Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1892-05-06
FRUIT CULTURE.
CENSUS FIGURES ON THE VAR
IOUS TROPICAL VARIETIES.
Orange, Banana Lemon and Pine
apple CuIturc-Enormous Acre
age Covered and the Mil.
ions Invested.

hogs and cattle, and cotton, the posi-
bility and practicability Of its producing
pretty nearly everything else that we
may need, is rapidly being proven.
Who would have thought that there are
now 500, 900 or more almond trees in the
United States actually bearing; that the
bearing cocoanu: trees could be counted
bv the hundred thousands; that there
are more than 25O,OOO olive trees pro-
ducing fruit equal to the best Mediter-
ranean variety; that the bearing banana
plants numo DER over 10000 the bear
ing lemon trees nearly 100000; orange
trees nearly 1000, 900 aud pinsapples
over 21 900, ,000l Yet it is a fact. Very
few people probably would have guessed
the value OF tropic and semi-tropic fruits
and nuts produced in this temperate zone
at $l5, 900, 600 or 500, 900, 900 annually,
yet such is the fact. The census csti-
mates the value of such portions of the
product of these tropic AMI semi-tropic
fruits and nuts as are reported at over
S14, 600, 900, and it is probable that if
the total could be had it would run up
to $40, 900, 900.
The field which this bit of information
opens to epterprising citizens of the
United States Is large. Oranges,
bananas, lemons, olives, pineapples and
almost every branch, in fact, OF this class
OF articles, is represented largely in the
importation into this country, aud the
value of fruits and nuts imported runs
from $50, 900, 900 to S25, 900, 900 year.
The possibility of the production of
these at home is an eye opener to the in
dividual who is hopeful Tor the industries
Of this country.
Nothing better illustrates the posi-
y ties in this line than the observations
..lch the President was able to make
during his tower in California last
spring, where he drove literally miles
through orange orchards, with trees on
every hand laden with the golden fruit,
bearing so profusely that it was only
with the greatest care that they could be
prevented from breaking down beneath
the burden Of the ripening oranges.
Just beside them he found bananas,
almonds, figs and olives growing to per.
fection. The most striking fac. Of the
observations he was permitted to make
on this tour was that these tropical and
semi mitropical fruits were being produced
upon land which few years ago was
considered a desert; ground which
seemed decade ago nothing but bel
Of sand, and capable of producing only
cactus, upon irrigation became capable
of producing the finest fruits, in every way
equal to those imported from the Medi-
terranean countries. Beside this list of the
tropical fruits which are produced 50
largely in both Florida and California,
there are many others less widely known,
such as guava, kaki, citron. pomelo and
almonds, bananas, figs and cocoanuts.
The census report shows that there were
in 1889 in the United States over 23.-
600, 600 trees aud plants bearing these
tropical and semi-tropical fruits and nuts,
and over 1000, 900 trees and plants not
vet arrived at a producing age.
The most astonishing feature, how
ever, of the showing ma le by the census
report is the number OF acres Of land
which are estimated by those skilled in
producing this class Of articles as suitable
for tropical fruits and nuts. The number
Of acres upon which almonds can be
grown, for instance, is set down at 2,
200. 900; bananas, 500, 900; cocoanuts,
nearly 200, 900; figs, inorc than 3,0O0,-
900; guava, over 1000, 900; lemons, l.
25O, 900; olives, nearly 5000, 900;
oranges, 2,25O,OO0; pecaus, 1,5OO, 900;
pineapples, nearly 900, 900, and pomelo,
1850, 900 acres.
Florida aud California are the most
prominent sections of the country in
which these tropical fruits aud nuts are
produced, but figs, oranges, kaSi and
pecans grow in all the STATES bordering
on the Gulf of Mexico, and in Florida,
Louisiana, California and Ariz Jna oranges
are found in great quantities. The acre.
age which can be successfully devoted
to pineapples on the southeastern coast
of Florida is estimated as very large. The
area which can produce this class OF
fruits extend much further north on the
Pacific coast than on the Atlantic
bananas, lemons, figs, dates, lines and
pomegranates are found as far north as
Charleston ca the Atlantic coast, while
on the Pacific coast they extend as far
north as the fortieth parallel, in full
sight of Mt. Chaster, with its perpetual
snow and ice, while figs, almon Is aud
prunes are grown in Oregon and even
Washington, au1 olives in Southern
Nevada.
The future of this industry, the pro-
duction o; tropical aud senii-tropical
fruits and nuts, promises something
wonderful. Excluding piucapples aud
bananas, which are all counted as bear
ing plants, as they commence fruiting
within sysar Of planting, the average