2240 NORTH AMERICAN STATES 



1909 there was an acreage of 69,468, with products val- 

 ued at $5,379,577. The acreage in 1899, was 55,822. 

 The value of the fruits and nuts in 1909 was $2,024,001 ; 

 in 1899 the value was $573,763, showing an increase in 

 value of 252.8 per cent. The acreage devoted to flowers, 

 plants and nursery products was 3,199 in 1909 and 

 1,091 in 1899, an increase in acreage of 193.2 per cent. 

 The value of flowers, plants and nursery products in 

 1909 was $427,296. 



The total quantity of orchard-fruits produced in 1909 

 was 2,475,540 bushels, valued at $1,818,508. Peaches 

 and nectarines contributed considerably more than 

 one-half of this quantity, there being 1,416,584 bushels 

 produced from 3,177,331 trees of bearing age. There 

 were also 838,866 trees not of bearing age. The number 

 of apple trees of bearing age in 1910 was 1,468,436; 

 those not of bearing age, 737,689. The production in 

 1909 was 888,396 bushels of apples, valued at $620,745. 

 The number of pear trees of bearing age in 1910 was 

 142,300; those not of bearing age, 99,170. The produc- 

 tion of pears in 1909 was 100,041 bushels, valued at 

 $86,866. The production of plums and prunes amounted 

 to 61,712 bushels, valued at $45,039; that of cherries 

 3,588 bushels, valued at $4,873; that of quinces 2,740 

 bushels, valued at 2,944; that of mulberries 1,527 

 bushels, valued at $1,210, and of apricots 952 bushels 

 valued at $950. 



The production of grapes in 1909 amounted to 1,723,- 

 490 pounds, valued at $81,386. In 1910 there were 

 287,431 vines of bearing age and 77,105 vines not of 

 bearing age. 



The leading nuts produced are pecans, black wal- 

 nuts, and Persian or English walnuts. The number of 

 trees in 1910 were as follows: pecans, 44,683 of bear- 

 ing age, 125,734 not of bearing age; black walnuts, 

 3,228 of bearing age, 1,753 not of bearing age; Persian 

 or English walnuts, 3,022 of bearing age, 4,180 not of 

 bearing age. The value of the nut products in 1909 

 were: pecans, $30,540; black walnuts, $3,447; English 

 or Persian walnuts, $3,557. Almonds were also pro- 

 duced to the value of $51. 



The tropical fruits grown are figs, oranges and 

 pomegranates. In 1910 the number of fig trees of 

 bearing age was 52,731; those not of bearing age, 

 33,893; orange trees of bearing age, 2,599; not of bear- 

 ing age, 17,386; pomegranates of bearing age, 1,672; 

 not of bearing age, 3,552. The value of figs in 1909 was 

 $80,960; of oranges, $3,663; of pomegranates, $617. 

 Pomelos (grapefruit) were also produced to the value 

 of $359. 



Of the small-fruits grown in Alabama, strawberries 

 are by far the most important. The production, from 

 1,167 acres in 1909 was 1,848,537 quarts valued at 

 $160,026. The acreage in 1899 was 607. The produc- 

 tion of blackberries and dewberries in 1909 was 44,594 

 quarts valued at $3,726; 10,546 quarts of raspberries 

 and loganberries with a value of $1,380; 2,452 quarts 

 of gooseberries with a value of $177. The value of 

 the currants and cranberries grown was $64 and $10, 

 respectively. 



The leading vegetables, their acreage, and value in 

 1909 were as follows: green beans, 842 acres, valued 

 at $62,691; cabbage, 1,366 acres, valued at $208,754; 

 tomatoes, 566 acres, valued at $47,322; watermelons, 

 4,708 acres, valued at $135,200. Other vegetables 

 grown in Alabama were cantaloupes, muskmelons, 

 sweet corn, cucumbers, onions, green peas, radishes, 

 and turnips. 



Alabama ranks fifth in the production of peanuts. 

 The acreage increased from 78,878 in 1899 to 100,609 

 in 1909, an increase of 27.6 per cent. The produc- 

 tion in 1909 was 1,573,796 bushels and their value 

 $1,490,654. 



The area of land under glass in 1909 devoted to 

 flowers and plants was 463,575 square feet, of which 

 435,400 were covered by greenhouses and 28,175 by 



sashes and frames. The value of flower and plant 

 products in 1909 was $168,239. 



The value of the nursery products in 1909 was 

 $259,057. p. F WILLIAMS. 



J. F. DUGGAR. 



Mississippi. 



Mississippi (Fig. 2519) extends about 325 miles from 

 north to south and 175 miles from east to west. The 

 surface is mostly undulating, with few abrupt hills, and 

 the highest part of the state, the northeastern section, 

 is less than 1,000 feet above the sea-level. It has an 

 annual rainfall of about 45 inches in the northern part, 

 the amount increasing to about 60 inches in the extreme 

 south. The winter temperature is rarely as low as 

 zero in any part of the state, while the extreme summer 

 heat rarely reaches 100 in the northern part; near 



2519. Mississippi, with the main areas. 



the Gulf coast 95 is the usual limit. The first frosts 

 usually occur in November, and spring frosts are rare 

 after the middle of March. 



The soil is extremely variable. The western part of 

 the state, known as the Yazoo and Mississippi Delta, 

 has one of the richest alluvial soils in the world, and 

 one well suited for the growing of vegetables, besides 

 cotton and com, which grow to perfection here. The 

 north-central part of the state consists largely of yellow 

 clay hills, not very fertile and liable to serious injury 

 from erosion, but with very fertile valleys between 

 them, while the northeastern section has a strong lime 

 soil which is very productive. Nearly all of the south- 

 ern half of the state has a sandy loam soil underlaid 

 with clay at a depth of a few inches, making those 

 lands among the most desirable for the cultivation of 

 either fruits or vegetables. 



Although both fruits and vegetables are grown for 

 export in all parts of the state, there are three districts in 

 which horticultural work is specially prominent. These 

 are the northeastern district, covering the territory 

 along the Mobile and Ohio Railroad from Booneville 

 south to Starkville and Meridian; the central district, 

 covering the territory along the Illinois Central Rail- 



