

HORTICULTURE 



August 12, 1911 



goldfish. The overed by a climbing rose plant- 



!\ years or more ago by the first occupants of the 



estate. During the winter the garden will probably be 



covered with a portable conservatory, so made that it 



may hi- taken down again next summer. Mr. \\ 1 has 



also artisticalrj decorated with plants the roof of Gover- 

 nor Warfield's garage and this will prove to be one of 

 the show places during the coming convention. A 

 fountain is in the center of the roof. 



I l:i n GROWING IN MARYLAND 



Fruit growing in Maryland is a very Lmportanl indus- 

 try from which a very large revenue is realized. Com- 

 paring the size of the State with other States. Maryland 

 would probablj bi i lassed as the greatest fruit growing 

 State in the Union. No other State can equal the 

 diversity of her fruil products, or excel them in appear- 

 ance and delicious quality. From 

 the mountain regions come mag- 

 nificent apples, luscious peaches, 

 and delicious pears, and the vari- 

 ous small fruits. And these prod- 

 :v L r >-n< Tally raised through- 

 out the State, from mountain 

 top to the ocean beach. Of course 

 the varieties oi apples, peai lies 

 and pears vary in kind in the 

 many sections, a- some varieties 

 do better in certain sections. 



In Southern Maryland, espe- 

 cially in the part known as the 

 rn Shore, where it is de- 

 clared the G of Mil. a 

 located, the climal litions 

 are such that what might be 

 classed as tropical fruits are 

 profitably grown and of wonder- 

 ful elegance. At one tim< in this 

 section the peach orchards were 

 conspicuous, and it was the fruit 

 from these same orchards that 

 years ago gave Maryland peaches 

 a national reputation. War, yel- 

 and other conditional 

 troubles came, causing neglect m 

 the orchards, finally resulting in 

 their being completely 

 doned. 



For years thereafter there was 

 no interest manifested in fruit 

 growing. The older people 

 seemed discouraged and even the 

 sons of the men who had been fa- 

 mous peach growers did not seem to have any desire to 

 revive the business. A little later on the mountain lands 

 -tern Maryland, especially in Washington county, 

 began to develop into peach orchards. The experiment 

 was a revelation. Today the available mountain slopes, 

 the i ind even down in the fertile 



valleys, all are covered with grand orchards. 



Peaches were produced first, but now the apple is just 

 as great a success. Today Washington county orchards 

 remind one of the famous orange region at Riverside, 

 California. Orchards here, there, everywhere you look. 

 ^Tot ordinary or,! t those that are orderly, in 



strain ell-kept, every tree symmetrical, 



and with luxuriant dark green foliage that denotes per- 

 fection in health. 



Washington county is said to have the largest contin- 

 uous apple orchard in the world, nearly ten miles, owned 



o\ on, mail. Mr. Nicodemus. In this section the past 

 spring the acreage in new orchards was a record breaker. 

 Tin number of trees count far up in the thousands. 

 The prevailing method of putting in a new orchard is 

 to plant apphs and peaches alternately. By the time 

 the apples come into profitable bearing, the peach trees 

 ha\, served then- usefulness and are removed and an 

 exclusive apple orchard results. New orchards in every 

 county in the State were put out last spring. In the 

 tide-water counties, in the near future, the peach will 

 again become prominent, for there are many orchards 

 that will commence to yield fruit next year. 



The State horticultural exhibition last winter in Bal- 

 tiniorc surprised everyone with the grand display of 

 apples that had been grown in the State. It was also 

 a gn ater surprise to see that quality apples of the same 

 variety came from so many sections of the State. Ap- 



pies from the eastern shore tide- 



water counties came in for a 

 liberal share of blue ribbon 

 honors. This seemed strange as 

 it had been concluded that it 

 was quite impossible to raise 

 apples there, because of the 

 climatic conditions, etc. Theory 

 alone caused these conclusions. 

 Practical demonstration proved 

 otherwise. Years ago Kent 

 county was famous for the ex- 

 cellence and great variety of 

 pears produced there. C'apt. R. 

 II. Emory was the pioneer pear 

 raiser and expert authority on 

 pears. His orchard production 

 of both pears and peaches gave 

 him a deserved reputation. After 

 his death his son took charge of 

 the orchards and has also been 

 very successful. 



The small fruit industry in 

 Maryland is very extensive and 

 a great revenue is derived from 

 it. The eastern shore is the 

 main section where the small 

 fruits are extensively produced. 

 Strawberries are shipped in 

 great quantity to the eastern 

 states. An idea of the magni- 

 tude of the strawberry "patches" 

 can be gained when it is a fact 

 that at one station, Marion, the 

 station agent showed the writer 

 that the average daily shipment 

 in tie of the season was twenty-five carloads of 



crated st raw berries. 



At Ridgely, Caroline County, last fall the Armours 

 of Chicago built an immense factory for making pre- 

 They pay the strawberry growers six cents a 

 quart, return all boxes to the growers. Farmers are in- 

 creasing their strawberry acreage and say selling thus at 

 home with no losses of baskets or crates is proving more 

 able than shipping. The factory can handle one 

 hundred thousand quarts, or more, a day. Raspberries, 

 blackberries and other bush fruits are grown and 

 shipped to the markets. Growing cantaloupes is very 

 extensively carried on in Wicomico County. There is 

 one grower, near Salisbury, who often has over 100 

 acres in melons. His average shipment, when the season 

 is on, is three refrigerator carloads daily. Boston, Pitts- 

 burgh and Xew York are their destination. 



JOHS C 



K,,se Hybridist, Baltimore 



