Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 October 1892 — ORCHARDS OF “EGYPT.” HEADY FOR HARVEST. VIEW FROM RIG MOUND. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ORCHARDS OF “EGYPT.”

HEADY FOR HARVEST.

VIEW FROM RIG MOUND.

THE FRUIT-GROWING REGION OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS. A Mammoth Indaltij ud How It la Condoeted—Piwflta «* Fruit Growing—Somn Pamdoelral BunM-Hm tho Orchard* Arc PliiM and Cared For. Soutlicra Bnekmtom. For more than half a century Southern Illinois has been known as “Egypt,"

writes a Flora correspondent in the Globe-Demo-crat, What similarity Southern Suckerdom bears or has borne to the land of the erstwhile Phars aohs Is a disputed question. Some say that at an

oaic. lewis a ransom, ear 1 y day this section was celebrated for its oorn orops, and that residents of counties farther north made frequent pilgrimages to purchase it, even as the sons of Jaoob went down into the Egypt of old with sacks and shekels. That is the explanation offered by the Illinois Egyptians, but their northern follow - citizens tender a different tale. They state that the term was not intended to typify a land of plenty, one flowing with milk and honey and teeming with wine and corn and oil —one “where every prospect pleaaes and only man is vile"—but rather a country the poverty of whose soil was equaled only by the dense ignorance ’and constitutional Indolence of its people. The products of the Illinois Egypt were popularly sup-

posed to consist principally of “buck ague,* yellow dogs, ’possums, and hooppoles; the chief occupation of the people to be chewing plug tobaoco and swallowing quinine The inhabitants of the modern Egypt were supposed to be held in a bondage of laziness from which no Midianlte Moses would ever lead them—to be groping in mental darkness, compared to whioh the shadows that fell upon the land of the Pharaohs was an Italian sunset. Southern Illinois was regarded as the Nazareth of the new world, from which no good was expected to prooeed. It was sparsely settled, and land might be had almost for the asking; it was within easy

reach of Chicago, St. Louis, and other mighty markets; the Father of Waters caressed it on the west, and the raging Wabash fretted along the east, and the sunny waters of the Ohio sparkled on the south. Railways pierced it, and a sky of Italian softness smiled upon it; It was threaded by a thousand small streams, and medicinal springs, suoh as Ponoe de Leon vainly sought among the everglades and alligators of Florida, burstfrom its sunny bosom; but It lay tinder the ban, and did not prosper or progress. Home-seekers hurried across

It to waste their energies upon the arid plains of Western Kansas, or wear out their lives in unequal battle with the Dakota blizzard. Finally along the line of the Illinois Central Bail way the culture of small fruits and berries was begun in a Small way. It proved quite profitable, and a new era dawned upon Egypt. Handsome towns sprang up and flourished. Industrious immigrants came pouring in, who planted peach orchards and set out strawberry beds of many acred; Car-load lots of the luscious products began to find their way to the Northern markets, and soon great fruit and berry trains, consisting of several sections, were rolling northwafd. and the return Stream or money and merchandise brought comfort and higher culture. The 'possum and his Improvident pursuer began to disappear. The natives

eaught me spirit or progress ana began to use “bough ten* tobacco and wear “store* shirts. Fortunes were made out of fruit. The man with a large peach orchard or strawberry farm was the nabob of his community. Hay. grain and stock were also extensively raised, but it was apparent from the first that the new Egypt would never, like the old, become the granary of half a world. The soil was generally good, but it was not equal to that of the Nile valley. Peaches and strawberries continued to be its prize product. For the growth of these it had no superior and scarce an equal between Cape Cod and California. But everybody could not grow strawberries and peaches for the Northern market. Hin Apple-liaising Mania. Some years ago it occurred to a few restless spirits that opulence might be found in apple orchards, and they began to experiment. Most people were inoredulous. Everybody knew that Egypt would grow good apples, but few supposed It possessed peculiar advantages for that Industry. Id some sections the experiments did not prove very successful, but in the counties of Marion, Clay, Wayne and Richland good results were obtained and orchard planting on an extensive scale soon followed. The pioneers of the orchard industry planted many varieties, and, as the apple tree is of slow growth, several years elapsed before it was ascertained that the soil and climate were especially adapted to two or three varieties only. Mr. Thomas H. Lowrey is the pioneer of the orchard industry ot this section. He planted the first commercial orchard -in 1866. It consisted of thirty-two acres of various varieties, and is still fruitful at the good old age of twenty-six years. Two hundred wine-sap trees in this orchard i produced In one season 3,000 bushels of J apples, or an average of fifteon bushels per tree. They sold readily at 80 cents j a bushel, or $2,400 for the lot, which ; was grown on four acres. Mr. Lowrey , last season sold his apple crop, on the trees, in the month of July, for $221 per acre, the purchaser assuming not only all risks but the expense of picking and barreling the fruit. Two years ago he

