Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1914-12-13

Take the beach orchard Of which am
writing. II Is ns clean and we'll Kent
as any ! naYe cver soen In tho United
states, II Is Trimmed every year, and
branches grow out from the ground
AT tho same time, the limbs arc thin,
SO that the sun gives daily kiss to
every peach on tho treo, bringing
ripe, rosy blush to Its checks. Around
the trunk OF each tree Is q lIttle ditch
Tor IRRIGATION. ana sprinkled over this
after Watering Is nitrate OF sodn, which
Is FED to tho trees ut tho rate OF zoo
pounds TO the aero. They have no San
Jose scale here, but Don Salvador uses
tho limo and sulphur spray every win
ter to guard against insect pests Of all;
kinds.
The same careful treatment liz OBJ
served us to all kinds OF trees. am
told that tho ordinary native works.
men arc skilled in the handling OF
fruit, and they learn easily to care
for the trees. Don Salvador has about
are all native Chileans, and among
them are men who can bud md graft.
and who understand almost oyery-
phase OF fruit cultivation.
AS we sat In Santa Ines, tho great
country house OF tho plantation, where
Don Salvador lives during part Of
the summer I asked him to rive me
some idea of tho possibilities of Chla
as Il winter fruit market for tho United
States. Iio replied; EF
There Is no doubt that one of our
chief industries for the future is 10 he
In raising fruit for the North. We
shall soon he able to land fruit In
New York In fourteen days after the
ships leave Valparaiso. and with proper
fruit steamers we can send such va
rieties as Will bring the highest prices
at time when there is no other fruit
to compete with them. At present
you get some winter fruits from Aus
train and Cape Colony, but they are
twcnty-HlX days or more from New
York, and you have to pay freight
upon them that Is several times az
much ~ the freight from Chile would
cost Tasmania and New Zealand have
to pay from s1.25 To $50 freight on
n box of fifty pounds or n bushel to
the United States. II We could ship
our fruit mt half that price wo would
have an advantage OF a. cents per
buaheL We expect to do great deal
better thnp that.
Tho difference IN distance would he
q difference of thousands of miles. The
Tasmanians, for instance, are now ship
ping fruit TO Europe. They sold t,-
100000 boxes of apples there last year,
and received thercfron something like
S5,Q00,906 Chile can raise as good
dPpicS ub aHS pHTt Oh Inc WOflU, ana
we shall send our fruit North through
the canal to Europe as well. 1t Is said
that we ought to no able TO ship apples
there Mt a freight rate of 80 or so
cents box. or from SIG to sli ton"
Mention some kind of fruit that
Chile could send us and the months
when we could receive thep,'S said l.
Our fruit season lasts from Novem-
Der until May. During those months
We could give Won tho best of Eh
| fruits. Iierc are some OF them: We
could furnish green almonds from De-
| csmber to June and ripe chestnuts In
March and April. Green almonds arc
q delicncy. which you do not have in
America, but they bring enormous
prices In France. We could supply
you with peaches during the months or
December, january, February. March
and April and ripe plums In January,
February and March. We can give you
alligator pears or paitas In March,
April. May, June, July and August, and
papayas in March. April. May md
June. AS to our grapes, they arc equal