush Cranberry) 196

Walnut, see Nuts 203

Whip or Tongue Grafting 73

Windbreak 38

Window Boxes 28

Wineberry . . 196

GARDEN GUIDE

The Amateur Gardeners' Handbook

THIRD EDITION, ENLARGED AND IMPROVED

Third big edition in less than 12 months tells the story of its
appreciation by garden owners. Compact, complete, unrivalled.
Professionals solve every problem of the soil, thereby making of
GARDEN GUIDE that reliable instructor amateur gardeners have
been looking for all these years. Contains exhaustive chapters on
the Home Vegetable, Flower and Fruit Gardens, with many original
plans. Pruning, Propagation, Fertilizers, Insect Pests, Planning the
Home Grounds, Favorite Flowers, Bulbs, Trees, Shrubs, Rustic Fur-
niture, Tools, Birds, Canning and 1001 other garden factors all covered.
It is of upstanding value to every man or woman interested in gar-
dening, regardless of the amount of land at their disposal.

These well-known Specialists have written Garden Guide

F. F. ROCKWELL (Author of "Vegetable Garden" section) obtained his
knowledge in the most practical field, that of a market gardener. He is now
recognized as a leading authority on the subject, and his services as a teacher
and writer are in great demand. A. G. PETERKIN is the amateur gardener
who won the $100 prize offered by Good Housekeeping for the best amateur
garden.

A. J. LOVELESS (Author of "Fruit Garden" section) has for thirty years
made a specialty of first-class fruit production. He is a successful exhibitor at
the fruit shows, and his knowledge of the subject has pre-eminently fitted him
to instruct others in the pleasant pastime of producing fruit in the home garden.

A. C. HOTTES (Author of "Flower Garden, Lawns, Trees, Shrubs, Pruning,
Propagation, Garden Furniture" sections) is Assistant Professor of Horticulture
at Ohio State University, a popular teacher and well known through his careful
and conscientious work. As a lecturer on the home garden he has answered
thousands of questions put him by amateurs, therefore understands their wants
as few men do.

CHAS. LIVINGSTON BULL (Author of "Birds in the Garden" section) has
written one of the most interesting chapters in the book. Mr. Bull is the cele-
brated animal painter, and a recognized authority on birds; he knows their
every song, habit and instinct.

The late J. HARRISON DICK was editor of The Florists' Exchange, the
leading trade journal in the United States. A. T. DE LA MARE has been
connected with the same journal as managing editor since its founding in 1888.

DR. W. E. BRITTON of the Connecticut Agricultural College, authority on
the subject, hasj furnished a complete chapter on Insects, fully illustrated.
This feature alone is worth the price of the book to any gardener.

ROBT. B. CRIDLAND, a leading landscape gardener, has furnished many
plans for the laying out of the home grounds. And there are others.

Splendid features of Garden Guide are the layouts (plans) for vege-
table, flower and fruit gardens. These are real workable plans and far
superior to those which go the rounds of the press.
GARDEN GUIDE contains 336 pages and over 275 teaching illustrations
with beautiful cover in four colors.

PRICE: Paper cover, 75c. Cloth, superior paper, $1.00. Postpaid.

A. T. DE LA MARE CO. Inc. 438 to 448 West 37th St. NEW YORK

Commercial
Plant Propagation

An Exposition of the
Art and Science of
Increasing Plants as
Practised by the
Nurseryman, Florist
and Gardener

By
ALFRED C. HOTTES

*• i\

APPEALS to every one who has to dp with seeds and
plants, whether amateur or professional. The book
was primarily written for the latter class — which estab-
lishes its standing and the authenticity of its teachings — but
the fact that it is practically free from technicalities will help
the veriest beginner overcome all difficulties in following its
instructions.

The work clearly describes the various modes of propa-
gating indoor and outdoor plants, trees, shrubs and
herbaceous perennials; sowing seeds, making soft and
evergreen cuttings, methods of layering and grafting, etc.

To give a faint idea of the subject matter, we reproduce herewith
the contents matter of Chap. I.:

Chapter 1. Seeds. — The Germination of Seeds; Longevity of Seeds;
Longevity of Flower Seeds in Years ; Longevity of Vegetable Seeds ; Testing
Seeds; Time to Sow Seeds ; Annuals; Soil for Seed Sowing; Pots and Flats
for Sowing Seeds; Light and Seeds; Suggestions for Seed Sowing; Depths
of Seed Planting; Firm the Soil; Sowing Very Fine Seeds; Watering; Time
Required for Germination; Special Treatments for Germination; Soaking
Seeds; Canna Seed; Acid and Alkali Treatments; Aquatics from Seed; Sow-
ing Seeds of Perennial Flowers; Florists' Seed Time Table; Shrub and Tree
Seeds ; Scalding Seeds ; Conifers from Seed ; Damping-off of Conifer Seedlings ;
Broad Leaved Evergreens; Easter Lilies from Seeds; Cactus from Seed;
Saving Seed from Desirable Plants; Dioecious Plants; Pollinating Tomatoes;
Pollination of Cucumbers.

There are 31 halftones and 75 line cuts in the book.
Practically every one of the line cuts has been drawn
specially for this work as also have the majority of the
half-tone reproductions.

Cloth, 180 pages, $1.35 postpaid.