sold his crop for $250 an acre. Four crops gathered from a young orchard have netted him between SSOO and S6OO per acre in the aggregate.. Many others who were among the first to plant orchards have done equally as well. It was such remarkable exhibits as the above that converted the incredulous and set everybody who could command the wherewith to purchase a piece of ground and a stock of trees to planting orohards. Planting on a large scale began eight years ago, but the “apple craze" did not assume an epidemic form until about 1888-89, consequently most of the orchards in the ereat apple belt are too young 10 near. The magnificent returns paid by those that have reached maturity is a constant stimulus, and the number of trees put out each succeeding year increases in a ratio of geometrical Diogrcssion. Tho desire to secure orchards now amounts to almost a mania, and may not inaptly bo compared to the gold fever that onoe raged with such virulence in California. It is estimated that within the past threo years 1,000,000 apple trees have been put out In Marion, Clay, Richland and Wayne Counties, and the work may be said to have just begun. Many farmers will plant from ten to 200 acres more next fall. The local nurseries cannot supply the demand for trees in their immediate neighborhood, and trees are shipped In by the car-load from Missouri and Indiana nurseries. A County of Orchards. Clay County already has the largest orchard area of any county in the Union. Twenty-eight thousand acres and nearly 1,500,000 trees are the figures. The other counties in the apple belt are making a noble struggle to keep abreast of the procession, and are not lagging far behind. Wayne is a good second. It is safe to predict that the orchard area of these four counties will double during the next three years. The orchards range in size from 10 to 350 acres. A man with less than ten acres is not considered worthy the note of the apple statistician. He does not appear in the figures. Orchards of 50, 80 and 100 acres are common. Nearly every business and professional man in the four apple counties has contracted the orchard fever, and cast an anchor to windward in the shape of a few aundred

growing trees. Perhaps four-fifths of the apple orchards have not reached the bearing age, and of the remainder only a small portion are in their prime. Yet it is estimated that three years ago, which was a very favorable crop year, 'more than $400,000 was paid out in Clay County alone for apples. Two years ago the crop was not s# good, yet some $300,000 was poured into the pockets of Clay County apple growers. Last year, with a still less favorable crop, it reached the snug sum of a quarter million dollars. When all the trees now planted In the apple belt are bearing, and a good crop finds fair prices, Northern Illinois will probably take a reef in its patrician nose when it refers to “Egypt.” Handling the Fruit. The fruit is usually sold in the orchard, sometimes on the trees, sometimes piled on the ground and sometimes

barreled. The price paid ranges according to quality and the state of the general fruit crop, from about sl.lO to $2.40 a barrql of thro- bushels each. Perhaps 50 cents a bushel is a fair average price for all grades and seasons. It is no unusual thing for a tree that has reached maturity to produce twenty bushels of choice fruit in a single season, and one made a record of forty-five bushels of apples that sold for 80 cents a bushel. The 1 average for ail seasons will prob-

ably not exceed six bushels per tree. This, at 50 cents a bushel, yields $3 a tree, or $l5O an acre, although many orchardisls insist that tho average is much higher. But granting only SIOO per aore as tho average, the profit is sufficiently great to make orchards a giltedge investment, as the expense necessary to keep a grown orchard in condition and pilo the fruit is very small, and land is cheap.

Most or the planting Is done in the fall, though many trees are put out in the spring. Some planters plow the ground thoroughly, but the usual method is, in ease of fall planting, to plow only strips, five or six furrows wide, where the young trees are to be placed. The best success is obtained with 1-year-old trees, though many 2-yoar-olds are planted. Great care is taken to place the roots of tho young trees straight and give them plenty of mellow earth to expand in. One-year-old trees are simply well-developed switches, but the 2-year-olds are usually “headed”—have put forth tiny branches. Great care is taken at the nursery to make the trees head near the ground, tall and stately trunks being considered entirely too ornamental to be useful. This is accomplished by cutting off the tops of the infant trees and stripping the buds from the stem to the required height. The trees are usually placed thirty feet apart each way,which allows forty-eight to the acre Some orchardists plant them 30x28 feet, thus securing a stand of fifty to the acre. When the trees attain maturity the space between them is narrowed down to a foot-path. The orchards aro usually kept in corn until the trees are 4 years old, as this affords them the necessary cultivation, and the partial shade thus secured is thought to be beneficial to the young trees. They begin to bear when about 7 yearS old, and at tho age of 10 are producing a fair crop. They do not reach tho best bearing period until the age of 15. From that age until 30 is rogarded as the most

