The Washington herald., 1909-10-11
VIRGINIA APPLES
A GOLDEN HARVEST
One Acre in Frederick COun-
ty Brings 81, 500.
VALLEY RAPIDLY DEVELOPING
II. +. Byrd, of Winchester, Predicts
that Crops VIII he Worth More
Than SI5,OOO.OO in Few Years.
says 10 l. Destined to Be the Ensts
Greatest Apple Growing Section.


pAtClal 10 Aue washington HtIdlQ.
Winchester. Va. Oct 1O-Harry f..
Byrd, president Of the Valley Turnpike
Company, a large investor in Virginia
apple orchards, and one Of the bright
young men OF the Valley, who is doing
splendid work in developing that section
of Virginia. in an interview to-day de-
clares that the Valley of Virginia within
a few years will produce apple crops
worth between Sl5.G7O9OO and S2Q0ooQOO.
He also says that he believes that apple
orchards IN this section will sell as hish
as 5000 an acre, the price paid IN WASH
ington State
Mr. Byrd declares that the climate ana
soil of the Valley is well adapted Tor
apple culture. and it is only the develop
ment OF the industry that is needed to
make the Valley the richest apple belt in
the Eastern section Of America
FnuIkner's Fathers Prophecy.
In an interview. Mr. Byrd said:
when Charles James Faulkner, fa,ner
OF former Senator Faulkner, OF Martins
burg. and one Of the most gifted men Of
his day. said in his speech before the
Agricultural Association more than fifty
years ago that this part OF the country
would be known as one of the greatest
apple producing countries OF the world,
he spoke with prophetic vision that
time is indicating.
"In the past thirty-eght years the APP
pie industry i'm the Valley OF Virginia
has gone forward by leaps and bounds.
In 1871. when DIR. J. 5. Luptou. who
died recently. planted fifty-acre field
I'm apple trees. his neighbors declared that
he was crazy and that he was burying
money in the ground. but he probably
was guided by the brilliant mind Of Mr..
Faulkner. DR.. Lupton knew what he was
doing, and that money invested in young
apple trees, reaching their tender tentaCles
Into the rich soil, i'm due course of time
poured a golden harvest into the lap Of
the pioneer
Soil Adapted to Apples.
THE soil of the Shenandoah Valley IS
especially adapted 10 fruit culture. and
the government officials and other ex-
perts say that the quality OF the soil in
the Valley is as good for appleraising
as any other section of the United
States.
by experiment il has been shown that
apples grown here will keep better than
those grown in almost any other section
OF the country. and this makes our apples
especially desirable for expectation.
The climate is medium and is neither
, TOO cold nor too warm, and IL Is very
seldom that the crops are affected by
freezing. while in New York State and
the West almost every year a portion OF
the crop Is lost by frost
Acre Brings $1,000.
1T has been proven that as much as
apple trees. There are forty trees 10 the
acre. and a prominent fruit grower re-
Gently realized ten barrels from each
tree on an acre Of land. making 400 bar
rels per acre. which he sold at 81
barrel. or Sl.6OJ for the acre.
I'm my opinion, there is no danger Of
an overproduction OF good quality Of
apples. and there will always be a ready
sale and good prices for a good quality
OF apples.
THE exports In apples OF the United
states have increased 20 an enormous
extent. and I'm 1902 the exports OF dry
and green apples were 479. while in
1907 the exports amounted 20 SS,Sl9.9l2
or an increase of about 400 per cent.
THE largest apple-producing State In
the Union is New York which produced
4900.000 barrels in 1906, and I prophesy
that the apple crop Of the Shenandoah
Valley will in a few years equal and
probably exceed this amount, and that
apple land in the Valley will sell like it
now does in Washington State where
some bona fide sales were recently made
at price exceeding $1,000 an acre"