The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-03-03
.Ap GROWING
IN Old VIRGINIA
Some Views and Near Views
That Come From the Shenan-
doah Valley.

Thes are some vie- OF practical
apple grower. who lives and moves and
has his being up in Augusta county,
near to Waynesboro. Some of these
Views hayo been express ed in q pri-
vate letter, and hence, the name OF the
writer cannot be given at present. But
here Is about what he says:
"Firglnia's apple crops for the past
ten years have steadily increased &C
such volume as to placa these apple
growers among the captains OF inuus.
try.
One OF the attractive features VI
apple growing Is that { can be follow
ed successluuy on compa .arive sman
scale, IL being we'll established fact
that the highest quality apples grown
twenty-five acres.
THIS condition applies to orchards
quoting Boston attorney. 'wncn you
increase your business 70 u very great
extent the multitude OF problems in
crease proportionately. You md, first,
that the man at the head has 1inin-
ishing knowledge of the facts. and sec
ond, diminished opportunity OF cX.
ercising careful judgment on details
The modern commercial orchard con-
tains on an average fortyfour apple
trees TO the acr ten aero can be
probably pruned and cultivated by one
man and horse, and the only auoi-
tional labor required would be at spray
ing. picking and packing periods; now.
let US sac what sucn l9-acre orchard
would yield in money.
Apple orchards in Virginia proper
ly planted and developed commence
bearing at the fifth year after plant
ing, fair average yield for the firth
ha
forty to nifty bushels per acre. TAX
Ing the packing records OF a Wdynes-
boro orchard under efficient manage
ment, We find that the siX-year trees
average two bushels; thu seven-year
trees. three and three-fourth bushels;
the eight-year trees, eight bushes:
min e-year yielded twelve bushels; ten
year, fifteen bushels, and tho twenty
threc-year trees yielded more than
twenty-five bushels per tree. Translat-
ing these figures to apples we ma
that the orchard in full bearing At
tenth year yielded over $500 apples
per acre per year. and that the total
cost to produce these apples, tnCiud-
Ing interest on the investment, ali or
chard labor, including picking. packing
and shipping, was less than 0ne-ha
cent per apple"
II may be remarked in this coz
nection that the Industrial Section has
been preaching tho doctrine OF better
fruit growing. Now in lis campaign
of enlightenment on Nirginias multi.
Piled resources 1t bcEs to cali the at
tention of the interested reader to the
above figures. Now. just sample the
thing out: drop into any fruit stand on
the leading street of any city in tho
land, that Is to say, the Eastern part
OF the country, and bug. say three or
four or 4 half-dozen big. red Virginia
grown apples. and compare I'll. price
paid for them with the above figures.
representing the cost OF producing and
delivering these same apples on tho
market. Such an investigator will b.
repaid in double measure: First, by
enjoying the best favored apples
grown. and second. by approaching that
Virginia has we'll established inuus-
try in producing a standard food pro-
duct that Is steadily gaining and hold
Ing friends in the largest city markets
in the Eastern States. and also in
Great Britain and tho Continent as
for many years the Virginia apples eX-
ported to Great Britain and the Con.
tinent sold readily at top market
prices. Last year the York Imperials
sold for So per barrN in London with
In thirty days' as.eH, they We're Picked
CONTINUED on Tnird Page)