The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1898-01-25
APPLES IN VIRGINIA.
Big Profits Made on Orchards i'm Il
Old Dominion.

's htbLES IN virginia.
d BIG Prohts Made on Orchards i'm I'll
: Old Dominion.
In late number OF the Hartfol
T Courant Mr.. J. IL. Hale, the Connec,
cut trult grower, who owns the bi
3 hale peach orchard in Georgia, tel
) about visit he ha made to the pippi
growing section Of Virginia. His cite
> Will be found interesting reading. II
1 says:
; For years | have been talking of tn
! prOfitableness of apple culture on tn
cheap, hilly lands of our State. To b
sure, last year when there was tre
J mendors crop the country over, an
good apples went begging at IS cent
barrel, a good many were laughinI
at me and suggesting that thurc wa
n0t much indication there Of u protita
Die Industry, but | maintained thcl
and still maintain that, taken one yea
with another, if apples can he sold a
81 per barrel, there are thousands O
acres OF cheap, rough land in our State.
that could be made to pay liberal divi
dends sure and annually, if planted il
the best varieties of winter apples
and | know OF no business venture
either in agriculture, manufacturing
or commercial enterprises, that holds
out greater promise OF sure and safe
returns than the buying up of large
tracts OF available orchard lands and
planting in apples.
This year, with quito u general fail
ure OF the crop, there are number of
orchards in the State that have had
good care, and are yielding liberally
ana the price now being received,
SOU and over barrel, are paying
tremendous dividends on the invest
ments.
Two or three weeks ago while in Vir-
g,nia, travelling through Albermarle,
Nelson, Amherst and Bedford counties,
famous the world over for the produc.
tlon OF the so-called Newton Pippin
lalberlnarle Pippin really | found
tne orchards mostly on rough hill
sides, rocky lands no better in any
way apparently than thousands Of acres
we have In Eitchield, Tolland and
"lndham counties of our State, and
so lar as | could Judge producing no
better apples OF like varieties than can
De grown hero; yet English buyers
were out among the farmers payint
from S3 80 to 81 80 per barrel for these
apples in the orchards, and | was
shown the returns from some shipments
made direct by orchardists that netsed
over 80 per barrel at the railroad
StaJlOn.
Two farms that | was on could have
oeen bought five years ago at less than
So,ooo each, and yet the 1897 apple
crop OF one had just been sold for
Sl4,OOO and the other for $l5. 900, the
buyer gathering the fruit from the
tree.
tried to ascertain from several of
the Englishmcn why their markets paid
SO much more for their fruit than any
other that came from America and
thcy agreed that while the variety was
an exceedingly good shipper, it was
not OF as fine an appearance or any bet
ter in quality than many other apples
tnat came from this country, but was
early taken up by royalty and SO gain
ed a precedence over other varieties Of
American apples that was not likely to
be long maintained, and that probably
"lthln lew years some of the fine red
apples grown in more Northern lati-
tudes would find great favor with the
English buyers.
The prices being received in Virginia
this year wi stimulate heavy orchard
planting. A Richmond nursery firm
told me they had already booked orders
Tor 2OO,O trees of this one variety.
and so intense is the interest in apple
culture in the Old Dominion that the
progressive Southern Railway, through
Its land and Industrial agent, has lust
taken party Of Virginia far mcrs on
an excursion up into Central and West
ern New York to gather in ideas in re.
latlon to apple orcharding and manage
ment.
The Southern Railway is particular
~ leader in doing everything it can
the last few years to bring new me.
thods and better information on ali az
rlcu!tural subjects to those along its
lines. Other Southern railroads are
also doing good deal of the same sort
OF missionary work, and there is
development of industries going on all
through the South that is going to
make that section u sharp competitor
with the North in many lines Of pro-
ductlon that we have had exclusive
control of in the past. The Northern
farmer has had tremendous opportuni-
ties Tor enlarging business enterprises,
and has failed to grasp the situation
The opportunities are still here, and
WIZ some advantages in our favor,
those who will put progressive busi-
ness methods and reasonable amount
OF capital into agricultural enterprises,
which they have some taste for, are
sure of satisfactory rewards. Educated
young men with taste for agriculture
had better stick to the farm, for am
sure in the long run they can maintain
| more comfortable homes and be sure
OF better living than the average of
outside opportunities that may come
to them.
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