WESTRINGIA 



otjlouglaneeolate to linear, K-1 in. loug: lis. wliite, 

 axillary, almost sessile; calyx 3 lines long; corolla not 

 twice as long as the calyx. Sandy hills, near the sea- 

 coast. Australia.— Offered in S. Calif. 



F. W. Barclay. 



WEST VIB6INIA HOETICULTURE i 



that of most other .states, had its Im-i,mi 

 issue of the usual operations of the fani 

 to-.h.v it is eousidered as a sort of c.iiii]il 



WEST VIRGINIA 



is h: 



the growing of watermelons, peas an.l t.niKd.i. •.. i- ^uc-h 

 as has been encouraged by the gruwili "i ilir m i.liixir- 

 ing towns. Melon-growing, wliit-li liav ;iii .xiin^ive 

 acreage along the Ohio river bottom, is ili. c.iil\ luaiich 

 of vegetable-gardening which seeks iiiark. t^ cuit>iilc- the 

 state. What has been said of vegetal-]. i;iir.lri,iii^' aji- 

 plies equally well to small-fruit oiiliurc, Imt tin tree 

 fruits — notably apples and peaches — fall umler quite a 

 different category. 



The apple industry in We.st Virginia is chiefly of two 

 characters and has two regions, — the lower, and the north- 

 ern Ohio valley counties of the state. The former region 

 gives considerable attention to the production of early 

 apples for the northern markets. Several early harvest 

 varieties are grown, Yellow Transparent, Red Astrachan 

 and Pomme Royal predominating; these are followed 

 by Maiden Blush, Grimes Golden and Rome Beauty. 

 Because of the favorable climate in this region, the pro- 

 duction of this class of fruits has grown to be a profit- 

 able, although not a large industry. The northern Ohio 

 river valley counties, including what is known as the 

 Northern Panhandle, and the counties in the eastern part 

 of the state, bordering on the Potomac, form the present 

 areas for the commercial growing of winter apples. 



The Hancock county orchards (northern end of Pan- 

 handle) are unique in stora^-e f.^icilities. Here nearly 

 every grower with any fi.iisi,lcrable acreage (fifty or 

 more acres) is pruviilr.l with a si. .rage-house, so that in 

 seasons of greatest ifuit i.r.'.liicti.nx there is s\tfllcient 

 capacity for storiu- the . rop. i'leviuus to the fall of 189G 

 all the houses were constructed of stone and provided 

 with ice chambers for maintaining artificial cold.' In 

 189G one house was built of wood on the principle of 

 confined air between walls constructed of wood and 

 paper. In this house, which has been used two years, 

 no ice is carried, and good results have followed. These 

 houses are of various capacities, ranging from 2,500 up 

 to 35,000 barrels. 



The plan most in vogue is to have the fruit removed 

 from the trees by expert pickers, plai-.-.l in l.an. Is in 

 the orchard, headed and then traiisf.in .1 iiniu. .liat. ly 

 to the storage-house. In general, tin- l.ai r.ls an- si..i-..l 

 in tiers on the side. They are left in this position until 

 shipping season arrives, which usually begins in March 

 or early April and extends well into May. Before ship- 

 ment each barrel is opened, the contents placed in a 

 sorter and the fruits carefully assorted and graded. 

 The barrels are stenciled with the grower's trade-mark 

 and with the grade of the fruit. Through a series of 

 years these practices have been strictly adhered to and 

 as a result the fruit, the bulk of which goes south and 

 west, has a reputation in the markets to which it finds 

 its way. This region along the upper Ohio is peculiar 

 also in possession of a variety suited to its climate 

 and to the practices of the growers. This is known as 

 the Willow Twig, an apple of good size, good appear- 

 ance and fair quality, a long keeper and a good cooker. 

 Willow Twig and Ben Davis yield the greater part of 

 the crop of this region, although among varieties of 

 minor importance the Rome Beauty and Bentley Sweet 

 are some of the best. 



The varieties chiefly grown in the eastern counties 

 differ quite as much from those of the Hancock region 

 as do the varieties of New York. In the eastern coun- 

 ties York Imperial or Johnson Fine Winter is the va- 

 riety upon which most dependence is placed. It is not 

 only a sure cropper, but is a good market variety, pos- 

 sessing high color with good flavor and fair keeping 



Ta or n 1 

 in Octobei 

 ruary witl 

 and an eq 

 as well a 



ike altho igh the rop 



apple as well as tl e 'W 



i ncluded by 



laced in store 



..in in Feb- 



roth section 



r ative of the 



Commercial apple 

 10 Com'l. apple and 

 tl II Suited to apples. 



Peich districts. 



porno o£ cal regu 



state. Another apple belt in which young orchards give 

 much promise lies at the extreme southern border of 

 the state. 



Peaches thrive in various sections of the state. In 

 fact, hardly a locality is without its supply; but strange 

 to say, in many instances the trees jire chance seedlings, 

 and the quality of the fruit is correspondingly low. In 

 the five counties bordering upon the Potomac, however, 

 the industry has grown to important commercial pro- 

 portions. The orchards under the control of the Alle- 

 gheny Orchard Company aggregate nearly 150,000 trees. 

 Besides this there are numerous private enterprises 

 with or.'hards ranging from 500 to 5,000 trees. The 

 most su.-i'i-ssEul orchards are situated upon the first 

 feria.e of the mountain, usually three to five miles 

 fr..ni tin- Potomac, and at an elevation of from 900 to 

 l.r.lHl f,.,.t above tide. The soil is L'ravellv in nature, 

 resulting from the I.f.:il> i i.'j .|..\\n ..t' -I.:.!. ;.ii.! ^..i.-lv 

 rocks. "The metho.U ■■ ■" ..■.I:,-. . .,,■;.' :i.., i- 





the pea 



the 



dlemau is saved, the retailer gets a fresh pri..lu.t ilii-.ct 

 from the orchard, and the con.sumer is pivividxl will, a 

 better article. 



In West Virginia, where lack of tr.insi..,rtati..n is 

 often an obstacle, cann.-fi.'s ar.- vahial.l.' ;.s tin-iiishii.tr 

 a market for hortieulrur;il prc'tn.'is. In the .ity ..f 

 Wheeling there are tlir.-.. i-\t,'h-i\.' pi.-Klin^' an.l .'an- 

 ning factories where larire .jtn.nlit i.s ..i' ..i. innt..rs, 

 tomatoes and onions, as well as vari.ms tin its. an- pn- 

 pared for winter consumption. In Martin-I.nir. in . ..n- 

 nection with the cold storage house aha a.iy ni(-nii..n..l, 

 a modern cannery of large capacity is (i].irati(l. which 

 furnishes an annual market for the products of both 

 orchards and gardens. Besides these there are several 

 smaller concerns which confine their packing to one or 

 at most to two vegetables, tomatoes being the favorite. 



