FRUITS IX WEST VIRGINIA. KENTUCKY, AND TENNESSEE. 



11 



from the black-slate lands. Some few orchards on the yellow-shale 

 soils which are fertilized liberally with the addition of leguminous 

 cover crops are growing nicely : however, it is questionable whether 

 they will ever be very profitable, unless this artificial feeding is 

 constantly kept up. Although this soil is cheaper than the limestone 

 soil, it is doubtful whether in the long run it will prove as profitable 

 an investment. Those shale soils in which considerable clay is 

 found, as in the soils back of North Mountain, seem to be better 

 suited for trees than the straight shale soils containing no clay. 

 Trees show lack of care and decline quickly on these soils unless 

 well managed. Since peaches do better than apples on the lighter 

 soils, they would probably thrive better than apples on the shale 

 soils. This is found to be true on the red-shale soils, where peaches 

 are doing especially well (3). 



Table 5. — Yields and income of apple orchards on different types of soil in 



West Virginia. 





Apple orchards. 



3-year average, 

 per acre. 



Type of soil. 



Number. ,£* ^ge^ ™* 

 (acre*), (y^). (barrels). 



Income 

 (gross). 





32 941 17 

 32 710 17 



9 200 15 

 11 367 15 



2 56 16 



54.5 



47 



18 



20 



33.3 



$130.00 





100.00 



TTagP^tnwn shalft Inani (hlart <0*te). 



38.00 



Yellow shale or soapstone 



Pflnn canrly lnam (rerj shalfi'l. 



43.00 

 73.34 







It is probable that better management of the orchards on the soil 

 of the Apple Pie Ridge may have accounted in part for the better 

 yields on this type of soil. Further, orchards on this ridge have good 

 air drainage and may be better situated in this respect than other 

 soils. Factors such as these quite probably have caused larger 

 yields from orchards on the Apple Pie Ridge.* It is, however, likely 

 that much of the dissimilarity in yields between orchards on the 

 various types of soil is due to differences in the fertility of such soils. 

 Similar soil types are found in other parts of this region. 



POMOLOGICAL FEATURES. 



Apples and peaches are the important commercial fruit crops of 

 this region. Much of the land now devoted to these fruits was 

 formerly in forest and is adapted only to forest trees and orchards. 

 Because of this and because such excellent orchard sites with good 

 locations may be found, the fruit interests of this region are likely 

 to be permanent. 



The center of the fruit-growing industry is located in that part 

 of the region drained by the Potomac River system. Reference to 

 Table 2. showing the railroad stations making car-lot shipments of 

 peaches in 1014. will indicate the extent of its development as a 

 peach-growing section. It is becoming even more highly developed 

 as an apple-growing section. Long parallel ridges, elevated to a 

 considerable height above the intervening valleys, furnish many 

 favorable sites for orchards. Figures 3. 4. .".. and 6 show typical 

 orchards in this section. 



