Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1910-01-28
HIS EYES OPENED.
Editor Of Rural New Yorker on
Virginia Apples.

EXHIBIT AT WINCHESTEK LlkE
FLOWER GARDEN-GIvES STRONG
PRAISE FOR THE ORCHARD PRODUCT
OF THIS STATE.
In the current issue of the Rural
New Yorker, the noted agricultural
publication, Mr.. H. w. Collingwood,
The editor, whose travels and observa-
lions have covered wide range, prints
over his initials the following interest
ing and suggestive letter about the re-
cent exhibit of Virginia apples at
Winchester:
APPLE SHOW Ikea FLOWER GARDEN.
Last week 1 went down to Winches-
ter, Va, to attend the Virginia State
Horticultural Society meeting. When
the average person hears of Winchester
he Immediately says 800 miles away, F."
and pictures ashort, fierce looking man
riding black horse along country
road. That is the sort of indelible adj
vertisement which poet has given the
Shenandoah Valley, and it has obscur-
ed other practical and useful things. If
we call Vermont the s'bashfuI" State
and Maine ''contented" because they
will not let people know the full truth
about their apples, do not know what
name to apply to Virginia. This val
ley produces apples in such variety and
of such beautiful color and quality that
a fruit show here is like flower gar
den. At the Boston fruit show Bald
win, r. [. Greenlng, Russet and North
ern Spy provided most of the speci-
mems. At Winchester 1 found only
one plate of Baldwins and not one
Greening, though some Northwestern
Greetings were shown. There was a
great display of York Imperials,
Crimes, Winesap, Albemarle and other
varieties which apparently grow to per-
lection in this valley. MIR. Van Deman,
who judged this fruit, and who has
been doing similar judging all over the
Northwest, told me that several boxes
shown at this Virginia exhibition were
the finest he ever saw. The color was
superb, and as for quality l do not
know what more L can say than that
some of those Virginia Ben Davis were
plenty good enough to eat.
AN EYE-OPENER.
This great fruit show would surely
have proved an eye-opener to thousands
of Americans who do not realize what
the people in this valley have been do
ing. Quietly and without any buster
or bluff they have been growing and
shipping these beautiful apples. A
large share of the fruit has gone to Eu-
rope. Once let these Virginians get to-
gether in cooperative societies such as
they have in Oregon, and this boxed
fruit will be put into our Northern
markets.
The Virginia Horticultural Society
seems to have had the history which
goes with such organizations. For
years it struggled on, the meetings be
ing attended by All sold guard" of
faithful ones. Then suddenly and
without apparent cause it began to
gain, and now has over 500 members
and strong organization. That seems
to be the way things are working ev-
erywhere. 1t means that unseen forces
of education and ambition have been
quietly at work upon younger men.
We older men do not stop to realize
that boys have grown up and are now
ready to do their share, and that the
old seed apparently sown upon barren
ground, is really giving crop. If 1
am not mistaken, too, this Virginia So
ciety is like many others in another
line of development. For years at its
annual meetings the problem of how
to produce more and better fruit was
the keynote. Now it is found that the
question of economical production is
only one side of it, but that the selling
has come to be most important of all.
We are all learning, some in one way
and some in another, that we have been
standing back to let the middleman
carve up the consumers dollar. 1t is
time we had more of the white meat
instead of ''dressing," drumst1cks and
gravy-and the only way to get it is to
take hand at carving. The study of
how to do this ought to be definite
part of an agricultural education. 1t
seems to be starting in the farm organi-
cations, and it ought to succeed through
the farmers institutes, colleges and ev-
pertinent stations
One notable feature of this horticul-
tural meeting was visit to the famous
apple orchards of S. l.. Lupton. We
do not hear as much about the "Sunny
South" as we used to, and it is good
thing for those who like to stick to
facts. The lower edge of the "Blizzard''
lowered over Winchester, and when we
were ready to start for the orchard
there was coating of ice over all the
trees, with the air full of sleet. The
procession consisted of one automobile
and perhaps 70 carriages. As do moi
often have chance to figure as prom.
nent citizen or distinguished guest
felt the sense of honor and power as ]
sat in the auto and went whirling by
all the horse vehicles. At the orchard
the chilled horticulturists grouped
around a hot stove and enjoyed a good
lunch. It was too wet to travel ovel
the fields, but we had good chance tt
see how the trees are headed and prun
ed and how the soil is handled.
MODESTY OF THE VALLEY PEOPLE.
t. h.