THE FIJI- IT DISTRICTS OF NEW YOKK 639 



waters of south-central Xew York into Chesapeake Bay. These 

 several water systems are prominent factors in the fruit districts 

 of the state. 



At first thought it would seem that pomological districts would 

 be outlined somewhat in accordance with soils. Yet soils cut 

 but small figure in the formation of fruit regions in New York, 

 because, excepting a small area in the southwestern part of the 

 state, the soils have been formed by glacial action and have then 

 been carried to and fro until nowhere can uniform soils be found 

 over large areas. And so, though most important in selecting 

 locations for a fruit farm, soils help but little in dividing the 

 state into fruit districts. 



It is through its physical features, then, that the state is 

 divided into fruit districts. There are nine of these, each quite 

 distinct in natural vegetation and in its agriculture and horti- 

 culture. The nine regions are shown in the accompanying map 

 and are briefly described in the paragraphs that follow. 



LONG ISLAND 



This district is composed of the sandy lowland of Long Island. 

 Its formation is a low plain covered with a thick deposit of 

 glacial drift, in which sand predominates. All of the deciduous 

 fruits may be grown in this district, and several, as the apple, 

 peach, cherry, grape, and strawberry, can be grown preeminently 

 well. The varieties of the fruits cultivated here, however, are 

 not distinctive. The limits of the northern and the southern 

 sorts seem to meet, giving a great number of varieties for the 

 district and making it difficult to form definite lists of the fruits. 

 This is the only district in which cranberries are largely grown 

 in New York. 



Fruit growing cannot be said to be generally developed on 

 Long Island. Market gardening is the mainstay in agriculture 

 in this part of the state, and is probably more profitable. There 

 are, however, many small plantations, the products from which are 

 sold, and nearly every farm home has more or less fruit about it. 

 Opportunities for profitable fruit growing in this region have 

 seemingly been neglected, and the industry is backward, consider- 

 ing what could be done. 



