Oklahoma Farmer (Guthrie, Okla.), Vol. 14, No. 47, Ed. 1 Wednesday, March 21, 1906 Page: 3 of 16
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OKLAHOMA FARMER, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 1906.
^orttculture,.
N TUB UtHn WIU u mww
M WUTIIBl
FARMERS AS FRUIT GROWERS.
•Of late years dlse se and trouble-
some insects have made the work of
orchardlsts more difficult than formerly
but it does not follow that only an
expert can grow fruit. A farmer re-
cently remarked, before an institute,
that farmers ought not to have fruit ot
any kind on the farm, giving as his
reason that it took time to care for
that ought to be given to the regular
farm work. Possibly this is so when
it refers to an orchard of considerable
size, but it is assuredly wrong teaching
to advise, as this man did and' he was
upheld by others, that the farmer
should buy what fruit he needs for the
table. If this advice were generally
taken there would be precious little
fruit on the table of the farmer. Surely
fruit growing is not so hard that a
farmer cannot make the same intelli-
gence he uses in farming produce for
him fruit of various kinds, poultry,
eggs, and vegetables in sufficient quan-
tities for his own table without seri-
ously interfering with the larger farm
operations in which he is engaged
There is room on every American farm
for small fruits and for a few trees of
the several classes to provide all the
fruit needed by the family and the
farmer who does not grow it is throw-
ing away a comfort he might have at
small cost.
SMALL FRUIT FARM.
(By L. Cass Brown.)
Small fruit culture will bring the
family bigger returns than anything
else about the farm. Knowing this .t
is strange that so many country peo-
ple prefer to buy dried fruits rather
than grow them right in their own
gardens. Any soil that will produce
a vigorous growth of cor— and potatoes
will be all right for fruits. The currant
is one of the most valuable of our
small fruits. It is hardy, easy to cul-
tivate and yields abundantly. Good
cultivation and severe pruning will in-
crease the size of the fruit. Plenty of
old manure should b« spaded in about
the roots, and the soil should be kept
clean and mellow. On account of its
hardiness the currant bushes are too
often left to shift for themselves, and
of course when left in this condition
one need not expect big, fine flavored
fruit. Currants do best in a somewhat
protected location.
The gooseberry bushes are also
shamefully neglected, until blight and
disease destroy the prospect of a crop.
With sensible care, such as pruning,
cultivation and the use of fungicides,
the culture of this fine fruit may be
made certain and even remunerative.
So many of the best varieties are af-
fected with mildew, that no one who
expects to get well developed fruit,
should neglect spraying.
In growing grapes, the location ot
the vineyard is very important, but
rather thin land will give the best
quality of fruits and insure freedom
from rot or disease of the vine. It is
not intended in this article to give ex-
plicit culture directions or grapes, for
the subject is too large. If the grower
is not perfectly familiar with this part
of the work he should fully Inform him-
self before attempting to plan on an ex-
tended scale. There are some things,
however, I want to emphasize. One is
that the vines should not be set too
close together. Plant far enough apart
so that the roots will have ample room
to expand, and to give the vines free
circulation both ways of the row. Here
PECAN TREES AIMD IMUTS
Gold and Silver Medals awarded our
Nut and Tree exhibits, St Louis, 1904.
High-grade budded and grafted trees of
all best varieties. 770 acres in pecans.
Write for Catalogue "E", With which
Ja incorporated a valuable treatise
upon pecan culture.
The G. M. Bacon Pecan Co.
INOORRORATKD
••Witt, • - ••orgla.
again good care and thorough culti-
vation counts. One need not expect to
gather large, perfect bunches of grapes
if weed's and grass are allowed to grow
about the vines. Cultivate between
the rows, throwing the dirt towards the
vines. Use the hoe to clean out the
weeds between the vines.0 During the
summer the soil should be kept mellow
and level. It is well to consult a
nearby nurseryman about the best var-
ieties to put out, and if you want to
go into the work in earnest, send to the
agricultural department, Washington,
D. C., for bulletin on grape growing.
Blackberries and raspberries may be
grown with care almost anywhere.
Strawberries yield bountiful crops and
may be grown by the amateur without
much trouble. In growing all kinds of
fruit, it is the liking for the work more
than anything else that insures success.
Too often one orders a mixed lot of
plants and vines, without regard to
suitable and adapted varieties, and sets
them out in the most convenient spot,
that happens to be bare at that time.
