The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-07-22
THE nuNcoMnr COUNTY APPLE.

Moved and instigated by the wonder
fui success of apple growing in Vir-
sinia. the North Carolina papers are
beginning to agitate for the prosecu-
ton of this industry in that State. the
.Asheville Gazette News saying that
while Virginia is far ahead of North
Carolina in respect to market methods.
our (the North Carolina) apples are
undisputed champions of the world. :"
This is drawing 1t rather strong. but
that lis OF his walk the way" The
Charlotte Chronicle says The only
thing necessary to bring North Carolina
TO the front as the greatest apple
growing State in the world is for the
people of the mountain counties TO go
into apple culture on business basis.
giving the proper care to the cultiva
zion of the fruit and it's preparation
for the market. The apple orchard in
North Carolina is as yet an undevel-
oped gold mine
That is excellent advice. After the
people of North Carolina learn how to
grow apples doubtless they will be
able to produce very hne fruit. They
have land and elm tie both we'll adapt
ed to the culture OF this splendid fruit.
The old Buncombe County apple was
at one time the finest apple grown in
the country. A long time ago. the
Fortunes used to take IT down into
Upper South Carolina by the wagon
load and sell 1t at good prices, along
with the cahbages then grown in that
part of the Tar-Heel State. and would
go back home loaded with merchan-
disc. That was in the days before the
stock-yards and slaughter pens in Chi
driven through the country over the
mountain roads from Tennessee and
Kentucky. and were killed when there
was frost in the air; a time when the
tables of the best families were loaded
with spare-ribs and sausage and chit
lings. II was also the day when the
people raised their own corn and wheat,
and when the neighbors had corn
stockings far into the night. and the
air was meiod!ous with the songs of
the colored people
20 corn. so slick. can't hold;
Miss Liza Jane can't hold"
and the quality gathered about the
supper table at early candle-lightlng
to discuss the merits of the wafies of
the mothers. which, when eaten with
souse and ounce preserves. made life
a dream.
That was the time, also when the
Buncombe County people wore home
spun clothes ana rejoiced in the free
dom of their mountain homes, secure
from the clamor and confusion of the
outside world; In the Spring-t time the
apple blossoms grown before the frost
should fail again into mellow fruit
of exquisite taste and color. Those
old-tim people seemed to know a good
deal more about a great many things
than their present-day descendants, and
would have resented any suggestion
that they put the big ones on top"
1t will be a long time before North
Carolina Will develop Its apple growing
Industry into anything like the present
proportions of the Virginia crop: but
there is room enough for all
and there are appie-eaters all
over the world Mr.. F. NJ Lup-
ton. President of the Business Mems
League of Winchester has supplied the
New York Packer with some very en-
couraeing facts about the apple bus
mess In this State. I'm 1909" he says,
the shipments OF apples from Win
ehester were greater than that for the
entire state of Oregon. The same year
the county OF Berkeley shipped more
apples than the State of Oregon. This
year the county of Frederick will shin