The Washington herald., 1912-02-28
I-= THE HOME OF HISTORICAL ROMANCE l--

country? Show you an apple orchard
that grew 10000 bushels last year!
What?"
Taken for Granted.
Surprise number three hit me just here.
and 1t is the absolute Indifference Of
these people as to their own wonderful
growth and prosperity. The take-it-for-
granted way in which they 60 about
their daily business of growing big and
prosperous is perfectly astounding to q
westerner. Advertise? Not a bit, and
this is absolutely the only old-fashioned
thing about this town. II Winchester.
Virginia, with all its advantages, were
winchester. California. or Winchester,
Oregon, or Winchester. Washington.
every human being on earth who could
read or see, or hear, would know about
II inside of year.
Where in the world do you find 4
market for all your apples IL you don't
advertiser" asked one prominent grow
er. I'm the world" was his laconic reply.
And there you have the correct attitude
OF these wonderful people in this beauti-
full fruitful country.
No matter what you say to a Win
chester man or woman, the answer will
be something about apples. Time has
no meaning to these people except as
indicating when to pick apples. The
weather is not a subject OF CONVERSE
tion in polite society, except as to its
effect on the fruit buds.
The huge cold-storage plant Is re-
garded with more civic pride than the
beautiful opera house and the big cider
and vinegar factory evokes Joyous adj
miration even from the ladies. They do
say that when on a recent occasion one
of the preachers referred in his Sunday
sermon to the Golden apples OF the
HesperIdes," seven fruit growers were
at his house on Monday morning before
breakfast clarnoring 10 know where TO
buy trees OF that variety. Men. women,
and children all are fruit crazy. apple
mad, and there is method in their mad
ness, lots Of II. Make no mistake on
that point. I guess they are really too
busy making money to advertise, for
nobody outside OF Virginia, except a few
fortunate apple buyers, seems 20 have
known anything about the wonderful de-
velopment OF the fruit business here In
the last few years.
Seeking Fruit Facts.
Being a native OF California, OF course
1 knew that fruit. real fruit, didn't
grow anywhere except on the Pacific
Slope. At least / thought / knew. But
that was before ! came to Winchester.
Wishing TO get my fruit facts first hand
and being somewhat skeptical as to the
stories l had already heard, asked to
meet the oldest fruit grower in the
country, and was referred to Senator s.
L. Lupton, a sort Of local apple oracle
and who is said to have helped to plant
the first commercial apple orchard ever
set in the valley OF Virginia.
I found Senator Lupton at his hand
some home in Winchester, and got an
other surprise. Instead OF the venerable
old gentleman farmer / expected TO meet
l saw man not yet past middle age.
and when i began to tell him about
Washington City 1 discovered that he
was a Washington man himself. hav-
ing been one Of Uncle Sans employees
in the Capital City for twenty years.
+, But how" asked, did you manage
10 get an orchard II YOU were a gov
eminent clerk in Washington? Aren't
all government clerks struggling TO
make buckle and tongue meet and very
often earning less than the actual cost
Of living7"
Mr.. Lupton smiled reminiscently. II
did not find 1t So" he said. Il saved
some money as a clerk in the Treasury
Department when my salary was Sl.O0O
year, saved a little more when / got
LOS, and a little more when l got
s., 400 and bought some land and set
some trees. / didn't go to the theater
very often. and only knew OF Harveys
and the Loseksm by hearsay, and the
street cars didn't get much OF my
money except in bad weather; but /
didn't have indigestion. / met lots of
fine people and had a bully time. and
got an orchard. and last year had 80. 900
bushels Of export apples. Anybody can
do II II he knows how and locates at
Winchester; not elsewhere" And that's
another surprise to The Washington
Herald readers.
The more I see of this country
around Winchester and realize that il is
only about eighty miles from Washing
ton, with climatic and health condi-
tons unequaled on the continent outside
California, the more i wonder why every
retired army and navy officer, every
overworked and underpaid government
employee, doesn't come here to spend at
least a part OF the year. Mark the pre-
diction. II Washington capitalists who
have recently leased the Bluemont d.
vision of the Southern Railroad and are
now electrifying II from Washington to
Bluemont, will push that road on over