NORTH AMERICAN STATES 



NORTH AMERICAN STATES 2219 



"while among the corporate holdings, orchards of 500, 

 600 and even of 1,000 acres may be found. These 

 immense plants call for managerial ability of a high 

 order and present problems involving finance, labor, 

 culture, and marketing which are unknown to smaller 

 growers. Thus far the labor problem has been met by 

 utilizing the local population, but as more and more of 

 the large orchards come into bearing it will be neces- 

 sary to import many workers, particularly at harvest 

 time. Inasmuch as the local labor is generally unskilled 

 in harvesting and packing, it is the custom to employ 

 experienced professional peach-packers who work 

 northward after the crops are harvested in the more 

 southern states. The barrel is the common package used 

 for apples, but many growers are gradually introducing 

 the box for such varieties as Grimes, Jonathan, Deli- 

 cious, and Stayman Winesap. Early peaches, such as 

 Carman, Champion, and Belle, are marketed in the 

 Georgia carrier, while the Elberta, Smock, Salway, and 

 other late sorts find a better sale in the Delaware six- 

 teen-quart basket. There is also a tendency now to 

 use the bushel basket for carefully graded late varieties. 

 The methods of selling are unique in that there is a 

 relatively small amount of fruit sold from the orchard 

 or upon the tracks, the greater part being consigned 

 to commission houses. 



The trucking industry is at present confined to local 

 areas along the Ohio and Big Kanawha rivers, to some 

 of the "glade" lands on the higher elevations and to a 

 small region in the eastern part of the state. The rich 

 bottoms along the rivers furnish ideal locations for such 

 an industry, while the numerous mining towns afford 

 an almost unlimited market. It seems remarkable that 

 with these advantages more persons have not taken 

 up the work. The principal crops are early potatoes, 

 watermelons, cantaloupes, tomatoes, cabbage, and 

 sweet com, while to a lesser extent are produced let- 

 tuce, spinach, kale, peppers, eggplant, onions, aspara- 

 gus, and other vegetables usually found in this latitude. 

 In Preston and other counties of a high altitude, where 

 the "glade" lands are located, the midseason and late 

 potatoes are grown. From these regions there has lately 

 developed a promising trade in select seed-potatoes. 

 Seed produced at an altitude of 2,500 or 3,000 feet has 

 been found to equal and in some cases slightly excel 

 the northern-grown seed in vigor and productiveness. 

 This development is of special importance to the south- 

 ern potato states which have been compelled to secure 

 their seed from such distant points as Wisconsin, Michi- 

 gan, New York, and Maine. 



In the eastern Panhandle and principally in Morgan 

 County, a tomato-growing and canning industry has 

 developed. There are no canneries of great size but the 

 work is done through a number of modest factories and 

 private plants. Many of the orchardists make a prac- 

 tice of intercropping their young orchards for the first 

 three years with tomatoes, thereby aiding materially in 

 reducing the cost of bringing the orchard into bearing. 

 Some of the orchard companies yearly plant from 50 to 

 100 acres of this crop and operate their own cannery. 



As a specialized branch of horticultural industry. 

 the nurseries about Point Pleasant and Mason should 

 be mentioned. The rich loam of the second and third 

 river-bottoms is well adapted to the production of 

 young trees. The apple and peach are the principal 

 fruits propagated, although the other fruits and some 

 ornamentals are grown to a limited extent. 



The commercial production of flowers is as yet 

 practically undeveloped. The larger cities and towns 

 are partially supplied by small local florists whose 

 outfits are so small that frequent recourse must be had 

 to outside sources to supply the trade. Coal and gas 

 are plentiful and make a cheap fuel; markets are good 

 and could easily be greatly extended; thus it would 

 seem that a great opportunity is offered for extensive 

 greenhouse development. 



No account of West Virginia horticulture would be 

 complete without some mention being made of the 

 native fruits and nuts that abound in all parts of the 

 state. Prominent among these is the native persimmon 

 which may be found growing in all but the higher 

 altitudes. This truly delicious fruit is held in high 

 regard, but strange to say little or no attempt has been 

 made to select and propagate the better strains, 

 although the wild seedlings offer many promising 

 variations. The same may be said of the pawpaw, 

 clumps of which thickly dot the hillsides of the western 

 and southern parts of the state. From early September 

 until freezing weather begins, this aromatic fruit may be 

 found bending the slender bush-like trees to the ground 

 with the weight of its clusters of banana-shaped fruit. 

 While the flavor of the pawpaw is not appreciated by 

 all, it is nevertheless of some economic importance as 

 evidenced by the fact that considerable quantities of 

 the wild fruits are annually gathered and find a ready 

 sale at about 50 cents a bushel. Huckleberries cover 

 whole mountain sides and quickly take possession of 

 forest clearings. Large quantities of this fruit, as well 

 as the blackberry and dewberry, are picked and sold 

 in the local markets. High in the mountain glades one 

 is surprised to find the cranberry growing in abundance. 

 One "cranberry glade" in Pocahontas County has 300 

 acres of this fruit. From one of the few "cultivated" 

 bogs, fruit was sent to the St. Louis Exposition and won 

 first honors. Thus far little or no attempt has been made 

 to develop the industry. Among the nuts, may be 

 found the chestnut, chinquapin, hickory, and black 

 walnut. While all are relatively abundant, the chest- 

 nut is the only one of economic importance for its 

 fruit. These nuts in some sections are gathered in 

 great number and find a ready market. A few years 

 ago several carloads would sometimes be shipped from 

 one point, but now the demand for labor in other 

 lines at that season of the year has cut down the harvest 

 to only a vestige of its former importance. 



In considering the men who were prominent in 

 developing the horticultural interests of West Virginia, 

 it is interesting to note that George Washington was 

 one of the first if not the first fruit-grower of any con- 

 sequence in the state. Records show that on March 

 18, 1774, he leased to one William Bartlett 125 acres 

 of land "in the barens of Bullskin," a part of the present 

 Berkely County. The guarantee was "to have and to 

 hold for and during the lives of the said William Bart- 

 lett, Mary his wife, and Frederick their son, and the 

 life of the longest liver of them." In addition to 

 annual rent it was agreed that Bartlett should leave a 

 certain area of timber untouched, erect buildings, raise 

 10 acres of "English grass" and "that within seven 

 years an orchard of one hundred winter apple trees at 

 40 feet distance every way from each other and that 

 one hundred peach trees shall be planted on some con- 

 venient part of the said demised land and the same to 

 be kept always during the continuance of said term, 

 well pruned, fenced in and secured from horses, cattle 

 and other creatures that may hurt, and if any of the 

 said trees shall die, decay or be destroyed that others 

 of the same kind shall be planted in their place, and 

 the entire number thereof be kept up during the said 

 term." Shortly after Washington's venture in the east 

 came an important development in the Northern 

 Panhandle. In 1786, Jacob Nessley purchased a tract 

 of land bordering the Ohio River and cleared and 

 planted 50 acres to apples and peaches. He grew seed- 

 ling trees for the most part, although it is recorded 

 that he had also some grafted stock. As his crop was 

 devoted to the manufacture of fruit brandies, he was 

 able to utilize the inferior seedlings to good advantage. 

 As the direct result of his influence upon the locality, 

 hundreds of acres of orchards have been planted and 

 the Northern Panhandle grew famous for its produc- 

 tion of winter apples. Long the foremost fruit region 



