CHAPTER XXXVII 



FRUIT-GROWING IN VARIOUS SECTIONS OF 

 NORTH AMERICA 



The Piedmont and Blue Ridge regions. The Piedmont and Blue 

 Ridge regions comprise parts of the following states : Virginia, 

 West Virginia, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, and Ken- 

 tucky. Until ten years ago practically no commercial apple pro- 

 duction was to be found in this section. Apples were raised in 

 some abundance, but nearly all were used for cider, apple juice, or 

 some other by-product. Lately the development of this region has 

 been very rapid, probably more than a million young trees being 

 planted in the last few years. 



According to available figures the production of this region in 

 191 1 amounted to 5,400,000 barrels — about 15.1 per cent of the 

 total. In 191 2 the production probably exceeded 6,000,000 barrels. 

 The Virginias alone, in 1909, produced 10,329,000 bushels of 

 apples valued at $5,591,000.00. This gives an average of 54 cents 

 a bushel, and compares favorably with the average value of 5 2 cents 

 a bushel in New York State, 50 cents in Pennsylvania, and 

 48 cents in Michigan. 



This region is a land of mountains, valleys, hills, and plateaus, 

 and has been found to be a natural apple belt. The soil is rich, 

 and largely made up of debris of the peculiar rotten-granite rocks 

 of the mountains — a soil very deep and very retentive of moisture. 

 The soil types are numerous and variable. In Virginia the Bureau 

 of Soils has surveyed two areas, the largest parts of which have 

 been found to contain the best possible fruit-growing soils. The 

 Cecil series, the Porter series, and the Merrill series are the areas 

 described in the report of the survey. 



In the elevated sections of this region the climate is cool, with 

 plenty of rain and sunshine, and the growing season is long. Where 

 the land is level or slightly rolling the orchards are usually given 



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