The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-04-29
BEATS The WORLD
Kansas Has the Largest
Orchard Known.
w. E. CURTIS KEEPS IT UP
Writes to His Paper the Truth
Concerning Kansas.

The Chicago Record prints the follow
ing from William z. Curtis, its Washing
ton correspondent, who recently visited
Kansas:
The largest orchard in the world is in
Kansas and belongs to Fred WeEhouse,
who came from indianapolis and was once
editor Of the Indiana Farmer. He was
the first man who had the courage to en-
gage in fruit-raising to any extent and
has been well rewarded for his faith and
enterprise. He is the apple king OF the
world, and has made a handsome fortune,
has retired from active business, leaving
his orchard in charge of his sons. and lives
in a handsome residence at Topeka.
Mr.. Weilhouse devotes his energies and
abilities these days to the encourag cement
of fruit culture as president Of the state
Horticultural society. He planted his first
orchard in 1876 and now has 1854 acres in
apples alone. His largest single orchard
consists Of 500 acres al WakarUsa, Usage
county, and his smallest is a patch OF III
acres at the village Of GIenwood, near
Leavenworth. He has apple farms in four
other counties, including altogether about
10000 trees.
Mr.. WelIhouse considers the Ben Davis
apple the best staple, and has $40 acres, or
more than one-third Of his orchards, plant
ed to that variety. -Four hundred and nine
acres IS planted TO the Missouri pippin, 100
acres 10 the Jonathan, $50 acres to the
.,
acres 10 the winesap. He treats his apples
as If they were jewels. His trees are
tended with the greatest care. He en-
employs experienced and careful men. His
fruit is picked by hand and as fast as
It rip4ns. The perfect apples are wrapped
in tissue paper and packed in boxes which
are sent to cold storehouses and kept in
an even temperature of about 40 degrees
until the market is favorable Then they
are shipped 70 Chicago, New York, St
Louis, Denver. San Francisco and the City
Of Mexico, and considerable quantity
goes to European markets. Queen Victo-
ria and Emperor William eat apples from
the Wellhouse orchards. There is always
a demand for them both at home and
abroad, and some years the crop has
of which was profit.
Mr.. Wellhouse IS by no means the only
apple man in Kansas. He has only 100000
trees, while in the entire state there are
75S3,358 apple trees in bearing: 4.o5S.762
peach trees. I.212.5S4 cherry trees and CPS
2S3 plum trees. In addition to these there
are 3,a1.3S5 apple trees too young to bear
fruit and nearly 100000 peach trees. The
number is increasing al the rate Of about
100000 year. There are, altogether not
fewer than 100000 fruit trees in Kansas.
or about fifteen trees per capita Of the
population.
The exports of apples from the United
States during the winter Just closed will
reach about 100000 barrels, worth from 81
TO IS each in the Liverpool market. The
freight from Kansas City to Liverpool will
average $1.4O barrel.
For the foreign market apples are
wrapped in paper and placed in boxes. four
layers deep, ninety-six to the box, all Sc
lected fruit, with the best on top, Of course
The covers are put on with a machine
that presses on the ends Of the boards
and springs both the bottom and the top
A barrel VIII make about four ane one
half boxes. and 1000 boxes make a carload,
weighing about 1000 pounds.
The poorer grades of apples are other
wise disposed of. The Seconds" are sold
in the local market in barrels or shipped
TO the ncichboring cities. but they have
TO be perfectly sound and of good appear
snce. The imperfect ones go to the cider
mill or the evaporat.ng houses. In a we'll
ordered orchard the product of the evapo-
rator, which takes the place Of the old
fashioned dried apple ought to pay the
expenses of maintenance; the cider ought
10 pay the grocer bill and leave the pro-
ceeds Of the barreled fruit clean profit.
There 3 no better fruit country in the
world than eastern Kansas and Okla
homa.
There IS tramp ariztocracy IN Kansas
anomadic population who live in wagons
and so from place to place as 1t pleases
them and the season changes. 7 do not
mean the Coming Sack to Kansas crowd
who ran away IN hard times and returned
with better days, that people have been
singing about since 1.-THE era of prosperity
sot in"
They're a-comin' back 10 Kansas:
IneN 70 frnSSln on the bridge,
You can see the mover WAGONS
On the --n ~ every ridge
on the highways and the turrOikcs
on can hear their lyons hUm.
For the' r. comm hac kro Kansas. and
They're comm on The run
At nearly an the Kansas towns. canned
in the suburbs i'm gypsy fashion. You can
find families with q Tot Of half-er7vn tow
headed children and hungry dogs. who
wander Ike the Arabs over the plains