The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1897-09-23
The Illinois Apple Belt.

The Illinois Apple Belt.
1t will perhaps be news to many of our
readers that apple growing has attained
such large proportions in the West, nota-
bly, in the State of Illinois. Time was
when New England and New York were
looked to for supply of this standard
fruit, but we doubt if apple growing was
ever 50 profitable here as it now appears
to be in Illinois. A correspondent of the
St Louis Globe Democrat. writes an in
teresting letter from the apple belt of this
state. from which we make the following
extracts:
The apple belt of Illinois is well defined.
Coy. John r. Tanner, who is strictly in
it, with all those words imply. says, 1.-The
apple counties of Illinois are Clay, Mar
ion, Wayne and Richland. Orchards do
fairly in Jefferson. bingham, Fayette
and Jasper are in the edge of the belt"
Congressman Campbell adds Hamilton to
the belt. The orchard men of the Cen
tralia region include a strip of Clinton.
All agree that Clay and Wayne led off in
the discovery of the peculiar adaptability
of the group of counties to apple grow
ing. This adaptability is partly soil and
partly climate. 1t does not mean that an
orchard can be made by the mere act of
sticking sprout in the ground, according
to Johnny Appleseed's creed. 1t does
mean that where the planting is properly
done and the right culture is bestowed,
there are conditions in this Illinois belt
which guarantee such returns as may be
obtained in few other places.
Congressman Campbell lives at Nc
Leansboro. He represents more acres of
apple orchards than any other member of
the present House of Representatives. He
says he doesn't know much about the
protts of the apple business. having been
pretty closely employed with cares of
craftsmanship.
But, continued the Congressman, II
can give you an actual occurrence which
will afford YOU some idea One Of my
constituents is an old farmer who set ont
an orchard of considerable size which is
old enough now to bear well, His chill
dren have been marrying off, and suppose
the farm house seems lonely. Any way,
the old farmer was in town awhile ago,
and told one of the business men that he
believed he would sell the farm and take
life easy
" If you see any farm buyers coming
along, send them out to my place, he
said
"When the apple buying time came
round, the town man met one Of the buy
els from the East, and in the course of a
conversation remarked to him that he
thought he knew where he could buy an
orchard crop a few miles out The buyer
was ready to 20 and look, and the town
man accompanied him. They went to this
Old farmer place. They walked through
the orchard carefully, and the buyer ex-
amlned the apples critically. The old
farmer was pretty hard of hearing. and it
was impossible to carry on much CONVEX
satlon with him. AS they came back to
the house the apple buyer asked;
-" Well, what do you want for your
crop?
" six thousand dollars, replied the old
man.
The buyer figured little, and said
" All right, III take it,
1.-The old farmer seemed a little sur
prlsed at the promptnesS with which the
bargain was struck. but turning to the
town man he said promptly:
Me and my wife will be in to-mor-
row to sign the deeds
" Thunder said the town man He
ism buying your farm. He's giving you
that for your apple crop.