August 6, 2018

Ridge Spring News

Harriet Householder

Part II

Article Appeared in the Sunday Morning State Newspaper August 6, 1905

FRUIT GROWING AT RIDGE SPRING

Written for the State by Fritz Hugh McMaster

How Asparagus in Planted

The doctor who raises asparagus and his suggestions on the subject will be found useful.  Seed from the largest stalks only and from the bottom half of the stalk should be planted.  Better still if is to take seed from those stalks which have the fewest seed on them.  The planting is done in February, in drills, and are thinned 4 to 6 inches apart.   The plants should be well fertilized and thoroughly cultivated.  One year old roots are used entirely for transplanting.  It the above methods are used, large roots are insured for the following year.  These are transplanted in February or March in six or seven foot rows, two feet in the drill and eight inches deep.  They are covered as lightly as possible and are kept free from grass and little dirt thrown on them the first year.  They should be fertilized highly.  Cotton or some other crop can be planted between rows the first two years.  After this peas should be planted between the rows early.

            The second year the asparagus may be cut but not much.  Succeeding years it may be cut closer and longer.  The fertilizer should be applied on both sides of the row the first year: afterwards in the middle of the row.  A distributor should be used and a ton of fertilizer to the acre applied.  The higher grade fertilizers will be found the cheapest in the end.  This year asparagus has yieled $100 to the acre.  An average yield per acre is $50.  The seed are gathered and sold to the seedsmen.

            Asparagus does not have to be replanted oftener that 12 to 15 years.  Large spears should be grown as they are cheaper to grow and handle.  The Palmetto is the choice variety.  Dr. Asbill has 16 acres in asparagus.

Dr. Asbill's Peaches

            Dr. Asbill has learned much about peach growing in the ten years he has been engaged in it.  He has about 15 acres in peaches and has 12 to 14 varieties.  Had he to plant over again he would plant only three or four varieties, the Greensboro, Carmen, and Elberta's being his choice.  These would give him peaches to ship from June 10th until July 20th.  The advantage is having a few varieties in that it is easier to pick and ship a car load than it is from the same number of trees of different varieties, ripening at slightly different times. 

            Peach trees should be planted 20 feet apart and should be highly fertilized.  Cotton can be planted in the orchard to advantage during the first three years.  Afterwards only peas should be planted.  The ripe peas may be picked and the vines should be turned under to supply the needed nitrogen to the soil.  In addition to this, 800 to 1,000 pounds of potash should be supplied.  The fertilizer should be applied about four or five feet from the trunk of the tree.

            The trees should be pruned and cut back to keep them from growing too high, a low branching tree being referable to a tall one.  It is a decided advantage to have trees from which the fruit can be gathered without the use of ladders.  Fruit should be from four to six inches apart on the limb.  Thinning should be done early.  The land should be turned over in the fall and after cultivation with disk harrows should be kept from woods.

            In picking fruit for shipment extreme care should be used to the selection of perfectly sound fruit and in grading it.  A suitable table for spreading the fruit upon before packing is made by putting a layer of cotton seed hulls on the table and covering it with burlaps which is tacked to the edges of the table.  The next step in shipping is to secure a good commission man in each market and ship him all of your fruit.  Ship to this one agent and him only, so long as he acts fairly.

            From Dr. Asbill's experience from $100 to $150 is netted and sometimes as much as $300 is the front.  His advice to all  prospective planters is not to plant a tree more than can be properly cared for.  It is better and more profitable to have five acres properly cared for than 20 acres indifferently.  Intensive farming is the rule to success in peach raising.

A Public Benefactor

            R. B. Watson and Sons are the largest growers of peaches at Ridge Spring.  They have about 150 acres in peach trees.  They are also large growers of asparagus and have apples and grapes and plums. 

            A  word as to Col. R. B. Watson.  He is one of those men who bless the world.  He is always thinking of someone else than himself and always doing good.  He probably was the pioneer peach raiser at Ridge Spring. He has been a leader in everything there was for the up building of the community.  He planted his first peaches in 1867, and in those days the peaches were shipped in any kind of box that was at hand.  Starch boxes were used principally.

Going somewhere back in ancient history, peaches were shipped to New York before the war by Purvis and Gregg, from near Aiken.  They were sent down the Savannah river by boat and thence to New York.  This was the same William Gregg who afterwards built the Graniteville Cotton factory and practically was the first cotton manufacturer in South Carolina.  He is buried at Graniteville where a monument has been erected to his memory.

            But back to R. B Watson and Sons: Col. Watson began to ship peaches regularly in 1873, and since then from year to year has added to his orchard until now, as stated, he and his sons have about 150 acres under cultivation.  Yet they do not call themselves peach growers.  They are cotton planters and peach raising is a side and to be attended to when the cotton crop does not need their attention.  They  have a good many varieties planted, but the varieties they recommend most highly named in order in which they are ready for market are: Alexanders, Greensboro, Carmen, Connett, Southern Early, Mountaid, Rose, Belle of Georgia, Elberta, Mixon Free and Mixon Cling, Chinese varieties and Emma.  They have found that their peaches average a net yield of about $50.00 to the acre.  Frequently they get much more but often less.

R. B. Watson and Sons have been successful also with grapes.  But they have not attempted to plant grapes to ship in large quantities.  For the past 15 years they have been planting asparagus.  In the early days they received as much as $1.50 a bunch in New York for their asparagus.  It does not bring so much now, but they have 600 crates more to pick.  His net returns this year will exceed $2000.00

Mr. Barr has selected  his trees so that he has fruit to ship from about June 1st till about August 1st.  He watches carefully the market and notes the points of best prices, and ships his fruit accordingly.  One day this season he gathered 258 crates of Elberta peaches from 100 trees.  He shipped 216 of these crates to Washington for which he received net express and other  charges paid, $175.00. He has not received the returns from the other 41 crates.  Probably 175 more crates were left upon the trees.  Of the 216 shipped to Washington not one was lost from being over ripe or any other cause.

Mr. Barr says there is the greatest need for protection against worthless trees being sold to prospective growers.  There is no protection now and the only safety that a purchaser has is to buy his trees from responsible nurseries.  Mr. Barr pays attention to the  proper pruning spraying and cultivation of his trees, and he sees no reason why one should not make money growing peaches.