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ORCHAKD FRUITS IN VIRGINIA AND OTHER STATES. 



Reference to its behavior under stated conditions will indicate in some degree the 

 range of adaptability of the Winesap in these regions. At 800 to 1,000 feet altitude on 

 Cecil sandy loam in the upper Piedmont the tendency to rot and drop is more marked 

 than on Cecil clay at the same altitudes. This is, however, one of the most satisfactory 

 winter varieties on Cecil sandy loam at the usual altitudes of this soil. Cecil clay 

 and Porters clay at elevations of 1,000 to 1,200 feet furnish combinations of conditions 

 which appear to be quite ideal for producing this variety with marked success. As 

 a rule, orchards thus located may be expected to be more regular in bearing and to 

 produce finer, more highly colored fruit than under most other conditions afforded 

 in these regions. On Porters black loam and the other loose mountain soils at eleva- 

 tions exceeding 1,200 to 1,500 feet it is susceptible to the apple scab fungus, and 

 increasingly so at higher altitudes. At the higher elevations it is also usually small 

 and poorly flavored and frequently possesses a faded, " washed-out " color which 

 appears to be peculiar to such conditions, with a tendency to stripe instead of devel- 

 oping a solid red color. These tendencies have been noted in a lesser degree in some 

 of the "cove orchards" at elevations of less than 1,200 feet, where Porters black loam 

 abounds, but they are much less pronounced and occur with less uniformity than at 

 the higher points. On the other hand, extended observation indicates that these 

 "characteristics tend to disappear on red clay soils until elevations of at least 1,500 

 feet are reached, and possibly even higher altitudes. The effect of the higher eleva- 

 tions, as above noted, appears to diminish to a large extent in the rather loose clayey 

 loam of the Blue Ridge region in western North Carolina. The soil in question is 

 intermediate in physical characters between Cecil clay of the lower levels and Porters 

 black loam. With these soil conditions at elevations of from 2,500 to 2,800 feet, the 

 Winesap is considered one of the standard commercial winter varieties. It is said, 

 however, to bear more abundantly on the heavier clay soil which is found in small 

 areas in this mountain section than on the more loamy types. The conditions in the 

 northern portion of the Piedmont region seem to be less uniformly favorable to its 

 highest development than in most of this region, the fruit developing some of the char- 

 acteristics of that grown at the higher elevations farther south. In connection with 

 the behavior of this variety in these regions it is of interest to note that the peculiarities 

 which it develops in the northern portion of the Piedmont region and at high eleva- 

 tions farther south in the Blue Ridge are similar to those manifested in the northern 

 apple-growing districts, but in the North they are still more pronounced than they 

 are at any point in the South. 



Summarizing these results, it is apparent that the conditions in the northern portion 

 of the Piedmont region at 1,000 to 1,200 feet elevation do not produce the best results, 

 and that in the more southern counties of Virginia which have been referred to the 

 conditions produce very excellent fruit, but less satisfactory results are secured at 

 points having elevations which much exceed that of the Piedmont region, while still 

 farther south this variety can be grown at higher altitudes than is possible in the 

 northern portion of the Piedmont. Its behavior thus indicates in an interesting way 

 the corresponding relationship between altitude and latitude in their influence upon 

 the behavior of this variety. 



Winter Paradise. Synonym: Paradise Winter Sweet. 



There are few sweet apples grown in these regions, and of the number this is the 

 most common one, especially in the older orchards of the Piedmont section of Virginia. 

 It is not being planted much at the present time. Its season is fall and early winter. 

 By careful handling it can be kept until the Christmas holidays. As a local market 

 variety it is fairly popular, usually bringing as high prices as any variety of its season, 

 and frequently more than most sorts. The fruit is more or less subject to bitter-rot, 

 the loss from it sometimes representing a large part of the crop. 

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