The usual result is the vines or plants
do not grow vigorously, they are shy
yielders, and only imp erfect fruit s
gathered. The wind up of the whole
thing is the fruit garden is pronounced
a dismal failure, and it is from evety
point of viey.
Now go at it sensibly. Put the ground
in good condition and then ascertain
which varieties of fruits will do well in
your locality, and start a fruit planta-
tion this very spring. The man who has
been so occupied with bigger things
that he has neglected setting out small
fruits has missed! a whole lot, but he
will never realie just how much until
he can pick the delicious, fresh fruit
ri°ht off his own vines. And while you
are planning for a nice fruit garden,
better make out a list of shrubs to set
about the farm home. A few pretty
flowering bushes scattererd here and
there about the yard will add some-
thing else that you may have missed a
long while.
though I would not plant them for
money makers unless the market would
give about 50 percent mor for them than
for the Ben Davis or the Willow Twig.
Of the newer kinds that have fruited
for me, the most promising is Aikins
Red; it is about the size of the large
Jonathan and a little better colored; it
seems to be a better keeper and' bearer,
and at present sems to be nearly as
good in quality and a better grower in
trees.
Northwestern Greening seems to ba
making friends. It is a large to very
large and fairly good in quality and a
good cooker. The tree is vigorous,
a good bearer on alternate years, after
it gets to it. The fruit is almost too
large, and some red would make it mote
attractive.
The Mann apple seems to be a good
bearer. It is a llatish, dark or rusty,
■ greenish apple that keeps well and is
of good size and quality.
Of the many earlier apples, the
Duchess and Wealthy have justly won
places in the front rank, though in
some points the Yellow Transparent
and early Joe ana! Benoni may mark
above-them, with Utters Red, Plumb s
Cider and Saxton not far behind in
the race.
•*' v*? •# • •Wr*
PIONEER GUARANTEED
NURSERY STOCK
AT WHOLESALE PRICES.
w- All stock guaranteed disease free—
rtrne to namo—pare bred and heavy
orop producers. Pull value for every
dollar sent us. No agent's commis-
sion. Write for complete price list*
We will save you money.
HART PIONEER NURSERIES
^Established 1865. Fort Scott, kan
the chief order of the day in the way of
improvements and thousands of young
trees are being set out at all points Ions
the system. The trees will' be planted at
every station and at all stock yards. The
principal kinds to be used will be syca-
mora and elm.
WHAT WILL YOU PLANT.
CROP REPORTING.
Washington, Mar. 12-The crop report-
ing board of the bureau of statistics
of the department of agriculture, from
the reports of the correspondents and
agents of the bureau finds the amount ot
wheat remaining in farmers' hands on
March 1 to have been about 158,403,000
bushels, or 22.9 per cent of last year's
crop as compared with 20.1 per cent or
111,055,000 bushels of the crop of 1904
on hand on March 1, 1905, and 20.8 per
cent of the crop of 1903 on hand on
the corresponding date in 1904.
The corn in farmers' hands in esti-
mated at about 1,108,000,000 bushels, or
40 9 per cent of last year's crop rgainst
38.7 per cent or 954,268,000 bushels of
the crop of 1904 on hand on March 1,
1905 and 37.4 per cent of the crop of 1903
on hand at the corresponding date in
1904.
Of oats there are reported to be about
373,805,000 bushels or 39.8 per cent of
last year's crop, still in farmers hands
a3 compared with 38.8 per cent or ^47,—
lGfi.OOO bushels of the corp of 1904 on
hand on March 1, 1905 and 34.9 per cent
of the crop of 1903 on hand at the cor-
responding date in 1904.
FRUIT CROP NOT HURT.
El Reno, Okla., March 14.—Farmers
who have been interviewed say that the
fruit crop has not been damaged to any
great extent. In some parts of the coun-
try. the web worm has been getting in
its work. Plowing under the wheat and
sowing oats is going on briskly.
FEARS FOR THE FRUIT.
Perry, Okla., March 15—There has been
a severe storm of rain and sleet hera
since Tuesday night. This afternoon it
has grown colder and a coat of ice cov-
ers everything. It is feared the peach
and plum crop is ruined as many of the
trees were in blossom.
(Ewood Tatum, Iowa.)
The nursery will soon t>e giving up
its young stock and the question of
varieties to plant is, as always, a per-
plexing one to the beginner. "Try all
things, hold fast to that which is good,"
is advice that appeals to the apple
grower with great force. Ever on the
look-out for improvement, yet loath
to give up his old friends that have so
many good qualities, he can say to Ben
Davis, "With all thy faults I love the
still." For has not Ben Davis been
good to him? Has he not regularly
filled his bins with large, nicely colored,
smooth, salable fruit? To be sure, he
knows that the fruit is not considered
the very best in quality, but it pleases
the cook and makes the money move.
