Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-01-31
GROWING JUICY FRUITS.
THOMAS COUNTY's THOUSANDS
OF ACRES IN ORCHARDS.

dustry in Southwest GeOTgiG-F1Ve
Thoussnd Acres Of Land In Thomas
County Devoted to Pear Culture
The Three Fruits OF the southwest
Section Thomasville's Pear Land
Park
a mile out from ThOmasvile on the
savannah, Florida and Western railway
is Sanford station, the Shipping depot OF
the Thomas County LeConte Pear Com
pany. Back from the depot is the COM
pany's handsome farm and orchards,
covering 225 acres, and called Fear Land
Park.
Mr.. "aomas r, Blackshear, President
Of the company. was in the city day or
two ago. Dir. Rlackshear is one Of the
pioneers in fruit culture in Georgia. BE
Is the owner OF he largest strawberry
neld in the state, and is the largest ship
per in the southwest section. The Le-
Co1te pear he regards the most profitable
fruit that can be grown anywhere in tine
southern part Of Georgia. There are in
Thomas county alone upwards OF 1000
acres devoted TO Is culture.
The company Of which Mr. Blackshear
is president was ORGANIZED little over
tnree years ago by 10 enterprlslng citizens
OF Thomas county. The capital stock was
$4,000. q tract Of UnbrOken timber was
purchased just outside OF IhOmasvillC.
The land was 5elec ed for its eligible loca-
ton, and was cleared and surrounded By
ditch Eve feet deep and six feet Wide,
forming an almost Impassable iaOat. one
hundred acres were sci apart Tor pear
orchard. The remainder of the - acres
is devoted TO agriculture substantial
buildings were erected and facilities prO-
Fided FOR raising general farm crops. Up
to ibis year something over $4,000 has
been expended Ia the Improvement OF th-
property.
The company has 5000 young bearing
pear trees in its l00-acre orchard. Nj.
Blackshear estimates that the annual in
come from the orchard, as soon as the
trees reacn "a fun bearing age, Will he
$4,000. The trees do not begin bear
ing until they are four years
old. In good season the
yield, he says, ought to be from ten to hf-
teen bushels from each tree. The fruit
has sold as high as So 30 a Dushel. Toe
present price is, however. much below
that igute. At fifty cents or even at
tAenty-Gve cents a bushel MI. Black
shear tninks there is a fine profit in The
fruit. Estimating the average yield per
tree at ten bushels, the 5000 trees in The
"ONAt'h JANiA bNrHN'
bushels Of peal
Iae nauduug .1 'vment OF the huit
- no small m~t. Besides shipping
30 the Northern u&rket5 the company
proposes TO erect NJ an early day, a can
ming factory and evaporation, aad VIII put
up the fruit on the place. The presence
Of eaccharine matter in the pear is 80
marked that when evapOTated II forms a
coat OF sugar around the fruit. Aside from
b fk..,a ,.fr ~
il another and large source of profit in .
LeConte pear orchard. The LeConte re-
produces itself from cutting. A twig
cut from the tree and stuck in the ground
VII grow. Many people, MI BiacksneaF
says, do not sell the cuttings, but set
them ont, sticking them in rows as thick as
peas. W hen these sticks take root they are
AnOwu as rOCtlets, and command fifty
cents each. They used TO bring a dollar
and even more. OF the cuttings put out
probably one third, on an average, take
root. The others die. Some men get
more than third, some less.
The company has now in the ground
100000 CUTTINGS, and the demand for them
Is rapidly increasing. a year ago Messrs.
w m. Parry and john :. Collins, two of the
leading nureerymen OF New Jersey, stops
ped At GhOmasyille on their way 10 the
New orIeans Exposition Rnd Waited Pear
Land Park-the company's farm and or
chart Iusy We're convinced at once OF
the excellence and value OF the LeCente
pear, and uron their return North they
sent back 100000 cuttings TO he rooted for
Northern nurseries.
The fapidity Of its growth Mr. Black
shear regards as one OF the great points
OF suDcriorly n the LeCOnte tree over
other varieties. Cuttings have taken on
rs much as fourteen feet OF now growth
The trst year after beng put out. This is
OF course phenomenal growth. The
average growth is sin TO eight feet.
Fac ease with which the tree can be
p~opaeated is one Of it's strongest claims
10 popular favor. Outlines put into the
ground with ordinary care, and with or
binary cultivation, will snow, on an ave-
rage, one vigorous tree TO every fve cut
tlugs. The trees begin TO bear at six
years old with ordinary care, while il
hey have special care Ia cultivation and
fertilization, they viii begin to bear A.
four years old. The time at which the
pear ripens gives 1t practical monopoly
Of the market fur nearly two months az
the year rle fruit ripens for shipment
IN August, while other pears do Dot come
on the market till nearly two months
later. The tree will grow in any soil that
is well drained. 1t has been successfully
tested on stiH red lands, Ia sandy soils.
ard IN soils hat were q mixture Of clay
and sand. IL seems 70 90 best, however.
in sandy. loamy soil that has deep clay
sub-s0ll
The history OF the pear shows that il is
a Georgia fruit. II takes rs name from
Mr.. John LeCOnte, a gentleman residing
in Liberty county. In 1890 Mr. LeCunte
visited Princes nursery, near Albany. n.
Y, and purchased among Other nuit trees
n seeding from the Chinese sand pear
When he returned 10 Georgia he gave
this seeding TO Mrs. Harden, his niece,
who had it set out on her plantation in
Liberty county. MIR. LeConte told Mrs.
Harden, at the time, that the pear would
be nearly worthless for eating. but might
answer for preserViua No special care,
either in cultivation or fertilization, was
bestowed on the tree. ana ID grew in wild
luNuriance, It's qualities unknown aud
uuheeded. During the war; the Tree began
TO bear. Very little attention was az that
time given to fruit culture. Il 1886 ID vas
loaded with fruit, and IL was then for the
first time that IL attracted the attention
OF the gentleman who had been the super
iuteudcnt on Mrs. hadeus place when
10 had been put out. The peculiarly
woody. coarse nature Of tho Chinese sand
pear was Wei known 10 this gentleman.
and a. "a .IauCO he saw tnAt the Lu'J OF
t1is no.. tree WAS altogether different.
i1e new tree only resembled the Chinese
tree IN twO 1pects-rHpidity OF growth
and it's capuhility OF being pfOpagated
from cuttings. Just how or Hhen the
LcCout' pear, so called in honor of Mr..
I ut fffffu Ftfaturf If. II.HfusfIgn r.rl.f