The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-06-13

nira }ssn Sas ho lSss surely but Tn the a free hand and they are growing all sorts Of crops. even some cotton. ber a of the MaRd tu% bLouisyiIle and Nashville line between Bay Fay Minetts and Dolive; It contains embraces 100 acres of land.
 The orchard is now four years old. In its third year 1t bore an enormous fnoP n Fact Tbas barsys year the roR wi be small words, conditions in south Alabama are the same as they are in. all sections of The late spring was all but fatal to the entire crop. The prolonged cold XII kiiied tr. on early buds, so that while fectly healthy and while they were without the sign of blight or an in- sect, the crop IS barely one-fourth of q InIi yield of the young and vigorous
 The Pine Lands.
 The land on which the orchard is located Is gently rolling. the sort which
 fruit hed The to so SI hs s best ssnSy sGy loam, It is only a few years ago since Company passed over this big field and taking the larger timber left standing the smaller trees, about whose roots were twisted and piled the limbs and leavings of the big trees which had been carried to the mill short dist
 The first "clearins" of the land for the proposed orchard was made in Mo- yember, 1901. The trees were set out on March IT, 1902, just three years ago The spring of 1904, only two years after a fair yield.
 It Is estimated that, in a normal fruit year, each tree will yield between a half and whole crate of peaches, the older trees bearing whole crate. The afs os been sred soys by the the caria to Bay Minette to buy the crop crop The offer was declined, as the gathered for si'Eo. The The possible re- re- turns from an orchard of 20.00G trees are dazzling in the light of these fig- tres.
 J.. M stover, an expert fruit man, is in chs rge of the big orchard. He not only Ipanagrs this orchard of 100 acres and looks after every one of the 2o,0o0' nursery. where not only young fruit trees of every kind are prepared for the market but where supplies are got fruit trees of every sort Tn South Aia-
 In a recent interview, talking for the South and North, Mir. Stover said:
 Our orchard is made up of two va rieties of fine peaches. the Early El- bertas. sometimes called the Slappey, ElD6TLEs. the way. is cross between tho Chihsse cling and the Early Crawford. The combination has given perhaps the best possible peach for, profitable growths and shipment. It Is especially valua- ble to the more southern growers of the peach belt for 1t gives them the 'earlifst access to the Northern mar kets.
 The s,appey of Early Elberta ripens two weeks earlier than the true Fiber ta. By uniting the two In our orchard we greatly lengthen the shipping sea- son, we handle our crops to better ad- vantage and are not compelled to use urgent haste in getting rid of our out
 i've look to have here in South Ala banIa the best peach growing region in the entire South. We are only forty miles Away frcm the Gulf, which gives l us assurance of a mild and equitable | which come everywhere do not injure | our orchards for the roots of the trees | in our soil strike deep and reach Into | the lower soil which characterizes this | section and which always contains wa |
 Tn this particular locality we have on the main line of the Louisville and | Nashville Railroad. If one thing more | than another characterizes the man agement of this road II Is firm policy terests along its lines. The road makes a notable effort to help its patrons move its perishable freights.
 Now a word or two as to the cost | of putting in a peach orchard. Inde- pendent of the cost of the land 1t will | take from $25 to $30 to put an acre in peach trees. In the first place 1t will cost in the neighborhood of st0 an acre to clear the land and If me land Is re- mcte and labor is scarce 1t may cost as high as 315 to clear one acre. The trees will cost between f10 and $15 The usual way to plant trees is to set them out twenty f5eL apart each way. Now say the trees are plant ed twenty feet apart, 1t will require 1?O l trees to the acre. Of course the cost of the land depends upon the location and the taste of the individual. Some of the land in our county back from the railroad can be bought for as low
 Mir. stover is most enthusiastic over the probable financial returns from the of peaches in Alabama. He is conV inced that 1t is easily possible for a good orchard carefully cared for to bring in a minimum return of Sl0O an acre for a period of twelve years.
 In closing he said: Peach growing Is not only a delightful ocupation but a profitable one as we'll, and the time | ia not far distant when Alabama peaches will dominate markets near and wide and be among the best kn pwn peaches in the world. This Is my pre- diction and it is based upon lcng ex- perienee in the business.
 
 See that crowdF They're going to Nn Tr Gath. rsuu.w4 eov Mx,wa.