The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1920-09-22

handle Will bc 4, lca>, 1.o"N."oN bar
rris or NOR" than Il - pr ''i't 'i"i':
In Frederick county. Va Hu",h"r nan
n.lliuu barrel crop IL bang p!iN'l
augusta county. Va. although n"t H''
having h'rouv 4 heavy prudA'rr' -
credited with having NOR" "frh"t"T
thLn any othcg county II inc NiH''i
Only a few Of In" biggest growers
market their crop direct. and ~ th"S,,
the international Apple shippers ASS".
citation. tn-op"rativ" Organization ar"
the rule III" Appalachian Fruit Grow
crs. Inc. tn" M1r''nNhurE FRUIT IN
change. North American Fruit t\'hahE"
and divisions Of the farm bureaus arc
handling most Of the crop. Last year
, the MartfnshurE Fruit ENcnanr- han
died the fruit Of amy person. but TINS
year handles only members VINO con-
tract to place their entire output
Through the exchange. This exchange
has been in business fly" years: the
! largest previous years business being
$40 cars. but this Will PROBABLY De
doubled this year. FIFTY cars or
Them and the other exchanges have
probably handled about the same pro-
portion of business.
The larEcr orchard growers have their
own packing plants. as we'll as thclr
marketing ORGANIZATIONS, hut III packing
there - again excellent opportunity Tor
"o-or"rat,on and good examples Of this
are 1t hand
The warehouse division Of tn" Mineral
County Farm bureau has incorporated
for $4,000 and put up a warehouse ana
packing plant - handl" rs crop. while
other comparative work - being done 10
help out the smaller growers.
Demonstration Plant
J The state government erected a dem
Nns,ratl"n packing plant al lnw00d'
AA'slA4f ryf ~ & ".
which is operated for the hcncht or West
Virginia fruit growers for both CONNER,
Cial packing plant and training Schoos
for Fuckers and others VIII" want 10
make 4 business Of fruit growing ana
, marketing.
II is the only packing rlant of it,
kind IN IN" United States. The fruit Is
supplied by ncIghboring growers work
ing through q sub division OF tn" farm
bureau, ZACH producer paying the ac' ual
cost of pIckin.; his fruit. tn" plant has
4 daily capacity OF 1000 barrels and ia
increasing IT'S capacity. Nnntinu"uS
classes are going through the plant.
! Picking packing and marketing are M
Cludcd in u six days course OF inStruc-
tlun for which tn" students receive pay
Tho students may remain longer II rhry
have not acquired SuT!Clcnt skill and
speed 10 satisfy the requirements WITHIN
"A week The apples are all put out from
this plant under the Johnny AppIescea
The eastern Panhandle Of West Yir-
gina is the natural home OF the forkS
just as New York state IS the native
heath Of the Baldwins: Works grow at
their best within n radius OF 10" miles
oil MartinSburg. w Va. The principal
varieties for the whole region are York
Impcriais. Ben Davis. Grimes Golden.
Stayman WincSap and Mammoth Black
Twig.
In order to further test out the pos
sibiliues OF other apple trees for com
mercial. use, J. w. Stewart, on" of the
biggest apple raisers. has Il variety test
orchard III which lS6 varieties Of five
trees each are being grown These
trees come from Russia, France, Ger
many and other foreign countries. as
we'll as from every corner OF America.
both north and south.
The prices this year are much below
the average. but the increased yield
Last year Ben Davis ranged from $3.50
TO 50. and W!nesap from 81 10 $l2.
while forks were from Sc so TO 81. THIS
year all will be lower. OF course.
]. W. Stewart has 225-aCre orchard
and one Of the best private plants ~
the section. His cost records are un-
usually complete and he knows very
closely the cost of every. step Of opera
ton. He formerly figured $l.lO as the
cost OF putting a barrel in the car, but
this mounted up TO 81 last year and
viii be 81 this year. There has been an
increase OF more than 300 per cent. he
says, since lyIU. tie says 81 cents I'll
hour and board. which equals IS cents.
working ten hours i day. In 1912. his
wages only averaged IS cents.
One Of the biggest orchards on APP
pie Pie Ridge is that Of d. Gold Miller.
When Mr. Miller started @5 years ago
with farm worth less than Slj.0u0. he
was IN debt. He borrowed money 70 go
INTO the orchard business. and now has
an orchard producing from 5000 10 10
90 bushels of apples yearly. and worth
as a whole 5000 900.
The Knoblry Mountain Orchard COM
pany in Mineral county. West Virginia.
has $4,000 apple trees and 5000 peach
trees. The farm has Con acres OF which
were %O0O OF hucklcberrteS growing
Wild on the ground Of one +0-aCre or
chard this year. This company has
holdings right on the edge Of the ebert
soil which IL 4 rocky shale that appears
worthless but which has produced eN-
Celient fruit AS we'll as other farm
crops. This company ships and packs
through the cooperative plant at key"r
estimating the cost of the pack at IN
cents and II" total cost OF packing and
marketing At II cents. with less for .
peaches. This company picked l0.uQO
baskets OF cherries this year.