Stone County enterprise. [volume] (Wiggins, Stone County, Mississippi) 1916-current, 1922-11-30
REPORT OF TRIP TO
GRAND BAY ORCHARDS
Two Cars Go From Here; Five
From GuIfport and Other
Coast Points

The trip to Grand Bay last
week proved both interesting
and Instructive to those who
ade up the party.
Leaving Virgins at $50 o.
clock in the morning, two cars
of Stone county citizens drove
TO Gulfport and there joined five
other cars of Harrison county
business men and farmers. The
trip to Grand Bay was made in
5}iYee hours and about four
hours were spent in Grand Bay
inspecting satsuma groves and
/ packing houses.
The first packing house visit
ed was that of the Gulf Coast
Citrus Exchange and was the
largest Of TIE three located at
Grand Pa. The forty-third
car Of satsumas was being load
ed at that time. Two large ma
chine graders were in operation
with some twenty to twenty
aive experienced packers wrap
ping and packing the different
GRADES Of oranges as they came
from the grader. Mr.. McDon-
9l1, the manager of the packing
house, extended every courtesy
to the visitors and explained
Zach operation from building
the boxes to mailing on the
covers.
After going through this
plant the party was conducted
to the groves of the Grand Bay
Land Company where 480 acres
were interset to satsumas and
pecans. The satsuma trees
were heavily laden with fruit,
some trees having as many as
5000 oranges to the tree, and
was beautiful sight to behold.
In addition to this tract, the
Grand Bay Land Company has
another of 400 acres set in the
same manner. The average
yield of the two tracts being
about 1875 crates per acre. After
partaking literally of the gold
en- fruit the party started on
the return trip, discussing on
the way the value of such a de-
velopment to the territory
around Grand Bay and making
comparison between that terri
tory and our own respective To-
calities.
It was brought out that the
houses and farm buildings of
the vicinity were neat in ap-
pearance and freshly painted
and that contentment and pros
perity seemed to prevail.
Fifty-six cars of fruit had
been shipped up to that time,
which was about Is per cent of
the total crop. Placing a value
of S1800.00 per car, which is
not excessive, the estimated
value of the crop can be placed
at approximately S135,000.00.
Such an income is certain to be
of benefit to a community, es-
pecially when there is neat
profit derived therefrom for the
grower.
The soil and climate condi-
tions are similar to our own and
the quality of the fruit pro-
duced does not excel that of the
fruit grown in Stone county, so
the only natural deduction that
can be drawn is, our growers
can experience the same, if not
better results than the growers
of Grand Bay. The only differ
ence being that Grand Bay has
played the game while we are
apparently marking time.
A severe cold spell and freeze
may kill some of our trees but
the same thing would happen
in southern Alabama. The cold
winters are no more hazardous
to the successful growth of
oranges than the boil weevil to
cotton, drought to corn or other
unfavorable conditions to farm
CROPS.
The grower who sets satsu-
mas should resolve to reset his
Grove in the event it is killed
by cold and in the long run he
will have a balance on the profit
side of the ledger.