48 . THE ALABAMA OPPORTUNITY. 



the season, Uie Elbcrta was selling for 75 cents a crate and 

 the Sioppey peach was bringing- $1.75. 



Here about Evergreen it takes a fruit tree only two or three 

 years to beai. The tree is usually good for one crate at the 

 end of ^hree years and at the end of five years' with anything 

 like fair conditions the trees will produce three crates. 



While the Runiph orchard was the pioneer, the first to be 

 planted, it is not the largest orchard in this section. While 

 the Runiph orchard has 15,000 trees, there is a larger orchard 

 at Red Level on the L. and N. branch road between Georgiana 

 and Andalusia These orchards are planted on Owassa Ridge, 

 which is said to be excellent peach soil, a location which not 

 only gives the trees a firm soil, but it places them sufficiently 

 iiigh to give them the altitude that is said to be necessary for 

 the growing of peaches. 



GREAT ORCHARD. 



Messrs. William Cunningham and Edward A. Be'aven are 

 going extensively into the growing of peaches. They pro- 

 pose .to have an orchard of 50,000 trees, of which 15,000 trees 

 have been planted and are a year old. The other 35,000 trees 

 are being planted this fall. These, gentlemen are showing 

 iheir confidence in peach growing in South Alabama by invest- 

 ing $25,000 in that industry. Their orchard is located four 

 and a half miles north of Evergreen. They have sent over to 

 Arkansas, and s'ecured the service of a fruit expert who is a 

 graduate of a school of technology and secured his practical 

 training under jMcNair, the famous peach man of the Ozarks. 



Yates, Brown and Shepard have an orchard of 15.000 or 

 20,000 trees ne?r Brewton. In addition there are other or- 

 chards of smaller size around about Evergreen, the largest of 

 which is owned bv Dr. Marcellus McCreary. 



Peach growing is in its' infan^^y here but the industr\- is a 

 hcalthv infant. It is developing and expanding at a remarkable 

 rate, at 1 rate which bids fair to enable the Alabama peach 

 grower to throw down the gauntlet to his Georgia rival. 



vStrawberries brought big money in Evergreen last year, 

 and unif ss something is wrong with the weather in the spring 

 thcv will bring in more money next year. A hurried look at 

 the figures of the business done by the big Castleberry Com- 



