In eastern Indiana tbe plum ami tliB cherry are grown 

 more largely than the peach, while the central part 

 of the state excels in pears. Small-fruits are abundant 

 everywhere. 



Southern Indiana has a mean annual temperature 8° 

 to 10° warmer than that of the northern end. With 

 other favorable conditions iu the way of soil, protection 

 from severe winds and perfect atmospheric drainage, 

 owinpr to the fact that the country for the most part is 

 hiliy, the peach and other tender fruits are successfully 

 grown. Here, on the banks of the Ohio river, was, until 

 recently, one of the largest peach orchards in the middle 

 West ; and even now orchards of from 40,000 to 50,000 

 trees maybe seen on the "knobs" In Clark and Wash- 

 ington counties. Here, too, is the home of the " Big Red 

 Apple "(Ben Davis) and the KiefFer pear. The largest 

 Kieffer pear orchard may be seen near the town of Sa lem, 

 in Washington county. This orchard consists of I'.'.OOO 

 trees. The soil in southern Indiana is for the most part 

 decidedly different from that found farther north. In a 

 report of the United States Geological Survey made 

 some years ago, mention is made of the "white clay 

 lands, "which cover a large portion of southern Indiana, 

 Ohio and Illinois, where most of the finest fruit is 

 grown. In Indiana the northern boundary of this pecu- 

 liar formation, according to the description, begins near 

 Terre Haute on the west, and passes more or less irregu- 

 larly across the state, passing into Ohio nearBrookville, 

 Franklin county. Thus the greater portion of the state 

 south of this line is made up of this white clay deposit. 

 In many places thisclay becomes almost a brick-red, but 

 the characteristics are, in general, the same, whatever 

 the color. An apple orchard consisting of such varie- 

 ties as Ben Davis, Rome Beauty, Winesap, Rail's Genet 

 and Grimes' Golden, planted on these clays, is certain 

 to reward the owner who gives it intelligent attention. 



Here is also the home of the papaw, Asimina tri- 

 loba, and the native persimmon, Diospijnis Virginiana. 

 Excellent varieties of the latter are cultivated to some 



INDIAN TERRITORY 803 



extent for the large markets, but the industry is as yet 

 in its infancy. Both of these wild fruits offer a wide 

 field for investigation. This section also includes the 

 famous melon districts, where both musk- and water- 

 melons are grown to perfection. Hundreds of acres are 

 grown annually and the products shipped to the larger- 

 cities of the North and West. j^^.^^ troop. 



INDIAN TEEEITOEY, HOETICULTUEAL POSSI- 

 BILITIES OF. Fig. Ii:i2. The liorliculture of the 

 Indian Territory is in a very primitive state. The land 

 is owned in common. The individual has the right to 

 live on and occupy a certain piece of laud for an indefi- 

 nite length of time. The shipping facilities are poor. 

 The local markets are very limited. The country is 

 thinly populated. There is an abundance of wild fruit. 

 The people are not sufficiently educated in agricultural 

 industries to be successful in fruit culture. 



There are soils of all kinds in the Territory. Most of 

 the soil, however, is a sandy loam with a clay subsoil. 

 Most of the land drained by the Arkansas and Canadian 

 rivers is sandy. That drained by the Neosho and Ver- 

 digris is a black clay and limestone land with heavv clay 

 subsoil. All the gra<les between these can be found on 

 the borders of these river watersheds. In the extreme 

 southern part some of the land is very low and wet. 



Most of the country is rolling, and in extreme north- 

 eastern and south central part the hills almost reach the 

 dignity of mountains. The Boston mountains (a spur 

 of the Ozarks) run along the northeast border. The 

 Washtaw hills extend through the southern part from 

 east to west. The Flint hills enter the northwest part 

 of the Territory, and are enclosed by the Arkansas and 

 Verdigris rivers. From this it will be seen that but lit- 

 tle of the country is flat or low and swampy, and the 

 best of exposures for fruit land may be bad in all parts 

 of the country. There are no lakes or large bodies of 

 water in the Territory. 



The flora is about the same as that of Arkansas^ 

 although more limited in the western part. Few collec- 

 tions have been made, and only the plants of commer- 

 cial importance are well known. The forest belts of' 

 Arkansas and Missouri extend for some distance into- 



1132. Indian Territory. 



the Territory. Most of the timber is only second grade, 

 composed of oaks, pine and walnut. 



Garden crops, where grown and cultivated, do well. 

 Potatoes are grown to some extent for market in the 

 Cherokee Nation, and give good returns. The early 

 potatoes do best, but are very hard to keep over sum- 



