The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1911-10-21

- 49, - - - = Z 8
Ii.slayman ssinesaps. red ana green;
leParadIses,, pink and green: lima
thans, Rich red aud SO on through
The various stlhts 10 be found In the
Northern Spy, Willow TwigssI
Twenty: Ounce. 2 = aiken Red, I, Black
Ben Davis, Ben Dayisr"s and Wolfe
River. these being sthe principal val
rieties shown. The apples come from
many counties. including Hancock
Brooke. Wood, Lewis, Berkeley. Jefter;
son. Preston, Mineral, Pocahontas and
Monongalia, each OF which has Its pc:
cullar merits, Berkeley county, how:
ever. heads the list insthe mattertoi
successful apple culture, not because
OF any; surprising excellence OF soil.
perhaps! hut becauie Of longer: expert;
enee lin the business as o. business,
and Of thesgreater acreage. And the
story Is almost romantic in ITS inter
est and lunexpeGtedness. 4 { y y
Fifty years or more agoaW:;'s. NIL;
Ter. a3iarmer OF that county, establish
ed faBnursery for apple trees and ac.
quired ID business ofAconslderable ex.
toni 9inffurnishing young trees to the
farmers Throughout that general seci
tion. Meantime; probably to show his
Hath IN his own wares, he put out g
| few trees each yearsuntil che had an
orchard iof So acres. Along about the
iniddlesseyenties, when itswasf I'm tfuB
bearing, New York buyer heard
about TT and made Mr.. Miller a visit:
The result was that he purchased the
I entire crop. paying for 1t something
like $4,000, which was quite. some
lmoney for a farmer of that time and
place. That was the startingpoint for
commercial orcharding in West Wiz;
ginia on IN extensive ,scales Soon Mr..
Miller's neighbors began Sputting out
trees? and from that time on there
has bean; a steady growth in the indus.
try. ~ ~
The 5most conspicuous Ssuccess In
the matter, Of money has been achieved
by John Miller, a Son Of W. g! Miller.
He: was; quite a young man, at the time
Of his fathers first big sale; in fact.
Il he had dust about rounded Into, sliis
majority, but he did what so few very
young men are willing to ido-went
into the business for the first returns
from which he. had TO walt 5 or 10
years. InS1S7Ss he set out SO acres OF
trees. and IL years later he put on %
acres more. Then in. 1897 he increased
his Acreage by 1873 acres, SO that now
eAhas 1879 aefes7in trees, ranginh
from IA to SO years OF age. Last year
he sold $4,000 barrels Of apples, and
this year he will sell 10000 zarrels,
this being the SON. year. Next year
he,wllll have at7east 80 1000 barrels as
1.-THE largest: part OF his trees are Just
reaching their!full bearing period. l.
is said that 100000 is a conservative
estimate Of his wealth, accumulated
principally fromg,59; 4acres OF apples,
Others have done as well proportion:
ately with smaller orchards! ~
About 10 years.ago, the first orchard
company In; Berkeley county was form
ed. ills known qasg the Mt Vernon,
Orchard Co., and has 1000 trees eight
and nine years old. lItsis now putting
out 100 acres additional, or. about Z, 800,
trees. This lis probably the Largest
Of the companies, OF which there are
now about rs in the county. "
The tbestrot athe apple territorydin
Berkeley county Is on what Is known
as Apple Pie :Ridge,,rsa sort Of double,
backed ridge that runs through 1.-The
county from north to south, from the
Potomac river to Frederick county,
Virginia. This ridge took It's name
Il from 9the fact that early In the last
century there were mahy applesra
omit which the owners idrled lin large
quantities and (which the people from
far. anitnear came to,buy for, pies. ~
The fayorite soil forfapples Is d
combination ,,of limestone, soapstone
and sandstone, though In one part q
the. county success Is being had in a
red shhle formation /, 5ss. rs.
OnSfny way here last week l visited
the orchard of:the jim: Thatcher com:
Ipany.SSon apple Pie Ridge, sifew
Emlles out from Martinsburg. This
company has 10 acres Of trees Is
years old thatstwoi years ago produced
1a:crop which brought $1,000 cash. and
!: last year, one that sold for $500 This
4 year!t.t will probably beat the 1909
(mark. This company. also has 20 acres
iof younger trees. .lnst
II 1.-THE favorite apples in Berkeley
county.are the york Imperial Ben
Davis. 'stayman Winesap," Grimes
Y Goldeh,"f"Bfack Twlg." Rome Beau:
1ty" and Jonathan ;-srln about the or.
der MINED. The at'York Imperial,.;
whichfheads the list, is a heavy bear,
Fer, good for 80 years after maturity.
ltIts wood is ofl3tough fiber. and the
limbs 8wlll bend down andfsweep the
ground'without breaking. The LOADED
'|treess to be- seen lin sthe orchardsaat
.I4hls season look like successive pyrai
.Imlds of;:red and green The fruit.
Y which rlpens in storage about Febru;