Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-25
THE GEORGIA FRUITS
Many WatermeIOnS and Cante-
|oupes Shipped to Markets.
MARK TWAIN'S ENCOMIUM
Careful Growers Find the Industry
Profitable.
CULTURE OF THE PECAN NUT
Finer Varieties Bring From a Dollar
ito Five Dollars a Pound-StAte's
Natural Reforestation.
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

By WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald.
In speaking of the Georgia watermelon
Mark Twain once said: The true
Georgia watermelon is above. apart and
not to be mentioned with the common
things of earth. 1t is one Of the worlds
chief luxuries. king by the grace OF God
over all the fruits Of earth When one
has tasted 1t he knows what the angels
eat 1t certainly was not Georgia wa
termelon that Eve took: we know it be-
cause she repented."
South and southwest Georgia are the
habitat of the watermelon and cantaloupe.
and Albany, the seat Of Dougherty county.
is the center of trade. shipping annually
about 500 carloads of watermelons and
600 carloads Of cantaloupes. The sales
from the Albany district in 1907 aggre-
gated so75.OOO.
The first man in Georgia to plant wa
termelons on an extensive scale was the
late Col George McRee Of Lowndes
county. His experiments led others to
plant on small scale. and finally
meeting Of those interested in the bust
ness was held at Quitman. Brooks county.
The railroads were invited to send rep
resentaives to this meeting with a view
to entering into some kind of an ar
rangement with reference to cars. rates.
etc. with the result that thousands of
acres in melons and cantaloupes were
planted during the next two years. Lured
by published statements OF the success
attained by the experienced growers.
many farmers jumped into the business.
and soon more melons were produced
than the railroads were able to handle
with the promptness essential to the
transportation of perishable commodities.
The new industry thus received a set
ing.
A Precarious Business.
Growing watermelons and cantaloupes
for distant markets is, at its best. pre-
carious business. 1t is subject to so
many vicissitudes that the grower never
really knows how he Is to come out until
his crop is marketed and the returns
all in. A little drouth or just little too
much rain at critical period in the
growth of the crop may change his pros
poets in a week, and the fluctuations of
the market are something that cannot
be foreseen or guarded against. Still.
numbers of farmers find the business
profitable but 1t is only those who keep
right up with 1t and are cautious ana
conservative that have made 1t profitable
Those who have planted melons and can
taloupes at irregular intervals or by dts
and starts" have. as a rule. lost money
One grower received $3.50 net from New
York for one car Of watermelons last
field, shipped one full car which returned
about 500, and then sold the remainder
of his crop in the field, just as 1t lay. for
s.. OO cash.
The Georgia cantaloupe. which follows
close behind the Florida product In the
spring and finds its market just ahead OF
the Carolina melons. now enjoys repu-
tation second to none, not even the cele-
brated Rocky Ford Of Colorado The
Georgia grower exercises great care in the
selection Of his seed. which is procured
every year from Rocky Ford No chances
are taken, either The leading growers
send reliable men to Colorado every sea-
son to personally select the seed melons
and extract and cure the seed themselves.
1t is by such close attention to detail that
the Georgia growers have built up the
quality and reputation of their product.
Culture Of the Pecan Nut.
Another important industry rapidly ex-
panding in Georgia Is the culture OF the
pecan nut The popularity Of this nut has
increased so rapidly that the finer varie-
ties bring prices that seem out Of all rea-
son-from 81. 90 to $500 per pound
Many peope in the north and west really
do not know what first-class pecan is.
The genuine paper-sheil pecan OF Georgia
Is usually OF dark gray color. striped with
black The shapes vary. some being long
and slender. others of an egg shape and
others nearly round. The thickness OF the
shell also varies. but In the finest varie-
ties is SO thin that lady may easily
| crush the shell In her dainty fingers. The
flavor of these nuts varies as much as
their shape. Some are sWeeter than 9TH
ers: some possess more oil: and there are
many slight differences which the palate
of the expert can detect.
Among the large pecan nut orchards
are those of Mr. c. NJ. Barnwell. Bacon
ton. who has 375 acres Of budded trees in
full bearing, and is now putting In 37j
acres more: the keystone Orchard Com
pany of Philadelphia has 40 acres solid
Chicago and Dewitt people: Mr.. James
Gill Of New York. and the G. NJ. Bacon
Pecan Company. which hcids the largest
plantation in the state, some 500 acres.
The latest addition to the ranks is the
Albany-Georgia Pecan Company. now
planting SO acres; the Dougherty Pecan
Company. planting 100 acres and Patter-
san & Taylor of Chicago. who have just
purcha sed 1900 acres with the intention
| OF planting the entire area to trees
Growth of Horticulture.
Horticulture is fast assuming impor-
lance in Georgia. Forty years ago the one
commercial peach orchard In the state in
cluded some forty acres only. 1t was
owned by Mr.. j. d. Cunningham and stu
ated within forty miles Of Atlanta. The
success of Mr.. Cunningham encouraged
him to enlarge his operations until finally
he had 10000 trees in bearing. 4 son Of
this pioneer grower has $4,000 trees in
the northern part of the state.
Nearly every section Of Georgia is
adapted to the culture of the peach but
that favored by pioneer growers was near
Macon The fruit from that section be-
ing first to reach market it was presumed
to have an advantage in price. However
the Improvement in transportation facili-
ties and the fine reputation of the Georgia
fruit caused the spread of the business to
every section of the state.
Some of the stories concerning the
profits of peach growing in Georgia sound
almost fabulous. A few years ago ~
Deitzen and brother of Fort Valley
cleared $4,000 from a 2O-acre orchard.
Mr.. Ed NJ Mckenzie of Montezuma on
his first years shipments cleared 5000
above all expenses from a fifty-acre or
chard. while Mr. J. D. Howard of Lorraine
from tive-acre orchard of three-year
trees realized s1.20. Mr.. S. H. Rumph
of Marshallville has one of the largest
rdc In ic ha tor