The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-12-23

zone TO HIS MI. NJ. II. OOllc.
of Greensboro, N. c., has in the past
three vars planted about 10000 apple
trees near Blowing Rock, in Watauga
county; and other parties are now
seeing what can be done and are plant
on larger scale. So it will be but
few years before western North Caro-
lima will be what is claimed for the
ideal apple section of America. Why
do | say it? Because the climate, soil
and elevation suits the apple. What
you want to do to make a success is
plant the proper varieties: take care
of the trees, then properly put the
fruit on the markets. In gathering
apples they should be handpicked and
placed in barrels, not poured in; care
fully sorted, each size put to itself. 1t
costs some more to gather and pack
in this way than it would to shake
and frail the fruit to the ground, then
pitch them into wagons and off to
market, every apple bruised, and, of
course, would not bring one-third the
third the price the handpicked and
barreled would. A wagon load of APP
pies passed my place, from Patrick
county, Va, a few days ago. The
man had travelled about 20 miles over
4
piled in loose-not an apple in the lot
but what was bruised and in a decay
ing condition; and varieties, too, that
il they had been properly handled
would have kept in a sound condition
till March. Now is there any danger
of over-production? | say No We
are practically on the border of the
apple-growing section. Look at the
broad cotton States nearby that pro-
duce no winter apples, the growing
manufacturing towns all through the
said country, and / believe l have
never heard a man, woman or child
say they did not like apples. So there
is vast territory that Western North
Carolina could and should supply.
'"The apple bulletin sent out last
July gotten up by the Secretary of
Agriculture, II. X. Bruner, gives much
good information on apple for western
and other sections OF North Carolina.
| am glad to see Mr.. B1.uner take such
lively interest in fruit growing.
Il wish here to give a little eX-
PLANTATION. All States have horticul-
tural society, and nearly all except
North Carolina get State aid. They
are in direct correspondence with the
Pathological Department at Washing
ton; and being president of our State
Horticultural Society for several years
of course | was appealed to when the
subject of the Paris exposition came
up. Having no means, our secretary
Mr.. L. l.. Brown, arranged with the
Washington department to SIS to go
towards the expense of getting up o
collection of Western North Carolina
apples. / could not do it. DIR. Nc
lver of the State Normal College.
would not let Mr. Brown off to- do the
work; so | appealed to Mr.. S. l.. Pat
terson, our Commissioner of Agricul-
ture, and finally made arrangements
for everything to be turned over TO
his secretary, Mr.. T. X. Bruner. who
proved to be the proper man. He knew
but little about fruits and l never
knew him to- take much interest in
pomology, but he took the work in,
earnest, and after travelling all the
western section of North Carolina he
then took the exhibit to Paris. After
that short lesson of one season he
became so interested and enthusiast
tic over the work, and with what he
saw in his search for apples, he was
able to get out what is known as the
Apple Bulletin, which is equal to tina
of any good student i'm pomoloey.
That was work which should have
been done by the State Horticultural
society, but we had no State aid. and
we welcome Mr.. Bruner as a co-work-
er in horticulture.
THE Pest Commission is board or
ganized under State laws. with full
power to do what is thought best to
keep out of our State, or eXterminate
in the State, whatever is dangerous to
trees, insects which injure fruit and
fruit trees; one of the main ones is
Sam Jose scale. They have recently
sent out an order prohibiting every
nurseryman in the State from ship
ping nursery stock unless it is thor
oughly fumigated with hvdrocinic gas
that kills every living insect it comes
in contact with. / consider it a good
law, and one that should be obeyed to
the letter; and it is good protection
to fruit growers. All live nursery
to fruit growers. All live nurservmen
are continually introducing more new
tree diseases than any other class.
So it is important for their own pro-
lection. To strictly follow the in
structions of said commission, others
should obey their instructions if their
premises are affected
II have alluded to the State Horti-
cultural Society. A few of us have
kept up the organization for 20 years.
We have worked hard, and have spent
our own money, most of us, to keep
alive the fruit interests of North Car
DINA. We have had petition before
nearly every Legislature for the past
20 years. At one time we came very
near getting the appropriation. We
asked only $500 a year, ample to pay
our secretary and public our reports.
| think an horticultural sc"ietv in
North Carolina is very important. \
live horticultural society could bring
in more eInigrants of the better class
than any institution in the State for
the amount of money spent 1t is our
duty to watch varieties. note their
success in various parts of the State,
look up new varieties. On new varie-
ties that are national standards our
State stands third in number of va
rieties. ] am sure that If we had
lively-working horticultural society
we would soon stand No. L. as | know
from what l have seen at fairs from
Western North Carolina and other