2246 NORTH AMERICAN STATES 



NORTH AMERICAN STATES 



total quantity of orchard-fruits. The number of apple 

 trees of bearing age in 1910 was 7,650,103; the apple 

 trees not of bearing age numbered 3,940,089. The 

 quantity produced in 1909 was 2,296,043 bushels, val- 

 ued at $1,322,785. The peach trees that were of bear- 

 ing age in 1910 numbered 6,859,962; those not of bear- 

 ing age, 2,884,927. The production of peaches was 

 1,901,647 bushels, valued at $1,502,996. The produc- 

 tion of the other orchard fruits and their value in 1909 

 is as follows: pears, 37,547 bushels, valued at $38,140; 

 plums and prunes, 194,649 bushels, valued at $137,003; 

 cherries, 5,993 bushels, valued at $8,424 ; apricots, 1,067 

 bushels, valued at $1,091; quinces, 680 bushels, valued 

 at $751. 



Of nuts the pecans and black walnuts were the most 

 prominent, there being 249,955 pounds of pecans pro- 

 duced in 1909, valued at $17,603; and 514,273 pounds 

 of black walnuts, valued at $7,795. In 1910, the num- 

 ber of pecan trees was 13,958, while the number of 

 black walnut trees was 9,104. In addition to the 

 pecans and black walnuts, Arkansas produced, in 1909, 

 15,436 pounds of Persian or English walnuts, valued at 

 $1,384, and 3,330 pounds of almonds, valued at $622. 



The only tropical fruit of any significance is the fig, 

 of which 80,707 pounds were produced in 1909, valued 

 at $5,953. 



The production of grapes in 1909 amounted to 2,593,- 

 727 pounds, valued at $97,985, a decrease from 3,621,- 

 100 pounds, valued at $104,803 in 1899. 



Of the small-fruits, strawberries are by far the most 

 important, with blackberries and dewberries ranking 

 next. The total acreage of small-fruits in 1909 was 

 8,032; and in 1899, 10,819, a decrease of 25.8 per cent. 

 The production in 1909 was 8,965,572 quarts, as com- 

 pared with 14,098,000 quarts in 1899. The acreage of 

 strawberries in 1909, was 7,361, producing 8,259,240 

 quarts, valued at $549,041. The acreage of black- 

 berries and dewberries was 525; the production 587,977 

 quarts, valued at $40,843. The production of other 

 small-fruits in 1909 are as follows: 96,414 quarts of 

 raspberries, valued at $9,766; 18,168 quarts of goose- 

 berries, valued at $1,630; 3,201 quarts of currants 

 valued at $390; and 288 quarts of cranberries, valued 

 at $26. 



In 1909 the total acreage of potatoes and other 

 vegetables was 112,358 and their value $7,643,102. 

 The production from 29,719 acres of potatoes in 1909 

 was 2,096,893 bushels, valued at $1,439,991. The pro- 

 duction from 22,388 acres of sweet potatoes and yams 

 for the same year numbered 1,685,308 bushels, valued 

 at 1,359,669. Other vegetables, excluding potatoes, 

 sweet potatoes and yams, occupied an area of 60,251 

 acres in 1909, compared with 45,355 acres in 1899, and 

 the value of their products was $4,843,442 in 1909, as 

 compared with $2,245,587 in 1899. The more important 

 of these vegetables in order of value are watermelons, 

 cantaloupes and muskmelons, tomatoes, turnips, 

 cabbage and onions. 



The value of the flowers and plants in 1909 was 

 $153,421. The area under glass, devoted to this in- 

 dustry, was 235,134 square feet, of which 224,150 square 

 feet were covered by greenhouses and 10,984 square feet 

 by sashes and frames. The increase in the value of the 

 flowers and plants was 494 per cent, from 1899 to 1909. 



The nursery products, in the period from 1899 to 1909 

 decreased 39.2 per cent in acreage but increased 51.5 

 per cent in value. The acreage in 1909 was 528; in 

 1899, 868. The value of the nursery products was 

 $198,579 in 1909, and $131,045 in 1899. 



ERNEST WALKER. 



