The rapid strides being made in the fruit industry in this State, the high quality of her fruit, the market afforded by large contiguous territory where fruit is not produced with profit indicates that Missouri will at an early date in the future be the leading fruit orchard of the world.

In 1897 we produced 9,000,000 barrels of apples and peaches, pears, strawberries and other small fruit almost equal in value to the apple crop. This industry is not confined to any section of the State. The southern slope of the Ozarks, the bluffs along the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, the rolling brush land in North Missouri, in fact every county in the State produces an abundance of highly colored and superior flavored fruit.

The geographical position of the State, being on the western border of the fruit belt of the United States, having a demand for its products from the southwest, west and northwest, as well as from the east and from Europe, its mild climate and adaptability to growing a greater variety of fruits than elsewhere are favorable to a highly profitable industry in this State.

A large percentage of sunshine, absence of damp, foggy atmosphere, and other favorable meteorological conditions are material factors in maturing and coloring our fruit that do not exist elsewhere and furnish the rich color and fine flavor and superior keeping qualities that stimulate a demand and advances the price of the Missouri product.

Apples, Peaches, Pears, Etc

Of fruits, the apple is the most largely grown. Our product is said to have very superior shipping qualities and eastern buyers take many train loads for export to European countries. It is no unfrequent occurrence to find seventy apples that will make a barrel and to this size add the delicious flavor and high color of the Missouri product and we have an ideal fruit for market or home consumption.

Pears succeed well and are grown with profit. They bear shipping unusually well and may be kept in perfect condition for quite awhile and with but little care.

Nowhere else on earth are peaches grown that will surpass the Missouri product in any desirable feature. Large, many of them measuring fifteen inches in circumference, and so juicy, tender and such delightful flavor that only those who have eaten Missouri peaches can fully appreciate their excellence.

Probably the largest orchard and nursery interest in the world owned and controlled by one firm is located at Louisiana, Missouri. This concern has been in operation eighty years, has orchards in twenty-four States aggregating 50,000 acres and 3,500,000 trees on the partnership plan. They are also interested in about the same number of trees on the co-operative plan, They grow several million young trees annually, and their trade extends throughout the States and Canada, Germany, France, Hungary, New Zealand and Austria.

The Olden Fruit Farm, in Howell county, on the southern slope of the Ozarks, is probably the largest of the kind in the world. It embraces 2,28o acres planted to apples, peaches, pears and plums. Cold storage is provided for the care of the fruit and sales are made by the train load at orchard and the refuse product is distilled.

In the last few years an immense acreage has been planted to the different varieties of fruit in this State.

One firm in Webster county has recently planted 880 acres to apples.

Large orchards are being planted in Schuyler county and over northeast Missouri, where the quality of the fruit is superior.

Secretary Goodman is putting out 2,000 acres in orchard, having planted 6oo acres this season.

The Huber Milling Company in Newton county, have 1,46o acres in orchard.

At Koshkonong, Mr. McNair has 1,776 acres, one third of which is now growing apple trees.

Greene county has 600,000 apple trees, one half of which is in hearing, and the crop is estimated at 80,000 barrels. The crop of peaches will perhaps be half this amount.

Webster county has 500,000 trees with about 2oo,000 hearing and an estimated apple crop of 60,000 barrels.

Howell county has 6oo,000 apple trees, and 3,000 acres of peaches and estimates its crop at 100,000 barrels of apples and 15o,000 bushels of peaches.

It is estimated that Greene, Webster, Wright, Texas, Howell and Oregon counties, will produce this season 1,100,000 bushels of apples and half a million bushels of peaches.

These counties are no exceptions but indicate the possibilities of the fruit industry in Missouri. They are mentioned only because disinterested parties have traveled over them, gathered the statistics and made a careful estimate of the conditions.

The profit of the industry in Missouri is attested by the following facts: 

Mr. H. I. Hazeltine's twelve year old orchard of eighty acres, produced last season 11,000 barrels of Ben Davis apples.

Many six year old orchards produced a barrel to the tree.

J. W. Nelson, of Marshfield, gathered an average of fifteen bushels per tree from his orchard eleven years old.

C. McCay sold $1,685 worth of peaches from six acres of three year old trees.

Hon. N. F. Murray, of Holt county, has an orchard of eight acres in northwest Missouri which produced $8,400 worth of fruit in twenty years, or an average of $50 Per acre for each year, including the years of growth and decline of orchard. One season the product brought $200 per acre.

Fruit growing in Missouri for commercial purposes is in its infancy, yet a conservative estimate of the annual fruit production fixes the value at from $15,000,000 to $25,000,000.

By reason of the high color, superior flavor, and excellent shipping qualities our apples command an extra price.

The young orchards now planted when in bearing will make Missouri the greatest fruit producing State in the Union.

Twenty counties in southwest Missouri have a total fruit acreage of 148,565 acres, principally apples and peaches.

Missouri peaches exhibited at the World's Fair measured fifteen inches in circumference and seventy of her big red apples filled a three bushel barrel, and we can duplicate this exhibit any season.

Sarcoxie, in Jasper county, marketed this season 300 car loads of strawberries and is one of four largest shipping points for this fruit in the world.

The berries are of fine flavor, superior quality and find a ready sale when offered in competition with fruit from other localities. New markets have been opened for Sarcoxie fruit and the demand is unlimited.

One man sold 240 crates from one acre which netted him $300. W. P. Rousch, of Monett, picked 320 crates per acre, worth $400.

Liberal, in Barton county, is perhaps the largest shipping point for blackberries. This vicinity alone has 1,000 acres planted to this fruit and this season shipped 100 car loads, worth $125,000.

Thousands of acres are being set to grapes. Many vineyards of several thousand vines are now in bearing. An eminent authority from New York and with no pecuniary interest in the State says: "Missouri has the best grape land in the Union." One ton of our grapes will make as much wine as two tons of California grapes.

Scott county in the southeast and Clark county in the northeast produce the most delicious watermelons on earth and many train loads annually.