Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1903-02-06
GREAT FRUIT CENTER.
Commissioner Koiner Gives Pertihen'
Virginia Statistics Best Apple State
In the Union

In the Union.
Virginia is destined to become one
of the greatest of all the fruit growing
States. No other State in America
offers better advantages, and the I'M
portance of the fruit industry IS now
dawning upon the people. According
to G. W. Koiner, the Commissioner Oh
Agriculture, the soil, the climate, and
the location, all of these existing TO
gether in this one State, gives to the
fruit grower more advantages than
can he found elsewhere.
At the present time there are now
growing in Virginia 6,19O,O0O apple
trees, ] ,239, 900 peach trees, 269'ooo
cherry trees, 291, 900 pear trees, 49,
1913 plum trees and 83l, 900 grape vines.
Notwithstanding these vast figures,
Mr.. Koiner states in his annual report
chat these trees should be only begin
ming in the fruit business in Virginia.
The superior quality of the Virginia
fruit is unquestionable. Every year
there is an increase in exports from
this State to Europe. And this, not
withstanding the fact that most OF the
fruit has not been pushed on the for
eign market, but is left to sell itself,
which it has been able to do ia com
petition with Northern and Western
fruits that have been abundantly ad
vertised This speaks well for the
flavors of the Virginia apples, but The
awakening has come, and the beautl-
full Alsemarle pippln, the winesap and
the johnson Winter apples will not be
left to find their own ways to English
cons but will be backed by the
intelligence of the Virginia fruit grow
ers. 1t is said they now contemplate
sending a representative to London,
Liverpool and other foreign markets.
to proclaim to the world the par ex-
cellence of soil products of the Old
| Dominion.
An investment in an apple orchard
that is planted with the best varieties.
and properly cared for, is almost
perpetual investment in this State.
There are apple trees in Nelson, koan
oke. Patrick,and other counties one
hundred years old, and still bearing
fruit, some of them producing over
100 bushels per tree in one crep. Or
chards have produced a revenue IRON
$500 to $500 per acre. An orchard III
Rappahannock county yielded an In
come of $3.50 per acre from one crop
An orchard in Shenandoah county
Welded, from 500 Ben Davis trees, foul
years old, eighty barrels of marketable
apples, and in the eighth year yielded
IL 900 bushels. There are many farm
ers who. ten years ago, were hare
pressed to make buckle and tongue
meet at the end of the year, are nov
out of debt, and buying more land ant
living in ease and comfort. The none
Was de from their well-cared TO
orchards. These orchards will be
valuable heritage for their children
Fifty years from now these orchard
will continue to bear, if properly man
aged, while not tree standing now
;, the West will, at that age, even leaV
a stump to mark it's former place
, The trees live longer here, and produc
a better quality of fruit than grow
elsewhere. There is no better inves
. ment than in a well selected and pre-
. perly treated orchard.
: There are now several large orchard
in this State. The Diamond Orchar
Company, in Roanoke county, and til
70 Scott orchards. in Floyd county, a.
= the largest. These two orchards CO..
sist of more than 100000 fruit tree
, they are well cared for, and will pr
:, duce an immense revenue in fe
O years.
NJ While Vagina now ranks eigh
in the number of apple trees CROWN
no according to the Commissioner
4 Agriculture, she is the best apple Sta
n in the Union. The crop figures f
Il 1899 show that she produced III, 0Oo,O
II bushels of apples and 5000, 600 bush'
m of peaches.-RichmOnd Dispatch.