The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-06-25
HOW MOORE LEADS
Rapid Growth of Dew
berry Culture.
The Business This Year Has Been
Most Profitable, and the Growers
Have Made $23 600 Clear
Money.
Money.

Carthage Blade, was in Raleigh yes
terday He was talking about the su-
premacy of Moore county as a fruit
growing county, and by request of
The News and Observer has written
the following story of the progress in
the cultivation of dewberries:
'As a fact Moore leads perhaps all
other counties of the State in the ex-
cellence and variety of her fruits She
is the home of the peach, grape. pear
and dewberry.
For quick money and large profits
the dewberry stands at the head of
the list and is receiving the enthusas-
tic attention of the thrifty and leading
men of the county.
This vine in it's native state and
humble attitude aStoops along and
covers the ground of our old fields
and furnishes it's luscious fruit for the
first pies of spring. and in its native
and wild condition responds to the
wants of man with that generous
quantity and quality that would point
to the adaptability of this soil to the
growth of this fruit.
within the last few years entire
farms of this county have been plant
ed in the cultivated dewberry, and buy
erS of the Northern markets without
| purpose of diSparaging other sections,
say with emphasis that the Moore
county dewberry surpasses any in
size. quality and favour. This is due
to the peculiar nature of the sandy
soil.
Just after the eastern strawberry
has been exhausted and Is no lopger
supplying the markets the dewbe ~
comes on. and although there nc
about fifty acres in dewberries az
Ridgeway and $50 at Chadbourn, and
q few acres at Fayetteville. the. sandy
soil, with clay sub-soiD of this c0un
| ty warns up and starts the budding
and growth earlier in the spring, and
/ this enables the growers here to get
| their crop on the markets at least one
week earlier than other sections of
| this State. The crop here Is entirely
gathered and marketed before the
| dewberry growers of Delaware, Mary
land, Virginia and New Jersey begin
to ship The record is that the first
dewberries shipped from any of those
States were shipped from Delaware on
| June 22nd. At that time the gather
ing and shipping from this county had
been going on for over three weeks
and the shipping was about over June
22nd. The forwardncss of the crop
enables the producers, of this county to
avoid competition and to have mar
kets wanting their fruit and hence get
the very best prices.
THE growing OF fruit for market
is yet in its early stages and the be-
ginning has no more than begun.
Fruit is wholesome and can be used
largely as a diet and as the people of
the large cities become more and more
educated to use 1t the demand will
increase. The use of dewetries and
,he demand Tor them are certainly in
creasing very rapidly year after year.
THE fact of this increasing demand
and the adaptability Of our soil and
the farwardness of the crops will
very probably largely increase the
dewberry culture in this county. Real
ization from expenditures comes
quick. The young ones are planted
| one spring and staked and tied up
early the second spring and by the last
of May the second year in this county
/ the first crop is ripe and ready for the
| market OF course the fertilization
and cultivation has been locked after
and has been the greater part of the
expenses.
| lone cent a quart Is paid for pick
/ ing and employment for this is given
/ to all the women and children of the
| community. At this price many or
! the best pickers make. from $1.00 to
$3.50 per day.
'The business this year has been
| the surplus of the producers and turn
| ed loose thousands of dollars among
| the people who helped.
The number of acres in dewberries
and the growers in this county are:
"At Southcr4i Pines. 05 Acres.
"H. P. Bilyew.
Niagara Grape and Fruit Co.
"R. r.. Geyer
\ willis Young.
"Van Lindley Orchard Co.
~ T.. Buchan.
"At Vass. 20 Acres.
"A Cameron.
AT Cameron Sd Acres
III. p Mcpherson.
81 l.. Phillips.
&C. II. league.
Sheriff Alex Turner.
IN. Miz McKethan.
&C. G. Jones
IN G. McFadyen.
"At Carthage. 60 Acres
'W M Kivett
Mcdonald & Ray.
IS c. HolIeman.
"R. w. Peasants
"The total number of acres in dew
berries in this county is 23O, The av-
erage production was 100 crates of 81
quarts each to the acre, making 5000
crates shipped during the season. The
amount of money brought to the
county through this industry was. TO
the pickers, at one cent per- quart, 81
$4,000; to the manufacturers of
crates. $5,980.00; to the producers an
average of $1.00 net per crate. $23,-
600. This $4,000 is clear money after
all expenses are paid. Land in this
county is yet very cheap, btit with this
showing with this industry the lands
hero will be RAPIDLY bought; and this
industry pushed along with the other