2222 Xc^irPTT AMERICAN STATES 



NORTH AMERICAN STATES 



quantities in the rieli valley lands of the nioimtaiiis. 

 'I he sweet jxitato is jirown in jji-oater or less acreage on 

 alnu^t every farm in the state. The total of this pro- 

 duction is a very larpj item amoimtinn to about S.OIU),- 

 (XX) bushels, oue-seventli of the tot^il crop of the United 

 States. 



NVatennelons and cjuitaloupes are extensive truck 

 crops in the sand-hill sect ion of the state. The jilaiit ings 

 of some of the larger growers run into huinlre<ls of 

 acres. In the .sliipping sea-son, traiidoads of refrigerator 

 cars of melons and cantalouiies go north daily. 



The growing of the head tyjies of lettuce has become 

 a consiilerable industry in North Carolina. The early 

 crop is grown under cotton covers and the later ones in 

 the open field. The lettuce cro]) is usually followed on 

 the same land by radish, cucumbers or beets. Snap 

 beans and ICnglish ])eas are nuich used as early spring 

 catch-croi)s before the general summer farm crops. A 

 considerable industry ha.s developed in some localities 

 in the pro<iuction of very early corn for northern mar- 

 kets, before the northern crojj comes in. 



The strawberry is so extensively grown in North 

 Carolina as to be considered a regular field crop. At 

 Chadboum, Mt. Tabor and other points along the Coast 

 Line Railroad, the production of strawberries is so 

 great that the large northern markets have found it to 

 their advantage to send their agents to buy on the track 

 as the cars are loaded. During the season, solid train- 

 loads of iced cars of berries leave the strawberry section 

 of North Carolina daily. The dewberry is also rapidly 

 becoming a commercial fruit crop of importance, the 

 output ranging in the neighborhood of 300 cars a 

 season. 



In the last decade, North Carolina has made rapid 

 develo[)ment in the commercial culture of apples. The 

 high altitude combined with rich motmtain soils and 

 bright but cool climate make fruit of high color and 

 a fine quality. Standard northern varieties are 

 grown as well as many of southern origin. On many 

 moimtain slopes, owing to favorable air-drainage, ther- 

 mal belts or zones are found where orchards have a 

 high immunity to injury by cold. For this reason the 

 commercial orchards are located mostly on the high 

 eloping sides of the mountains. Commercial orchards 

 varj' in size from a few hundred up to as high as 

 50,000 tret«. (Sec Volume I, page 322.) 



The peach orchards of North Carolina are situated 

 mostly in the sand-hill section, but there is a general 

 exodus of peach-growing to the higher lands of the 

 foothills and mountain spurs where thermal conditions 

 give a greater cxejnption from frost. North Carolina 

 peaches are of high color and excellent quality. They 

 go to market about ten days later than the Georgia 

 crop and nearly two weeks earlier than the northern 

 peaches. 



The grape in North CaroUna is represented by two 

 different types, — th<! mu-scatiines, which are native of 

 the coastal region, and the labruscas or "bunch grapes," 

 which are grown mostly in the Piedmont and movm- 

 tains. The Scuppernong, a white variety of the musca^ 

 dine or rotundifolia type, is fovmd as a domestic fruit 

 on almost even.' plantation in ejvstem Carolina. Like 

 the fig, it has proved to be almost an ideal home fruit 

 for the South. It will stand almost any kind of neglect 

 and almost unfailingly produces an abundant crop of 

 very excellent fruit. 



•Some very large vineyards of Scuppernong grapes 

 have been developed for wine purposes, but in the face 

 of an increa.sing temperance sentiment the industry is 

 not enlarging. At the horticultural branch exj)eriment 

 station, at Willard, an ext/ensiv<r experiment, with mus- 

 cadine grafKSi is being conducted by the State Departs 

 rnent of Agriculture and ExpfTiment Station in coope- 

 ration with the Division of Pomology of the National 

 Depart ment of Agriculture. The inost promising varieties 

 of the rotundifolia sjiecies from Virginia to Texas have 



been collectetl ami are being tested. Breeding work is 

 imder way to develop varieties of this species that will 

 be valuable for dessert and market purposes. When 

 given cari'ful tillage and an especially thorough spray- 

 ing, the "bunch grapes" produce very fine fruit. 



The "paper-shell" |)ecan is rapidly coming into 

 prominence in eastern North Carolina as an orchard 

 crop. Orchards of budded pecan trees of standard 

 varieties are b(nng jilantcd every year and the earlier 

 plantings are coming into bearing. Seedling groves are 

 being top-worked to named varieties. In the Piedmont 

 section, plantings are being made of EngUsh walnuts. 



Public-sernce agencws for horticulture. 



The Land-Grant college of North Carohna commonly 

 known as the "College of Agriculture and Mechanic 

 Arts," is located at West Raleigh. The institution was 

 established in 1889. The teaching work in horticulture 

 is carried on by one professor and one instructor. 



The North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Sta- 

 tion was established originally as a division of the State 

 Department of Agriculture, in 1877. In 1887 the Station 

 became a department of the College and was conducted 

 jointly by the College and the Department of Agricul- 

 ture from 1887 to 1907 with the exception of three 

 years. The branch experiment stations, or test farms, 

 are located so as to represent the major soil types, the 

 chmatic conditions and the principal agricultural and 

 horticultural industries of the state. The Pender 

 station is located at WiUard, 33 miles north of 

 Wilmington. It represents the great trucking in- 

 dustry of the state. The Edgecombe station, situated 

 near Rocky Mount, is located to represent the north- 

 eastern coastal section and the soils of that region. The 

 experiments are principally with corn, cotton and pea- 

 nuts. The Iredell station, located at Statesville, repre- 

 sents the Cecil clay soil type and the crops of the Pied- 

 mont region. The Swannanoa station is located in the 

 mountains near Asheville at an altitude of 2,200 feet. 

 It represents the principal soil types and crops of the 

 mountain region. The Transylvania station is located 

 so as to represent the best conditions for commercial 

 apple-culture. It has a wide range in altitude and soil 

 conditions. The Granville station, located at Oxford 

 in the old bright tobacco belt, has beeii equipped for 

 experimental work in the culture and curing of tobacco. 

 The Black Land station is located at \A' enona and rep- 

 resents the muck soils of the swamp areas, of which 

 there are between 2,500,000 and 3,000,000 acres in the 

 state. There are five members of the horticultural staff 

 of the Experiment Station. Forty-four bulletins on 

 horticultural subjects have been issued. 



There are no special schools in the state devoted to 

 horticulture, but horticulture is taught in connection 

 with agriculture at the new agricultural high-schools. 

 Horticulture is not taught in the public schools, except 

 occasionally in the form of natin-e-study or school- 

 gardens. 



North Carolina has a well-equipped State Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, divided into twelve divisions. The 

 Department issues a monthly series of bulletins of 

 which thirty-three have been on horticultural subjects. 



The work done by the State Horticultm-ist in addition 

 to that in connection with the Experiment Station and 

 test fanns is largely in the nature of extension or devel- 

 ojiment work. A cooperative investigation was begun 

 in 1912 with the National Weather Bureau to study the 

 phenomena known as "thermal belts" or "frostless 

 zones," founfl so commoidy in the mountains of North 

 Carolina. Ob.serving stations have been located at 

 different altitudes and on varying slopes and exposures 

 at, seventeen places in the movnitains. 



The newly organized Division of Markets is forming 

 cofiperative as.sociations for the better distribution and 

 marketing of fruits, vegetables and other products. 



The inspection of nurseries for San Jos6 scale and 



