The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-09-09
JAMES CRAIG
STATES GREATEST
APPLE GROWER
Under His System His Or
.chards Bear Profitable
Crops Each Year
CULTIVATION AND
CAREFUL SPRAYING
Sells Entire Crop Direct to.
Consumers, and Pays Par
tIcular Heed to Packing
Crop for Shipment

WINCHESTER, VA. Sept s.--To
see an orchard loaded with fruit, some
trees having ten or fifteen barrels,
and not In the .easr affected by the
drought. was pleasure experienced
recently by a. parry VI Frederick ooua-
~ oxGn&ralstz. composed OF Msrsra
Melvin Greea. John NJ Steck. Court
aey Weefas and II b. Byrd. This or
1hard Is the Eose Cli1 orchard, To-
Gated near Naya ashore, Va. OF which
Mr. James Craig !. tas chief owner.
The Winchester ercA4rdists were
met by air. Craig who very kindly
explained every detail IN connection
with the management of his orchard
and advanced many up-to date Ideas.
The orchard Is located along a EzYer
bottom. which Ia probably more gos-
cepGale TO frost. although the sof
Is OF great daelh and fertility.
There arc ?, TOO trees in th.s tract
covering 70 acres. 1000 OF which are
twenty four years Cad. and the BAL
Gnco ranging from SIX to ten years
The old taeory that an orchard witt
only bear every other year has proven
TO be "a mistaken idea. as this orchard
bears an equal crop every year. aud
this result Is obtained by seientino
and uJ,~so-dasa methods employed by
MIR. Craig.
Systematic Thinning.
Mr.. Craig thinks that systematic
thinning is probably more rcspons.-
other ora thing. Last year tAts or
chard yisiaed a gross income 81 $685.
0e0, aad practically all Of this Game
from the / 400 twensy-four year old
tre4s Think Of tx. nearly thirty dol
lars a tree on an average, Mr.. Craig
has five adjacent York Imperial trees
that yielded hast year i2b barrels or
nearly $iGs per tree. BY the old
theory this orchard would not have q
crop this year. yet the trees ara ieasa-
ed with as many apples as c2n be nli-
tured. and the crop this year viii
probably exceed last ys4sr s-thfs in
spite Of 3 very severe drought. more
severe thar has been experienced In
this saetfosa.
Mr. Craig, when asked how long
he expected his twenty-four year old
trees 10 be profitable. said; These
trees Will continue to bear larger crops
'ssssrA yeaYr iGng AFTER you assa sssvs
passed away"
From the healthy look of the trees
and the depth and fertility OF thu
soil one would say that Mr.. Craig IL
correct, and In the years TO come tho
returns from this orchard. continuing
the present methods Of maintenance,
VIII lie little short Of fabulous
The Frederick county orehardists
can do the game by proper methoda
il Is more the management than tho
orchard
Mr. Craig attributes the sssceas
mainly tn three things cultivation,
spraying and thinning.
Cultivation the Secret.
Cultivation: Mr.. Craig is q great be-
al.
OF drought, such as has been expert
enced this year.
He plowed his twenty-four year old
orchard early in March and hiss since
been cuitfvating II once "A week until
August 20. making twenty CIVILIZATIONS
In all.
As consequence he has rstained
all of the moisture he needs and
moisture can be seen in the soil with
In an inch OF the surface
The ground Immediately under the
large trees which could not be reach
ed by cultivation has been Thoroughly
cultivated by hand, 30 that at the
time the orchard was visited hardly
spray OF grass or weed was on the
ground.
Spraying: Mr. Craig believes In
thorough spraying. ana SPRAYED hts
orchard five times as follows: First,
OF lime and sulphur to seven gallonsl
of water; second, Just before the buds
open and after the leaves come out,
with Bordeaux mixture. three pounds
of blue stone, four pounds OF limo
and fifty gallons of water: third,
spraying for cooling moth. one gallon
of lime and sulphur TO forty gallons
of water and one pound of lead TO fifty
gallons OF water: fourth, ten days or
two weeks later, with same solution:
fifth. latter part.rof July or first OF
August with same solution
Heavy Pressure Spraying.
Mr.. Craig believes In heavy pres
sure spraying and never sprays with
less than two hundred and twenty
i've pounds pressure. Hardly a worlny
or defective apple was seen in his
orchard.
Thinning. A great deal Of Mr..
Crafg's success IL due to his method
: ar rnfrnfrEs fTs n pfoDzbIy the
only orchardist in this part OF the
State Of Virginia who th,ns systematic
cally and properly.
On account OF thinning Mr.. CraiR
Is enabled to get crops every year.
and tho fruit he gets h all OF first
class quality.
Mr.. Craig thins soma time IN NAY.
Just as soon az the apples get ~
big AZ marbles as he claims that the
chief strain on . trea Is maturing
the seed and that thinning should DO
done before. the seed maturea
another Innovation which Rroatfy
Impressed the Frederick county or-
chArdi1ts was the eyseem AZ prop
ping tho overloaded limbs ~ NtrA ~
4 ssre visA - eyeast = AktA ri
I IN M q mi As u VI sSsl n MI