21iVJ NORTH AMERICAN STATES 



NORTH AMERICAN STATES 



apples :u«i praiH'S, hyhriil plunis, ra.-spbi'nii's, and hlack- 

 lH>rries an' boinjr siicivssfully iilantod, tlnmj;h not yet 

 in surtiricnt quantity to supply the local diMuanil. 



The most favoraWo rofjions for the appio aro found 

 in thr southwest ;uui southeast alonn the Missouri, 

 Mississippi and Des Moines rivers, where the so-called 

 "blutT deposits" have their S'eatest development. 

 This is a lijrht-eolored, porous soil which endures 

 drought and Hood, and is especially friendly- to the 

 apple, the cherry, and the grape, and, in fact, all fruits 

 of the region. The leading varieties of ajjples in the 

 older coniniercial orchards arc Jonathan, (irinies. Hen 

 Da^^s, Gano. Winesap antl Black Twig, probably 

 ranking in value according to the order nanietl. Of 

 late, Delicious, Staynian, and Ingram have been vvvy 

 freely planted in the southern part; while in the north, 

 Wealthy, .Malinda. and Northwestern Clreening are 

 most prominent. Sjjraying is generally carried on in 



^iV/SCO^Sy/V DRIFT ^^^^AfORAINC 



I lOtVAN O/firr I \ S(KrrM£/fN IOWA 



2502. Iowa, showing the soil areas. 



the larger centers but clean tillage in the older orchards 

 is rather the exception than the rule. 



The sour cherry occupies second place in Iowa fruits 

 and promises most rapid development. EspeciaUy 

 successful wherever the loess soil is found, it does not 

 reach commercial importance beyond latitude 42.5° 

 (Sioux City and Dubuque) on the west and east of 

 the state, the line of success (lroi)i)ing about 1° of 

 latitude southwardly in the center of th(^ state, where 

 the newer drift has overlaid the loess. By reiison of 

 the failure of cherry in the northern half of the state, 

 there is a splendid market, practically inexhaustible, 

 at goo<l margin, for all suri)lus cherries grown in the 

 .southern half. Early Richmond is by far the most 

 valuable, with Montmorency second and English 

 Morello third. Sweet cherries do not .succeed. 



The plum, while of considerable annual value, is 

 not strictly a commercial fruit of Iowa. Being the 

 native home of a large number of jjuro americana 

 varieties, this ola.ss of course finds its gn^atest di^velop- 

 ment within the state, especially the northern part. 

 Of these, Terry, De Soto, Wyant, Hawkeye, Wolf and 

 Hammer remain most prominent, with Wild Goo.se 

 leading the Chickasaw or narrow-leaf type, 'i'he 

 many fine hybrid plums promise to V)ring Iowa forward 

 as one of the principal plum-growing sections of the 

 Middle West. 



The culture of the iieacli, domesti(^a and Japanese 

 l)lums does not reach north much beyond latitude 41.5°, 

 though it is (Hishing .steadily northward by the adop- 

 tion of newly introduced seedling varieties. The peach 

 is di'veloping considerable commercial importance in 

 the extreme southern ))art, while the domestica and 

 .Ia])anese plums are <liH'reasing in favor owing to the 

 lack of hardiness and strong tendenc)' to rot. 



Bears, while rather freely ])lanted throughout the 

 loess soil sections of the state, have become commer- 

 cially prominent t)nly in a few limited areas, notably 

 the bluffs along the river south of Des Moines and near 

 the eastern border from Davenport southward. The 

 largest individual jjear orchard at jiresent includes over 

 100 acres, owned by B. A. Matthews, of Knoxville, 

 largely Kieffer, from which eight to fifteen carloads 

 are shipped annually. Generally, however, the soil is 

 found too heavy for successful pear-culture; only the 

 thin-soiled bluffs and hillsides 

 can be recommended for pear 

 orchards, and these must be 

 seeded down and sometimes 

 root-pruned to prevent disas- 

 trous blight. 



Practically aU parts of the 

 state can produce good grapes, 

 though the centers of commer- 

 cial vineyards are largelj' con- 

 fined to the regions .surrounding 

 Council Bluffs on the west and 

 Des Moines in the central part. 

 Concord, Moore Early and Wor- 

 <len comprise fully 90 per cent 

 of the planting, the Concord. 

 |)roving most reliable, Moore 

 Early generally most profitable 

 an acre. 



Next to sour cherry and hybrid 

 plums, the most rapid advance- 

 ment is now being made in the 

 Elanting of the blackcap rasp- 

 erries. About fifteen years ago, 

 thousands of acres were devoted 

 to this fruit throughout the 

 south central belt of the state, 

 but low prices, due to an un- 

 developed market and the gen- 

 eral spread of the anthracnose 

 fungus disease, discouraged fruit- 

 growers. Plantations destroyed by the disease were 

 not replanted, causing a decided decrease in raspberry- 

 production. Prices have since been going steadily 

 upward until now with prospect of netting from S200 to 

 $350 an acre annually with favorable seasons and good 

 care, rather extensive planting is again resumed. On 

 account of the exceUenf outlet to the north for surplus 

 fruit, besides a splendid home market, it is hkely that 

 Des Moines will remain the principal raspberry center. 

 Cumberland first, with Gregg a close second, and Kan- 

 sas for early fruit, constitute the bulk of the planting. 

 Shallow cultivation and summer mulch to protect 

 against drought at harvest time, bring best results. 



The fruits which have been and are likely to remain 

 most prominent commercially over the state are the 

 apple, tlie cherry, grapes, strawberries, and raspberries. 

 Almost without exception, the perishable fruits are 

 grown in greatest volume near the large market centers 

 of the state, the only prominent exception being in the 

 case of cherries and grapes extensively grown for annual 

 shipment to northern and northwestern markets, 

 extending into Mirmesota and the Dakot:is. The three 

 I)rincipal centers of commercial cherry- and grape- 

 culture are: (1) along the Missouri River, on the west, 

 from Sioux City down to the Missouri line; (2) along 

 the Mississip|)i and some of its Iowa tributaries, from 

 Davenport southward; and (3) in the vicinity of Des 



STATUTE f^tL£S 



