MARYLAND 



1337 



Maryland 



Maryland has an area of 12,210 square 

 miles, or 7,814,400 acres. Ot this area 

 2,350 square miles is water. It is divided 

 into two parts by the Chesapeake bay, 

 which extends north almost to the north- 

 ern boundary of the state, leaving the 

 larger body of land on the western side 

 of the bay. The drainage system of the 

 state is mostly toward the Chesapeake 

 bay. This bay is navigable along its 

 whole length and has some good harbors. 

 The principal rivers are the Potomac, nav- 

 igable for 1,125 miles; the Monocacy, Gun- 

 powder, Patuxent, South Severn, Pataps- 

 co. Bush, Susquehanna, Wicomico, Poco- 

 moke, Manokin, Nanticoke, Choptank, St. 

 Michaels, Wye, Chester, Sassafras, Elk. 

 Some of these rivers might more prop- 

 erly be called sounds along the Atlantic 

 coast, or estuaries along the Chesapeake 

 bay. 



The climate of Maryland is mild, the 

 mean annual temperature being 54 de- 

 grees to 64 degrees, and the mercury in 

 winter seldom falls below zero. The tem- 

 perature both in summer and winter is 

 modified by its proximity to the ocean 

 and the Chesapeake and Delaware bays. 



The soil, for the most part, is a light 

 loam favorable for the production of al- 

 most all kinds of fruits and vegetables. 

 However, the production of winter apples 

 is not a large Industry as compared with 



that of some of the Northern states; but 

 peaches, pears, plums, berries and vege- 

 tables are among the Important indus- 

 tries of the state. 



Maryland is most favorably situated in 

 relation to the markets. Its coast line, 

 bays, rivers and harbors penetrating the 

 state at so many points furnish cheap 

 transportation to the markets of the large 

 cities, such as Baltimore, Philadelphia, 

 New York and the New England cities, 

 before the products of the North are 

 ready for shipment. This fact has caused 

 the growing of vegetables to become very 

 profitable and has been the basis for the 

 development of a very large canning In- 

 dustry. 



The growing of peaches has assumed 

 enormous proportions. At one time it 

 seemed that this industry, on account of 

 insect pests and fungous diseases, would 

 be abandoned, but by the aid of state 

 and government experiments the grow- 

 ers have learned to successfully protect 

 their trees and to adapt varieties to the 

 conditions under which these fruits must 

 be grown, and they are now succeeding. 



The number of bearing apple trees re- 

 ported in 1910 was 1,288,482; peach trees, 

 1,497,724; pears, 540,583; plums and 

 prunes, 69,996; cherries, 82,305; grapes, 

 138,801 vines. Small fruits, 16,595 acres; 

 nuts, 11,780 trees. 



Geanvtlle Lowtheb 



Fmit Prodnction in Maryland 



Small fruits: 1909 and 1899. The following table shows data with regard to 

 small fruits on farms: 



1 Less than 1 acre. 



Strawberries are by far the most im- 

 portant of the small fruits raised in 

 Maryland, with blackberries and dewber- 

 ries ranking next. The total acreage of 



small fruits in 1909 was 16,595, and in 

 1899, 17,522, a decrease of 5.3 per cent. 

 The production in 1909 was 26,277,000 

 quarts, as compared with 27,958,000 



3—1 