I think we had Detter hold fast to
Ben. .
Another old favorite with me is the
White Pippin. It bears well almost
every ear. The fruit is medium to
large, keeps well, and is of good quality
both for cooking and eating. Its color
being green to white, is slightly against
it. „ .
The Black Annette is another that
we are trying, and the mor& we try it,
for the small orchard, the better we
like it. The apples are rather small
and irregular in size and not a bright
color, being a dull, dark red; they are
of good flavor, for a longer season man
any other kind I know of, and seem to
suit nearly all tastes, both for eating
ana' stewing. It is a good house apple,
but a poor market apple.
For a sweet apple that keeps into
mid-winter, I know of none that bears
as well and has such nice medium or
small fruit as Allan's Choice; it resem-
bles the old Sweet Romanite, but it
is not so sweet; some larger, and a
brighter red.
I am well pleased with the Wagner,
the Stark and the Salome. They all
seem good bearers, good in quality and
keep well into winter.
I would not want to part with the
Jonathan, Grimes nor the Roman Stem,
HARD ON FRUIT.
Helena, Okla., March 12.-A severe cold
wave struck this place last evening, the
thermometer falling to 16 degrees. Thia
will prove a little hard on the fruit,
which so far has been all right. It is
said by the fruit men that this will not
injure the fruit to any great extent,
provided it does not continue.
Wheat in this section is in better con-
dition than in previous years and all bids
fair for a record breaker. The farmers
all feel jubilant and say that with provi-
dence smiling on them as it seems to be
they are not sorry that they have the
high school tax to pay.
OATS ARE PLANTED.
Madill, I. T., March 12.—Oats are all
sowed, and are coming up nicely. There
will be 15 per cent increase in acreage
of oats. Some few have planted cane
but they have had too much rain for the
farmers to prepare their land for the
crop.
Hang a few good pictures on the
walls of your home. They will have a
far-reaching influence for good in the
lives of the family.
If you need a girl in the house let
her do the other work while you attend
to the cooking. It is almost impossible
to secure a competent cook.
A few things the average hired girl
does: Puts the meat in the oven be-
fore the oven i8 hot enough to sear It
over quickly; cuts thick parings fro n
ths potatoes and puts them in lutie
warm or cold water to cook; never
empties the teakettle, so part of the
water with which your tea is made has
been boiled for the past week; keeps
acid fruit in tin pans; puts strong
smelling foods like fish and vegetables
next to the milk and butter; keeps the
family in the state of uncertainty most
of the time by keeping them guessing
what she will do next.
The work of the farmer's wife may
very profitably Include some line of
out door activity. The chickens or
the garden naturaly suggest them-
selves. This will be beneficial both to
the woman and to the work.
Mr. Bilikins (ooking up from the
paper:) "The eminent physician. Dr.
Greathead. says there is no exercise so
conducive to health in woman as ordi-
nary house work." Mrs. Bilikins: Huh
I'll bet he is married."
TO PLANT TREES.
Denlson, Texas, March 12.—The Mis-
souri, Kansas and Texas management
has issued orders to make tree planting
K; Seeds
Our Illustrated Cata- in a/>
log and Price List for IvvV
sent free to any address.
If you want tood, fresh
I Seeds, write for it.
David Hardie Seed Co.
DALLAS, TEXAS.
ii IHLOFF NURSERY
hardy trees thai grow AND m FDR their work.
Grafted apple 3 Budd Peach 4c, Plum 8c, Pear 11c,
Cherry 15c, Concord Grapes No. 1, $a.oo per i*c, Forest
Tree Seedlings $1 00 per 1000 and up, Black Locust 4 to
6 feet ic each.
These are some prices of our pro wing stock. Our
illustrated catalogue with transplanting directions In J
English or German free. We guarantee saf* delivery and ,
satisfaction of stock. FREIGHT PREPAID II ORDERS IF MM " """t
DO. IHLOFF, Prop. Unit, IIUl
t« « HI ttmilliiMilMtlti*
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Greer, Frank H. Oklahoma Farmer (Guthrie, Okla.), Vol. 14, No. 47, Ed. 1 Wednesday, March 21, 1906, newspaper, March 21, 1906; Guthrie, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc88093/m1/3/: accessed April 24, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.