Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1922-11-22
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The following paper was road at
recent meeting OF Walhalla Chapter,
ID. A. r. The meeting was held at
the home OF Mrs. l.. w. Werner. The
paper, by Geo. r. Briggs, County
Agent for Oconcc, was read by Mrs.
w. X. Craig:
The apple (bto. name, Pyrus Ma
lus) is known as "The King OF the
Fruits and it we'll deserves the
name. From Maine to California.
and from the Arctic to the Gulf, the
apple reigns supreme rs the unver-
sal rruit.
The modern cultivated apple orig
mated in the wild crab apples OF Eu-
rope and the Orient. Through con-
slant selection and Improvement vast
changes have been wrought in it's
quality and produclivoness.
Botanicaily the apple belongs to
the same family as the hawthorn,
choke-berry, service berry. mountain
ash and the wild crabs. The apple.
although it is hard FOR us to believe.
is really a near relative Of the roses.
raspberries, blackberries and straw
ONA
moved from plums, peaches and
other stone fruits.
When the settlers first came to
America they found species Of wild
crabs growing in the forests. which
were used by the natives as food.
Along the river banks were found
groves Of crab apples, hawthorns,
plums and cherries. From these wild
fruits they made crab apple butter,
plum preserves, cherry pies and other
aoi!caci"R that furnished fruit a&tdS
much needed as au article Of tOOa
ana FOR the preservation OF health.
fhe temperate 20ae is the native
home Of The apple, - tho temperate
zone II lnclines TO the north and finds
there its best or optimum condition
for growth. AS an evidence Of the
hardness Of the apple and it's love
for cool climate, it. may be un-
known to many that most magnin-
cent apples are grown in Canada,
away north Of the Great Lakes. In
this region the rivers are ice-bound
for several months Of the year, the
ground is covered with three or four
feet Of snow, and the thermometer
is sometimes so degrees below zero.
Northern people wonder how, the cool
climate loving apple can grow in
!! North and South Carolina and Geor-
gia. They will find. however, that it
is the cool climate Of the mountain
Gus section wherein the apple reaches
its greatest stage OF development. It
Is interesting to note tho instructive
desires Of the apple tree and what
conformity it shows to local condi-
tions. In the low attitudes where the
cotton plant Is at home the apple
tree is most uncomfortable. except
With the early or summer varieties,
and it is hard in such localities to
keep apple trees in life.
Observations conducted through
out the country show that the apple
grows best where the following condi-
tionS are found:
In temperate. zone; cool summers
and cold winters; rich loan and clay
SOILS; high altitude; copious and con-
slant rainfall; good drainage; abun-
dant sunlight; constant supply of hu-
mus and plant food.
You will note that all Of these con-
ditions are bounteously fulfilled in
the blessed climate OF Oconce. Here
is what Prof. w. n. HUT, Of the
North Carolina Agricultural College,
says: "rhe Sunny South, particu-
larly In its mountain regions, has
the clear air and abundant sunlight
that put the right colors on the out
side Of the fruit and the fine nayOrs
Within.' Other things being equal,
the greater the amount Of sunlight.
the higher colored the fruit. In re-
Eions whore cloudy skies are preva-
lent, fruits and also flowers, are Of
dull colOrs. The maximum hours OF
sunlight are obtained at high cleva-
| tions. II Is for this reason that the
mountain-grown fruit is superior in
color and flavor to that OF the same
varieties grown in the 1owlands.
1t is only in the last few decades
that fruit growers generally have be-
como aware Of the advantage OF elo-
waited regions for the commercial
growing Of hardy fruits. At present
all along the foothills Of the ALLIE
gheny Mountains, from Pennsylvania
to Alabama, are lands which were
formerly considered almost worth
less for agricultural purposes, now
rapidly passing the 500 per acre
mark for commercial orchardng.
The East North Central division
OF tho United States had the great
est number Of trees Of bearing age in
1910, with over thirty-four million.
Tho South Atlantic division came
third with twenty million.
New York State reported in 1910
total Of over eleven million trees,
and Missouri, New York and Illinois
together contained in 1910 almost
onc-fourth OF all the trees in the en-
tire United States. Missouri led tho
list with over fourteen million trees.
South Carolina the same year re-
ported 5S1 0J0 trees