A. T. DE LA MARE GO. Inc. 438 to 448 West 37th St. NEW YORK

PRACTICAL
LANDSCAPE
GARDENING

By ROBERT B. CRIDLAND, Landscape Architect

The author freely gave of his great knowl-
edge when he wrote this splendid book.
On the theory that "every house in a com-
munity should contribute toward the enjoy-
ment of the inhabitants thereof, in some little
artistic excellence," the writer goes about
showing how to place the house, grade the
landscape and plan and plant intelligently.
No pages are wasted in useless talk.

Description of Chapter Illustrations

1 — The Importance of All Careful
Planning. — Six halftone illustrations show-
ing completed results.

2 — Locating the House. — Seven line
drawings of studies of house locations on
small lots and one showing best exposure
for the house in its relation to the sun.

3 — Arrangements of Walks, Drives
and Entrances. — Twelve illustrations of
approaches or entrances, ten driveways and
three walks.

4 — Construction of Walks and Drives.
— Twenty-five teaching illustrations of
cement, macadam, flagstone, slate and other
walks, cement approaches and gutters, bi-
tuminous and cement driveways, etc.

5 — Lawns and Their Grading, Con-
struction and Upkeep. — Nine line cuts
showing correct grading under varying
conditions, and three halftone illustrations
of charming lawn views properly treated.

6 — Ornamental Planting of Trees and
Shrubs. — Twenty-four fine halftones illus-
trating suitable backgrounds, base plant-
ings, specimen trees for the lawn, boundary

plantings, border plantings, etc., together
with numerous line cuts showing how to
plant and move trees, lay out orna-
mental vegetable garden, lawn groupings,
etc.

7 — The Flower Garden. — Seventeen
halftones of properly laid out gardens with
several planting plans and keys thereto.

8 — Architectural Features.— Eight
halftones showing bird bath, fountains and
pools, garden seats, pergolas and other
features, together with plans for the con-
struction of garden houses, entrances,
pergolas, etc.

9 — Hardy Borders and Rose Gardens.
— Fifteen attractive halftones and plans of
borders and rose gardens.

10— Wild Gardens and Rock Gar-
dens.— Seven illustrations, together with
plan showing how to build a dry retaining
wall for planting.

11 — Planting Plans. — Nineteen plans
showing a variety of artistic arrangements
possible on small properties. These plans
are keyed and accompanied by planting lists
which have been tested in actual practice .

PRACTICAL LANDSCAPE GARDENING is an entirely different
book from any landscape treatise previously written, because it fits into
your wants, considers practicability equally with the laws of art and
beauty, and covers every detail. It contains 91 photographic illustrations,
67 sketches and 33 plans, 19 of which are planting plans accompanied by
planting keys.

The type is large and clear; the paper is enamel; the binding
durable. The color plate on front cover is irresistibly attrac-
tive; it portrays a wonderful landscape scene. 266 pages.
Size, 6x8 in. Prospectus on application. Second edition,
revised. Price, delivery postpaid $1.90

A. T. DE LA MARE CO. Inc. 438 to 448 West 37th St. NEW YORK

BEKKELEY

Johnson's

and (

Edited by J. I

Based on the origin
new i

Do you wish a re
spelling of plant nai

Do you wish the
that is published to

Do you want a 1
you cultivate, and
was introduced, fror

Do you want a 1
and floriculture in 5
hints ? Then the bo

THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DAT!
STAMPED BELOW

Books not returned on time are subject to a fine
50c per volume after the third day overdue, increasii
to $1.00 per volume after the sixth day. Books not
demand may be renewed if application is made befo
expiration of loan period.

Johnson1

MJG 6 1925

Recognized the W<
Hoi

Essentially a stud
lovers, and of partic
names, such as catal
with large horticultu

Brief instructions
the species of every
the best methods o
greenhouse or stove
details in the case o

Fruits receive spe<
lengthy article devot

Every garden veg<
importance, with rej
suitable soil, handiej
rearing.

A description of a
and the plants they
vention and remedy.
923 pages of closel;

i

Pri

A. T. De La Mare Co. Inc. «• to 4&$e%3&h Street*

EXCLUSIVE AGENTS FOR THIS BOOK IN THE U. S.

Publishers of Gardening and Countryside Books

YB 47348

Milady's House Plants

The Care of Plants in the Home made simple and
success assured to all who follow the practical
directions of the veteran grower who, after much
urging, at last consented to give the public the
benefit of his lifelong observations and experience

HERE is guidance for the
MII aiiYN nni INT wi UNIX woman who loves the com-

W1LAUW nUWt FLAINU Hill panionship of plants in the home.

Written by F. E. Palmer, a re-
cognized author^"--** *k "-United
':h he

Mr.
years
illing

415294

, and
p re-
man
own
con-
'hich

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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY l«jy

.1 no

oercer way, many operations in plant growing which wonder-
fully simplify the work and enhance its interest.

Any woman, with the aid of this book, may have a fine collec-
tion of plants to add cheer and beauty to the environments of
the home during the Fall and Winter months, then in Spring
and Summer to lend their beauty to the luxuriant mass of
outdoor planting.

The chapter on "Sun Parlors as Plant Rooms" is a new de-
parture. The subject is gone into minutely, and this one chapter
alone is worth many times the price asked for the book.

Profusely illustrated with about 100 instructive pictures, the
majority of them taken exclusively for this book.

Cover in four colors. Price, by mail, paper 60c. ; cloth $1.

A. T. DE LA MARE CO. Inc. 438 to 448 W. 37th St. N. Y.