FRUIT REPORTS. 
231 
or market. A hardy and productive variety. The Erwin quince is a seedling 
of Orange. It is medium to large; oblate round; yellow; quality very good. 
The rules of nomenclature and the exhibition rules of the society have been 
adopted by the management of the Spokane and the Seattle Expositions, and 
if rigidly enforced will wipe out the craze for alleged new varieties. 
We have sudden and severe cold waves, that destroy not only our fruit 
crop for the present year, but work havoc in our trees, particularly if in an 
irrigation district, and the water is turned on or kept on after the first of 
September, or if we have copious rains in the fall, followed by sudden and 
severe changes. These changes, however, are not as frequent as in the 
East and North. 
These difficulties can be reduced to the minimum by underdraining and 
by shutting off the irrigating water not later than the first of September. If 
the trees have been injured their recovery can be aided by severe pruning. 
The heads of the trees should be formed two and one-half feet from the 
ground to aid them in resisting the Chinook and trade winds. Thin out the 
centers so as to form low, spreading tops and remove all cross limbs. Begin 
cultivation early in the spring and continue it until the first of September. 
Treated in this way the trees will make a strong, vigorous growth and set 
fruit buds for a full crop. 
WEST VIRGINIA. 
BY PROF. L. C. CORBETT, MORGANTOWN, CHAIRMAN. 
The peculiar outline of the State of West Virginia, taken in connection with 
its numerous waterways and. mountain chains, gives it a diversity of soils and 
climates, which suit it to the production of a great variety of the fruits of 
the north temperate zone. 
Along the river bottoms of the southern division of the State, the horticul- 
ture is southern in character; while along the mountain breasts further north, 
the fruits become distinctly northern. The fruits of the so called Northern 
Pan Handle, or tongue of the State, are such as might be found in New Eng- 
land. It is one of the greatest apple districts of the eastern United States, the 
crop of the single county of Hancock being about 100,000 barrels, when the 
trees bear full. This year the orchards are carrying about 45 per cent of a 
crop. This section borders the Ohio river, and, although somewhat 
changed in character of fruit grown, the orchard belt extends southward 
along the Ohio to the Great Kanawha, where it branches to the eastward 
and takes in a portion of the territory drained by that stream. In general 
this region is spoken of as the Northern Ohio, or Northern Pan Handle 
region and the Southern Ohio Valley region of West Virginia. The Eastern 
Pan Handle is second to this region only in apple production. It embraces 
that neck of land bordered on the north by the Potomac river, and on the 
south by old Virginia, being really a portion of the famous Maryland peach 
orchard and the world famed Albemarle Pippin section of Virginia. Here in 
this line of counties which lie between Maryland and Virginia, two of the 
great fruit belts of America are joined, and West Virginia is a gainer, for it 
is in this region that the famous York Imperial Orchard of Mr. John Miller 
is situated, as well as the peach orchards of his brothers. These peach orch- 
ards are now the largest owned by any one company in the United States, 