profitable life of a tree, though many believe with proper care and prui • ing, the prolific age may be prolonged indefinitely. The young trees require a little pruning to shape them properly, but they are seldom touched with shears or-knife after they begin to bear until the age of 15 years, when the old branches are thinned out, affording room for a new and vigorous growth. Money in th<! Business. ‘ Big money,”actual or potential,does not cause the people of the apple belt to neglect little things. They guard as carefuily against waste as does the Chicago pork-paekcr, who is supposed to find a profit even in the eu:'l of a pig’s tail. While certain that they have discovered a royal road to wealth, they o not neglect the economical turnpike. Every apple, big and little, is turned to a profit, and even the parings and cores are transmuted into yellow gold. Apples that cannot find a market with their jackets on are evaporated, and thereby become a standard article of commerce. A few large growers have their own evaporating establishments, but most of this work is done by independent enterprise. The largest evaporators are located at Flora, in Clay County, and at Noble, in Bichland County. These evaporators have a capacity of about 900 bushels per day each. Last season the one at Flora used up 45,C00 bushels of apples. When running to its full capacity it employs seventy hands. The cullings and droppings are bought by weight, the price paid ranging from 40 cents to 70 cents per 100 pounds, or 20 cents to 35 cents a bushel. A great many thousands of dollars are annually paid out for fruit that, but for the evaporators, would be utterly worthless, and would be allowed to rot in the orchards. The fruit is first pared and cored by machines operated by girls. It' is then subjected to a bleaching process, which consists of the smoke of burning sulphur. It comes out almost as white as a sheet of note paper, and then goes to the slicing machines, after which it passes into the driers, where it subjected for an hour or more to a temperature of 220 degrees Fahrenheit. It is then ready for boxing. The chief markets for- the product of the evaporators are St. Louis and Chicago, A great deal of it eventually flnd3 its way to foreign countries. The peelings and cores are dried, sacked and shipped to Chicago, where they command a ready sale. In years when the geeeral apple crop is light they frequently sell for 5 cents a pound. There are several factories in the United States that use these dried cores and parings in the manufacture of jellies, but the great hulk of it goes to Europe, and especially

to France, where it enters Into many food products and is extensively used in the manufacture of wines and brandies. It t* said that many of the French wines, so popular in America, and especially the champagnes, are made from the refuse of American apples —including rotten spots and worms. Perhaps it is the latter that gives to French wines that exquisite “bouquet” so much admired by American epicures. It would be diffi-

cult to imagine anything more fragrant than a sack of applo parings that had been bleached and dried. They certainly seem good enough to become the basis of the best champagne. A great many tons of this fruit refuse are shipped annually from Rictiland and Clay Counties, netting a very pretty sum. The evaporated fruit of this section is regarded as being equal to any known to the trade. More than $60,000 worth of

evaporated fruit was shipped from Flora alone last year. The evaporators usually benin operations about the middle of July and run day and night, and Sundays, until November 1. Some vinegar and cider is produced, but evaporated fruit is conceded to be the most profittable way of working up the cullings. Winter apples are picked in October,

and everybody is expected to assist at the ceremony. As the trees branch low fully two-thirds of the crop can be picked while the operators stand on the ground. To prevent bruising a large hopper is made of strong muslin, with an opening at the bottom through which the apples pass to a table covered with many sheets of some strong cloth. This is placed where the pickers from four trees can throw into ft. As soon as the table, which holds perhaps a bushel, is filled 1 , the upper cloth is removed by taking it up by the four corners and emptied into a barrel or pile upon the ground, and this process is repeated until the supply of cloths on the receiving table is exhausted. Buyers come from St. Louis and Chicago and contract for the apples, sometimes by the barrel, but frequently by the lot.

As the orchards develop it will be necessary for them to take entire charge of the gathering and barreling, as the amount of labor necessary will be far greater than the local supply. The great bulk of the fruit is sold as soon as it matures, or even before that time, but some growers keep a portion of their crop for the spring market. The fruit, where so kept, is stored in what are 1 called cold storage houses, being simply buildings where, by means of double walls and sawdust filling; an equable temperature is maintained. Some of the fruit grown in this section has been shipped, via Chicago and St. Louis, to Europe and South America. It is said to stand the changes of climate better than that grown elsewhere. The orchards present a beautiful appearance in the spring when in full bloom, and again in the autumn when laden with the luscious fruit. Many trees are so covered with bloom in May as to resemble pyramids of snow, and so heavily laden with fruit in October that, at a little distance, they seem solid mounds of apples, the leaves and limbs being scarce visible, so closely do the great red globes orowd upon each other.

TREE PLANTING.

SPRAYING AN APPLE ORCHARD.

GATHERING WINTER APPLES.

THE BEN DAVIS.

RESIDENCE OF GEN. PARSONS.