Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-08-11
ENORMOUS FRUIT
CROP PREDICTED
orchards, covering about 5000 acres,
yesterday.

orchards, covering about 5000 acres,
yesterday.
The entire fruit belt of the county
covers approximately 10000 acres, Of
which 1000 are bearing at the present
time. Sixteen automobiles were fur
nished by members, who acted as
pilots and guides. and more than sixty
people were taken through the many
peach and apple orchards.
Leaving Goodyear at $40 o'clock in
the morning, the autos wound around
the hills past miles Of fruit trees
planted in large blocks. Stops were
made in a number of the large or
chards and big baskets of apples and
peaches passed around to the growers,
railroad representatives. and newspa-
permen on the trip. Inspection tours
through canning, evaporating, packing
and storage factories featured the run.
At each of the large plants the entire
system was explained by the owner
and manager.
Some Apples, Too
In the sixty-seVen orchards passed
approximately 175,000 apple trees are
planted, of which $1,000 are of bear
ing age. There ere also 1000 peach
trees, with 10000 bearing fruit.
One hundred and sixty-eight car
loads of canned apples, weighing more
than 5000, 600 pounds, were shipped
last year, together with 270,000 pounds
of evaporated apples and IL carloads
Of cider syrup, equal to almost 100
carloads of cider before being con-
centrated.
The shipment figures given are just
five and one-half times the total ship
ment of 1903. The present year will
probably exceed last years totals by
10 per cent.
Plenty of Other Fruit
Peach records for 1915 also reach
enormous totals One hundred and
torty-siX cars Of peaches, averaging
1850 bushels of pears, 1927 baskets
of plums, 2,924 baskets of cherries,
II cars of potatoes and 6 cars of early
cabbage.
e. c. Tyson, the apple king" in
speaking of the tremendous produc-
ton and the possibilities of the belt
in the future, said:
when you realize that it is neces-
sary for apple trees to average four
barrels to the acre, not a large amount,
in order to yield a carload to the acre
10000 acres may easily present prob
lem in transportation that it may be
we'll for our railroad friends to keep in
mind"
Season Now Under Way
Among the big plants visited were
the Musselman canning factory at
Gardners; the Adams County Fruit
Packing and Distributing Company
plant, where the first shipments of
apples and peaches were being as
serted and graded. and the Biglersville
storage plant, where 33, 900 barrels OF
fruit are stored each year.
Luncheon was served on the lawn at
the home of the Tyson brothers, after
which the party again toured through
many miles of orchards. All of the
processes used in handling the two
fruits were explained on the trip.
That the fruit industry in the county
is fourishing is shown by the organ
ization of five national banks within
the last ten years. each with a capt.
talization of $4,000. at Fairfield, York
Springs, Bendersville, Biglerville and
Arendtsville.
The association of the fruit growers
was organized in a little school house
near the Tyson brothers orchards al
the time when the San Jose scale was
causing big losses to crops.
Have Legislative Committee
The members are particularly in
terested in legislation and have ap-
pointed a committee to handle this
branch of work. The committee in.
cludes f. E. Griest, chairman, r. NJ
Eldon and c. J. Tyson. An apple grad
ing and packing law may be advocated
in the next session of the Legislature
to insure uniform quality of fruit by
compelling packers to put their names
and addresses on all boxes and barrels