The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-01-08

Rock, in Watauga county and other
parties are now seeing what can be
done and are planting on a large
scale. So it will be but d few years
before Western North Carolina will
be what is claimed for the ideal ap-
pie section of America. Why do I
say it? Because the climate, soil
and elevation suits the apple. What
to plant the proper varieties take
care of the trees, then properly put
the fruit on the markets. In gather
ing apples they should be hand
picked and placed in barrels, not
poured in; carefully 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 APP
pie bruised, and, of course, would
not bring One-third the price the
handpicked and barreled would. A
wagon load of apples passed my
place, from Patrick county, Va, a
few days ago.. The man had tray
eIeved about 20 miles over a rough
road. His wagon bed was full, piled
in lOOse-nOt an apple in the lot but
what was bruised and in u decayiug
condition and varieties, too, that if
they had been properly handled
would have kept in sound condition
till March. Now is there any dan
ger of OverprOduCtion? [ say ono"
We are practically on the border of
the apple growing section. Look at
the broad cotton States nearby that
produce no winter apples, the grow
ing manufacturing towns all through
the said country, and l believe 1
have never heard ID man, woman or
child say they did not like apples.
So there IS "a vast territory that
Western North Carolina could and
should supply.
The apple bulletin sent out last
July gotten up by the Secretary of
Agriculture, 7. K. Bruner, gives
much good information on apples for
Western and other sections of North
Carolina. 1 am glad to see Mr..
Bruner take such lively interest in
fruit growing.
The Pest Commission is a board
organized under State laws, with
full power to do what is thought
best to keep out of our State, or eX-
terminate in the State, whatever is
dangerous to trees, insects which in
jure fruit and fruit trees II Of
the main ones Is San Jose scale
They have recently sent out in order
prohibiting every nurseryman in the
State from shipping nursery stock
unless it Is thoroughly fumigated
with hydrOcinic gas that kills every
living insect 1t ONE in contact with.
| consider it "a good law, and One that
should be obeyed to the letter and
it Is d good protection to fruit grow
ers. All live nurserymen are con
tinually introducing more new tree
diseases than any other class. So it
Is important for their own proUec-
ton. To strictly follow the i~nstruc-
tIons of said commission, others
should obey their instructions if
their premises are affected.
have alluded to the State Horti-
cultural Society. A few of us have
kept up the organization for 2Oyears.
We have worked hard, and have
spent our money, most Of Us, to
keep alive the fruit interests of
North Carolina. We have had a
petition before nearly every Lngisla-
ture for the past 20 years. At one
time we came very near getting TIE
appropriation. We asked only s.
"a year, ample to pay our s~ecretas..
and publish our reports. l think 4
horticultural society in North Car
lima is very important. A live hOr
ticultural society could bring in
more emigants of the better class
than any institution in the State for
the amount of money spent. It is
our duty to watch varieties, note,
their zee in various parts Of the
State, look up new varieties. Or
new varieties that are natiOna,
standards our State stands third IN
number OF varieties. am sure that
if we had "a Woodworking horticU.-
tural society we would soon stand
No. /, as 1 know from what 1 have
seen at fairs from Western North