The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-06-06
Trucking in Eastern Carolina.

Trucking in Eastern Carolina.
Considering hey advantages Of loca-
ton, midway between the torrid Gulf
states, and the temperate middle re-
gion n her facilities for shipment,
both by rail and sail. it is surprising
that Eastern North Carolina has not
sooner developed into a gigantic
Truck Patch" TO supply the Northern
markets with fruits, berries. and vege-
tables. Norfolk has for ten years past
annually increased her shipments
from this industry but there are
many counties in Eastern Carolina
that can out-strip her, and every other
trucking region on the Atlantic coast.
by from j. to 90 days in earliness. and
very greatly III superiority of fruit.
n Inarket-stuff. Commissioner Polk
has been making inquiries of the
freight lines which show how rapidly
this business is building up. Indeed,
the cultivation of marketable fruits,
and vegetables, is becoming one of the
great money-sources ofthe South. The
shipments Of strawberries from Nor
folk during the past season were owe
three million quarts. As many as TO-
600 pickers were at work in a single
day. One grower had 1S5 acres in the
luscious fruit, of which he shipped
Is. 900 bushels to Boston alone.
D:l- Ur.ll-- e " N--.l
Pathological Association has reviewed
the growth of fruits in his country
during the past twenty years.
He finds that the number of acres
under cultivation in orchards. vines,
and small fruits. at the present time,
is estimated at 4, 800. 900. The number
of apple trees 112, 900, 900 ; pear trees
%, $50, 900 peaches 1l2,210.OOO grape
vines al go, 900 in all 1913, 100, 900.
The estimated value of the apple crop
annually is put down at $50, 400, 600 :;
pears S14, 1870, 900 peaches S56, 1885,
600 grapes S2.11S. 900 strawberries
So, 000, 900 and other fruits $40, 432, 800;
making a grand total of $l3S,216, 700 !;
or nearly equal in value to one-half OF
our average wheat crop.
In New York city there Were re-
ceived in one day during the height of
the strawberry season 1000 crates,
averaging at least one and a half BUSH
els, or more than 10000 bushels. On
the peninsulas of Delaware and Mary
and alone there were picked in the
year 1S15-the largest crop ever gath
ered-between 1000, 900 and 5000, 900
baskets. From California there were
sent East i'll 1876, 334 carloads of fruit
&c 400 A,,rIn1- nanI nnn fr,., nlnnn
sending 700 tons.
The process of canning and preserv-
ing fruits has been brought to a high
degree of perfection within the past
few years. and the extent of this bust
ness is already immense. Six canning
firms in California employ two thous
and women and children, and turn out
from one and a half to two MILLIONS of
dollars worth of goods yearly. There
We're shipped from our country to for
eign ports in the fall and winter of
1867 about four hundred thousand
barrels of apples. England taking
from twelve to fifteen thousand bar
rels per week in the height of the sea-
sol
The improved methods of shipping
fruits in refrigerating ships, and the
new processes for canning and drying,
will, ere long, enable us to dispose OF
our over-abundant crop without loss,
and thus save millions of dollars to the
country. During the year the amount
of dried fruits exported reached nearly
fifteen million pounds, and the demand
is constantly increasing. The export
trade in canned fruits has increased
five fold during the past five years,
and has reached a value of nearly
three million dollars. American APP
Piles are now sold at much higher
prices in London than either English
or French apples.
These facts are given in the hope of
stimulating still further attention to
the subject by our North Carolina far
mers and horticulturists r. S.