Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-08-12

Great shipping Point-The Pro-
duct of the Eastern
Counties.
IL. c. Corbett in the Southern Farm Mag
aZine.1
Few people outside he immmediate
counties have any conception of Che
Intensity or magnitude of this indus
try in our State. The State has at pres
ent Two developed orchard areas-one
situated in the northern counties Dor
dering h Ohio river, and the other in
that line of counties along the Potomac
from the crest of the Allegheny noun
tains eastward.
In the north and west Hancock coun-
ty leads all others in the aggregate
output. Here We find orchards ranging
from a few hundred trees to the unusual
number of Is, 900 under a single man
agment. Several orchards contain up
wards Of 1000 trees. while the second
largest contains not far from 5000
bearing trees. AS early as 1896 the
crop of this 10Y famous region reach
ed the enormous number of 100, 900
barrels-300, 900 bushels. This crop
was borne by a land area not exceed
ing 1000 acres. The value Of the crop
for that year alone was no far from
$250,00O, most Of which was divided
among about twenty men. The one
station of New CUMBERLAND handled dur
ing that season $1,000 barrels in round
the growers all seem to be the best pos
sible for the development of a CONNER
cial apple industry. So far the orchards
in Hancock county have been remark
ably free free from insect pests and
fungus diseases. During the fall of
1899, however, the bitter rot made its
appearance upon the Bently Sweet in
a few orchards. Fortunately, however,
the disease has so far confined its at
tack to this one variety. Steps have
been taken by the horticulturist of the
State experiment station to check the
ravages Of this enemy by the use OF
proper spraying mixtures. If this work
proves successful an industry such as
above described will be safe, but should
no means Of checking the disease be
found. one of the most complete fruit
DEVELOPMENTS in the Eastern United
States is doomed to more or less COM
plete humiliation.
The product of this orchard area Is OF
very considerable value, but the invest
ment in soil, trees and ~storehouses IS
many times the value of a single crop.
No less than six large storage
warehouses have been provided for the
retention of the products OF these Or
chards. The smallest of these houses
has a capacity Of $500 barrels, while the
largest holds $1,000. Here the fruit is
stored from harvest until a suitable
market offers, when the fruits are as
sorted, repacked and sent to the South
or East. according to the demand.
Hancock county lies in a section suit
ed to the growth of the cowpea, and al
ready the use Of this crop in the or
chards is working wonders in the way
of adding vigor and thrift to the trees,
as we'll as inducing the growth OF
clover on lands which were before ex-
ceedingly difficult to seed with that
crop.
An index of the superior merit of the
fruit produced in Hancock county Is
had in the form of special mention for
willow apples grown by Chas. Browns
sons, Arroyo, West Virginia, at the
Paris Exposition. This comes as a re-
suit of fruit sent to the Paris EXPOSE
ton as an exhibit of the West Virginia
Horticultural Society. This special
mention is in addition to the second
prize awarded the State display as a
whole.
The Hancock county region is by no
means the only developed orchard re-
gion of the State. Berkeley and JEFF
ferson county growers pride themsel-
yes on having some of the most prof.
table orchards in the Eastern United
States. The famous orchard Of John
Miller needs no further comment than
mere mention. The example of Mr..
w. s. Miller and a Few other success
full growers on "Applepie Ridge" which
IL in reality a part Of the famous Abe
marie Pippin region Of Virginia, has