The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1867-02-15
KANSAS PoMoLoeY.

lea. Baysrd Taylor considered it une
qualed IN this regard By any country this
side the Sierra Nevada. aud scarcely in
ferior to California in its grape growing
possibilities. We have mild and rath
er dry climate. rich soil, strongly i'm
pregnsted with gypsum and lime. and al
ntulalipg. VelI-dtained surface. No
better conditions than these can be found
anywhere on The Atlantic slope We will
particularize somewhat IN discussing this
subject. ~
Apples have not yet been grown to any
extent in this State. It's settlement was
too recent. Many orchards. however,
are now just ready or commencing TO
bear. Last December We examined the
orchard Of Joseph Miller. on Dow Greek.
It was wonderfully thrifty and healthy.
We never saw trees make a more rapid
gro#th. We spent a considerable time
in the closest examination. but failed to
fed any aceof borers. bark-lice. worms
nests. blight. black heart, frosen wood.
oe any other of the thousand maladies 10
which we had been accustomed further
north. Whenever saw Anything like it IN
Iowa or Northern Illinois. Varieties
there worlhlessly tender seem perfectly
hardy here. We will stake our reputation
foI common sense upon tla su,sass OF
apples in Southern Kansas
Pears have scarcely been tested a; all,
in bearing. The trees SO far planted,
mostly dwarfs, appear hardy and thrifty.
A very few have fruiued in this vicinity
The soil Of our uplands is uuderiaid with
precisely the marty gypsiferou limestone
drift which cons Iitutes the famous ''mu-
latto soil'' of Southern Illinois, an
which has shown such splendid adapia-
lion to the growth Of this fruit.
Peaches seem very much at home here
Late lrosts aud the b)rer are thu pr incI
pal enemies, and beth of these are in a
great measure overcome by the new expe
dent o! chilling up" which re:ards the
blossoming of the trees, and protects the
soft bark at The neck Of the tree from the
fly which deposits the egg OF the b1rer.
The crop OF last year was a large one
in all p.aeh orclaris OF thres years
old and upwards. Ii proper care be ia
ken of our trees, we mag confidently ex-
pect regular crops.
The great difficulty with this fruit fur
ther north is, the constant liability 10
destruction Of the wood. and especially
The fruit-buds. by the intense cold Of
winter. a temperature of ten or iheen
degrees below zero viii kill the buds, and
one of twenty or twenty five below will
ruin the trees. We have no such tenn
perature here. Last winter. FIVE degrees
below was the lowest, aud this winter the
mercury touched zero bnttwice, reaching
degrees aud 7 degrees below. this tenn.
peratute lasting but few hours in each
case: Oar winters are almost uniformly
dry and open. with prevalent south winds
and thus trees or buds seldom suffer from
the cold.
Plums aud cherries are scarcely tes;et
yet. A fs~ dukes and morellos ar,
beginning to bear. We can see no OBJ
stacles to their successful culture. Prob
aoly plum growers will have to fight cur
culio and black knot, as they do farther
least.
The Apricot seems to be complete
success in the Kaw valley, aud will doubt
less be so here.
But the grape is pre- eminently the
fruit for Kansas. The. islands of Lake
Erie, ,he bluffs of Cincinnati aud War
saw, the hiIlsides of Hermann. must
yield the palm to the dry divides of Kan
sas. We have lived for years anpag the
vineyards Of Illinois, but We never sa "
there such product as the Concord
aud ''Dracut Amber which Barnes &
Kelly, of Douglas county, now every
year ships by the ton from the Coal Greek
vineyard. We have here every advantage
for this business. Our mild winters, our
clear, dry air, our sunshine. our limy,
loamy soil, are all in our favor. The cell
ebrated delaware" which is a failure
in so many localities, is here IN the town
Of Emporia a complete success. Mr.. John
Hammond, of this place. last year truit-
ed it abuudautly 10 his upland garden.
Il is hardy. thrifty, productive, and of
wonderful quality. We shall soon ex
pect to see our dry divides crowned BY
such vineyards as cannot b found else
where between the Garonne aud Sacra-
mento. s
The smaller fruits are but little tested.
They viii probably need here abundant
mulehlng. aud with this will succeed
we'll
We should mention our wild fruits be
fore closing PIums. grapes. gooseber-
riss, and mulberries, are found in great
abundance; strawberries and raspberries
70 limited extent. The black mulberrv
is most acceptable substitute for the
blackberry. which it greatly sesembles
The pawpaw. or Gus lard apple, is al.
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