1352 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 



gether m 1909 was about seven and one- 

 lialf times that of 1899, but tbie produc- 

 tion of grapes declined. The value of 

 orchard fruits increased from $109,000 m 

 1899 to $801,000 in 1909, while that of 

 grapes declined from $15,593 in 1899 to 

 $11,021 in 1909. It should be noted in 

 this connection that the values for 1899 

 include the value of more advanced prod- 

 ucts derived from orchard fruits or 



grapes, such as cider, vinegar, dried 

 fruits, and the like, and may therefore 

 involve some duplication, while the 

 values shown for 1909 relate only to the 

 products in their original condition 



The following table shows the quanti- 

 ties of the more advanced products man- 

 ufactured by farmers from orchard fruits 

 and grapes Values were not called for 

 on the schedule. 



PRODUCT 



Farms reporting, 1909 



Quantity produced 





Number 



Per cent of 

 all farms 



Unit 



1909 



1899 



Cider 



Vmegar 



Wine and grape juice 



Dried fruits 



215 

 168 

 425 

 101 



1 

 1 

 3 

 1 



Gals 

 Gals 

 Gals 

 Lbs 



9,044 

 5,778 

 4,567 

 2,853 



6,111 



3,339 



6,197 



500 



Minor Articles op Farm Equipment. 

 See under Farms. 



Mississippi 



Mississippi has an area of 46,340 square 

 miles. There are no mountains in the 

 state, but a considerable difference exists 

 between the continuous low, fiat alluvial 

 regions lying along and between the 

 Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, called the 

 bottoms, and nearly all the remainder of 

 the state, called the uplands. These up- 

 lands are an undulating plateau, whose 

 general elevation rises to 150 feet above 

 the Gulf of Mexico within a few miles of 

 the coast and varies further inland to a 

 height of 600 feet. There are some excep- 

 tional ridges rising to a height of 800 to 

 1,000 feet. 



The streams of this region flow in val- 

 leys that range in width from a few rods 

 to several miles, sometimes making a 

 broad stretch of level bottom land of ex- 

 ceeding fertility. 



The state lies in what is called the 

 semi-tropical belt. The winters are short 

 and mild and the summers are not so 

 intensely hot as the latitude would indi- 

 cate on account of the breezes from the 

 Gulf, which modify the temperature. 



The soil is very fertile, especially in 

 the river bottoms and the delta, which 

 comprises a plain almost as level as the 



surface of the ocean and of inexhaustible 

 richness. 



The table lands are also fertile. For 

 the most part they are formed of cal- 

 careous loam, calcareous silt, and, in the 

 eastern part of the state, of brown loam, 

 all of which are highly productive. 



The yellow loam of the hills and the 

 sandy loam of the pine belt are inferior 

 in quality, but taken as a whole, perhaps 

 there is no state in the Union more pro- 

 ductive than Mississippi. 



Vegetables are grown extensively along 

 the rivers and in the region of the delta 

 and shipped in large quantities to the 

 markets of the cities along the Atlantic 

 coast. 



The sassafras, persimmon, wild cherry 

 and Chickasaw plums are found growing 

 wild in all parts of the state. The grape, 

 Ogeechee lime and paw-paw, blackberries, 

 dewberries and strawberries all grow lux- 

 uriantly. 



The principal fruit crop is peaches, to 

 which the soil and climate in parts of 

 the state are well adapted. Pears have 

 been planted in considerable numbers, but 

 have been so subject to blight that, in 

 most localities, the growers have become 

 discouraged and have given up the en- 

 terprise. Pear growing in the state is 

 therefore not considered a success. 



Apple growing in the state is not a 



