THE SUMMER-APPLE INDUSTRY OF THIS REGION. 17 



the present time it is the center of the most extensive summer- 

 apple interests of any section in this region. 



Census data relating to apples in this section are of little signifi- 

 cance, as they include the trees of bearing age of all seasons of ripen- 

 ing, and many fall and winter sorts are grown as well as summer 

 varieties, yet the recent extension of apple culture, especially in 

 Kent County, Del., has been quite largely of early varieties. Data 

 regarding the number of peach and apple trees of bearing age in this 

 county are therefore of interest for comparison with the data as to 

 peach trees just presented, as follows: 



1890. 1900. 



Peach trees 2, 335, 740 824, 430 



Apple trees 114, 371 186, 457 



The period of most rapid extension of the early-apple interests, how- 

 ever, has been during the past eight or ten years; hence, it is not 

 shown in any available census figures. 



PRESENT STATUS AND EXTENT. 



A general statement as to the distribution of the orchards in this 

 region, giving the more important centers of early-apple production, 

 will give the reader some conception of the extent and importance of 

 this phase of fruit culture. 



In New Jersey, the principal early-apple interests are within a 

 radius of 18 to 20 miles of Philadelphia. Large quantities of fruit 

 are grown in this section, nearly all of which is hauled in wagons to 

 the Philadelphia markets. A common type of wagon used for this 

 purpose is shown in Plate II, figure 1 . 



There are numerous other orchards in central and southern New 

 Jersey in which early apples are an important factor, but they are 

 considerably isolated in their location with regard to one another, 

 and the fruit from them is handled quite differently from that which 

 is grown near Philadelphia. 



In Delaware the important section is the central part of the State, 

 the commercial orchards being well distributed over Kent County 

 within a distance of 8 or 10 miles of the railroad. 



In the other sections of Delaware, and in the Maryland, Virginia, and 

 North Carolina sections of this region, early apples are grown in much 

 the same way that they are in southern New Jersey. Family orchards 

 and many gardens contain such varieties, and occasionally isolated 

 orchards of commercial size are to be found, but the industry is not 

 centralized in particular sections, though in the aggregate the amount 

 of fruit grown is considerable. 



In the sections of this region where the fruit interests have already 

 been well developed a good system of orchard management is gener- 

 56682°— Bui. 194—11 2 



