138 ANNUAL, KEFORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



valley into four uariowei* belts, each one of a different geological 

 formation, and the whole a beautifully rolling landscape decked 

 with clusters of evergreens, and a great variety of forest trees and 

 shrubber3' indigious to the soil and climate. The soil in general is 

 not stored with fertility, being composed of clay, shale, sandstone 

 and fine pebble rock, everywhere standing from a steep angle to 

 a perpendicular, so the «oil varies with the numerous stratas of 

 underlying rock. In this valley, as also in others around the coal 

 basin, horticulture is a leading industry to supply the wants of the 

 mining population, and while general farm crops are produced, a 

 noted change has taken place in a decade, since it was demonstrated 

 that vegetables and fruits sent to the coal regions in years past 

 from other sections can be produced to advantage, and delivered 

 fresh, crisp and tasteful to the consumers. Under the impulse of 

 better profits and a demand for good products there has been de- 

 veloped a class of progressive farmers and horticulturists, who have 

 imi)roved on the Darwinian theory of the "survival of the fittest" 

 in the struggle for existence, so that we claim for the Schuylkill 

 county farmers a degree of intelligence, industry and thrift not es- 

 sentia) in more favored localities where nature provides without 

 so much effort, the necessaries of existence. Upon the subject of 

 ''Experience in Fruit Growing," a term of nearly thirty years' effort, 

 the experiences are many and varied, so that what I had would 

 make a volume and what I did not have would make an encyclopedia. 

 In purchasing trees, every planter has experiences, very often of a 

 disappointing nature, and to avoid some of the disappointments or 

 deceptions I grafted many of my trees raised from seedlings and 

 topped over some that were not the varieties w^anted. As a retail 

 fruit grower, my purpose was to liave a succession for market, in 

 which I succeeded, making the mistake, however, of getting too many 

 early sorts that are perishable, and while always saleable in moder- 

 ate quantities, any surplus obtained is largely w'asted because they 

 are on hand during the busiest part of the summer, when labor is 

 more profitably employed than in drying apjjles and cider making. 

 The succession consists of Ked Astrachan, Early Harvest, Early 

 Ripe, Strawberr}', Webbers, Summer Karabo, Jeffries, Maiden Blush, 

 Smith's Cider, Smokehouse, Ked Sweet, Fall Rambo, Ewalt, Northern 

 Spy, Dominie, Baldwin, Hubburdston, Pound, Red Romanite, 

 Grimes' Golden, King, Belle Flower, York Imi)erial, Peunock, Para- 

 dise Sweet, Winesap, Rawles Janet, besides several unknown varie- 

 ties, gives us usually a regular supply. Having a market near at 

 hand for almost anything we can produce on the farm our crops 

 are various, consisting of straAvberries, raspberries, currants, grapes, 

 pears, peaches, plums and vegetables adapted to the locality, besides 



