THE WISCONSIN FARMER.



         Wiseenin Fruit Tis Year.
  It is a just cause for congratulation on the
part of all who are interested in the progress
of Wisconsin, that fruit-growing is making
such rapid advancement in all parts of the
State. At the present rate we shall soon rank
No. 1. among the many fruit-growing states
of the West.



   Orchards are coming into bearing in almost
 every neighborhood, and their products are
 unsurpassed in quality.  Everything com-
 monly grown in the northern part of the
 North Temperate Zone, except peaches-and
 even these are getting in the way of showing
 their blushing cheeks at many of our County
 Exhibitions-is produced under circumstan-
 ces that warrant the largest expectations for
 the future,
   Better apples, pears, plums, grapes and
other small fruits never grew than we have
seen in all parts of Wisconsin, north, south,
east and west, the present year. We only
lack quantity, and this we shall not lack
many years longer.
  Too much credit cannot be awarded to those
leading horticulturists of the Badger State
who have skillfully determined and wisely
recommended the most reliable varieties and
the best methods of culture.

           Laying Down I for Winter.
   Our most provident and hence most success-
full fruit growers and floriculturists are get-
ting in the way of "laying down" their
grapes, raspberries and blackberries, and also
all roses and ornamental plants not perfectly
hardy in order that the weather of winter, no
matter how severe and changeable, may not
injure them. It 's a good practice, inasmuch
as it costs but little labor and fulfills the
motto, "Sure bind, sure find."
   The process is perfectly simple, consisting
 in merely bending them over to one side-
 pliant vines may be coiled, where space is
 insufficient-and covering over with straw or
 marsh hay and enough dirt to keep the cover-
 ing in place. A light covering like this will
 not, of course, prevent the freezing of the



_ap in the stens of the plants; it is not neees-
sary that it should. But it will prevent that
alternate freezing and thawing which is the
cause of their death.

Hardy Varleisda-4ouni Adlve h     the Right

  In times past, the farmers of the Northwest
have suffered so much from the foolish prae-
tice of planting varieties of fruit trees un-
scrupulously recommended by Eastern ped-
lara, or such as were favorites with the pur-
chasers in other States, and without the least
regard to hardiness, that further caution on
this subject would seem to be unnecessary.
Nevertheless, we find in our occasional travels
through this State, that all have not learned
the lesson suggested by the above caption.
  It may be a nice thing to sit by one's fire
in winter and eat the fruits which so pleasur-
ably remind him of the good old time at the
home of years gone by; but if in attempting
to realize that luxury we should fail of having
fruit to eat at all where will be the pleasant
memories of our children as connected with
apple-eating social enjoyment by the cheer-
ful farm-hearth, such as now give us so much
pleasure in the retrospect. In other words,
what will be the advantage in sacrificing
reason and sound common sense to a whim,
if we are thereby to endanger the loss of fruit
altogether ?
  There is nothing surer than that there are
some desirable varieties of fruits which we
cannot rely upon in this climate, while there
are others equally good that have been proved
to be thoroughly hardy. And we wish to say
right here, that the people of this section of
the country cannot too highly appreciate the
persistent and faithful efforts of those resolute
and skillful fruit-growers of Wisconsin, who
for many years have kept up those careful
experiments  and  periodical  observations
which have at last resulted in reliable inform-
ation as to what varieties of the apple, &c.,
are most sure.
  Among this class of valuable workers for
the public good, none are more deserving than
the worthy Corresponding Editor of this De-
partment, and our highly esteemed contribu-



. .                                 -  . -        -   .       -.F.. _  _
" -



- .



415



I



I