Louisiana. 



Louisiana (Fig. 2521) is situated at the extreme lower 

 limit of the great Mississippi system, bordering on the 

 Gulf of Mexico. These bodies of water have an impor- 



tant bearing upon the climate, and make it possible to 

 grow some of the subtropical fruits. The prevailing 

 wind is from the south, somewhat cool and always 

 laden with moisture, and the southern part of the state, 

 being only about 30 feet above the sea-level, receives 

 the heaviest rainfall, 70 inches, while the northern part 

 which is more elevated and farther from the Gulf, has 

 an annual rainfall of 45 to 50 inches. This, as a rule, is 

 well distributed throughout the state, the seasons of 

 greatest drought being early spring and early autumn. 

 The highest recorded summer temperatures run from 

 98 along the Gulf coast, to 102 in the northern part of 

 the state, while the average winter temperature is 56. 

 Occasionally a northwestern blizzard reaches down 

 into the state, causing a heavy fall in temperature, 

 accompanied with sleet, and once in a long time, snow. 

 The lowest recorded temperature on this account was 

 9 in 1895, and 13 inches of snow. This was an occur- 

 rence unheard of by the oldest inhabitants. These 

 occasional blizzards have forced the culture of tropical 

 fruit down to the section immediately bordering on the 

 Gulf. As the soil has such an important bearing upon 

 the character of the fruit, a rough classification of the 

 different kinds is here given. 



1. The sandy hills and uplands occupy the northwest- 

 ern part of the state along with a section in the eastern 

 part, south of the state of Mississippi, constituting 

 about one-half the total area of the state. The lands 

 are characterized by sandy soils, with pine and oak for- 

 ests, and produce the best stone-fruits and berries. 



2. The bluff lands occupy a broken strip, running 

 parallel with the Mississippi, from 30 to 50 miles from 

 its western bank, and disappear near the Gulf in what 

 are known as "islands," such as "Avery's Island" and 

 "Jefferson's Island." There is also another section of 

 these lands on the east bank of the river immediately 

 south of the Mississippi state line. These lands are 

 characterized by a yellow clay loam, very fertile, and 

 by forests of magnolias, gums, oaks, and the like. They 

 produce some of the stone-fruits well, and an abundance 

 of pecans, berries and figs. 



3. The prairie lands occupy a part in the central 

 southwestern part of the state, are treeless, low and are 

 also known as rice lands. The soil is poor but improves 

 with cultivation, and gradually the planting of figs, 

 pears, peaches, plums and grapes have been extended. 



4. The alluvial lands make up all the other parts of 

 the state not mentioned, including the river-bottoms. 

 The soil is generally dark, ranging from black to light 

 red, very fertile and abounding in an abundant growth 

 of timber. They produce the heavy yields of cotton and 

 corn in the northern part, and the sugar-cane, oranges, 

 lemons, persimmons, figs and bananas, as well as other 

 tropical fruits, in the southern part. 



5. The pine flats are found in the western and 

 extreme eastern parts of the state where the hill lands 

 merge into an extended area of level lands which in 

 turn are gradually depressed to the Gulf marshes. 

 This area is naturally wooded with dense forests of 

 long-leaf pine. The soil is not very fertile, but when 

 properly drained and fertilized becomes an excellent 

 soil for strawberries and some small-fruits. Trucking 

 is also highly developed in some parts of the pine flats. 



The leading varieties of vegetables are grown in every 

 section of the state, and the home garden furnishes an 

 abundant supply during all seasons of the year, under 

 proper management. Those vegetables most popularly 

 grown for home consumption are as follows: Aspara- 

 gus (on the sandy soils only), artichokes (both Globe 

 and Jerusalem), beans, beets, cabbage, carrots, collards, 

 corn, cress, cucumbers, cashaw (pumpkin), endive, egg- 

 plants, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, melons, mustard, okra, 

 onions, parsley, peas, peppers, Irish potatoes (two 

 crops), sweet potatoes, radishes, spinach, tomatoes, tur- 

 nips and rutabagas. Occasionally there is found the 

 vegetable pear (Sechium edule), martynia, brussels 



