18 ORCHARD FRUITS IN VIRGINIA AND OTHER STATES. 



quently mentioned "cove" orchards are located. (PL III, fig. 2.) 

 These coves are the valleys between the ridges and spurs which 

 extend from the main ridges. As a rule they are narrow, but often of 

 considerable length. Usually the soil is a deep, black, friable loam 

 and extremely rich. These coves are considered very desirable loca- 

 tions for orchards. 



The section of the map (PI. V) indicated by the lighter diagonal 

 hatching represents the mountain region included in the Allegheny 

 and Cumberland plateaus. It requires no special description in the 

 present connection, as it is not included in the following discussion. 

 The same statement applies also to the Appalachian Valley region. 

 Geologically this valley is continuous throughout the entire length of 

 the mountain system, but because of its elevation in southwestern 

 Virginia it is considered a more accurate pomological representation 

 of this section to place this portion of Virginia in the Blue Ridge and 

 other mountain regions, as the map indicates. 



The small, detached, green areas (PI. V), found principally in North 

 Carolina and West Virginia, indicate points exceeding 4,000 feet in 

 elevation. There is but little attempt made to grow fruit at these 

 higher altitudes because of their inaccessibility and the unfavorable 

 climatic conditions which often prevail. Hence these areas are rela- 

 tively unimportant from the standpoint of commercial orcharding, 

 though it is probable that some varieties would prove to be adapted 

 to these conditions, aside from periods of injurious climatic conditions, 

 such as sleet storms, etc. 



THE SOILS. 



The relationship of soil to crop production is a matter of increas- 

 ingly great importance, and the practice of selecting a particular type 

 for the production of a specific result is constantly being given wider 

 application in the most progressive lines of agriculture. While it may 

 be true that the most marked influences of different soil types appear 

 in the growing of annual crops — those which complete their life cycle 

 in a single season — the effects of soil are also frequently noticeable 

 and of great consequence in the production of such crops as orchard 

 fruits, which occupy the land for a series of years. This fact is becom- 

 ing better appreciated by fruit growers, and greater care is being 

 exercised than formerly in selecting soils for orchard purposes. A 

 soil rich in available plant food is essential to the best results, but 

 doubtless its physical condition, in relation to its heat and moisture 

 absorbing capacity, is of still greater significance than the mere quan- 

 tity of plant food which it may contain. 



In these Piedmont and Blue Ridge regions the soil types are numer- 

 ous and variable. Two areas in the Virginia portion of these regions 



135 



