July, 1998

IDFTA tour experiences horticultural, historical riches of Virginia

The Shenandoah Valley of Virginia is home to Thomas Jefferson, The Waltons and one of the most intriguing apple production areas in the United States.
The valley's horticultural and historical allure attracted this year's International Dwarf Fruit Tree Association eastern summer tour June 29 and 30. Four full tour buses traversed Nelson and Albemarle counties visiting apple plantings, one peach orchard, packing houses and historical sites.
The region's growers deal with one constant - mountains. The Shenandoah Valley is created by the Blue Ridge, Appalachian and Piedmont ranges, and growers have been constantly learning how to use the terrain to their best advantage.
Silver Creek Orchard, owned by Bill Flippin, is on land he considers good, but still too low. So he, daughter Ruth Saunders and son-in-law John Saunders are establishing new plantings on the mountainsides. John noted that the elevation in the orchard ranges from 980 feet to 2,000 feet.
"In March, there can be a 10-degree difference in temperature after a cold front moves through," he said.
Adds Nelson County Extension agent Mike LaChance, "Most of our best apple ground is at the base of the Blue Ridge slope. We get our best color and flavor there and we get cool nights at harvest."
At Wunder Orchard, part of the 2,000-acre holdings of Sonny Bowman, orchard manager John Crumpacker looked at the trees growing up the mountainside and explained the significance of the bare spots. These are hollows which are caused by erosion. These "blanks" are slowly being filled in with careful tree plantings.
At Crown Orchard near Charlottesville, owner Henry Chiles is growing apples almost all the way to the top of Carter's Mountain and making it work for both horticultural and non-horticultural reasons. Land at the peak of Carter's Mountain is being rented for transmission towers, which is proving to be a lucrative segment of the business for Chiles.
Diversity is a hallmark of Virginia fruit growers, who are engaged in other enterprises to help keep their farms' finances strong. Silver Creek raises 300 head of cattle, while Saunders Brothers grows boxwood woody ornamentals and perennials. Their old packing shed has been converted into a farm market and museum.
The state's annual apple production varies between six and 10 million bushels. Four areas predominate - the Shenandoah Valley, Piedmont, Roanoke and Southwest. The top variety is Red Delicious, which accounts for 29% of the state's trees. The other top varieties are Golden Delicious, York, Rome and Stayman. With Red Delicious, these varieties account for 81% of the state's production.
Newer varieties include Fuji, Gala, York Imperial, Ginger Gold, Idared, Firm Gold, Braeburn, Mutsu and Jonagold, Granny Smith, Pink Lady The Ginger Gold was discovered in Nelson County at the Harvey orchard in Davis Creek.
Dwarfing rootstocks used on trees at tour stops included M.9, M.7, M.111 and M.26. Densities are as high as five feet by 16 feet, which works out to 528 trees an acre. Some trees are grown freestanding, while other growers are using a variety of trellising systems.
At Silver Creek, trees are supported on a two-wire trellis or with wooden posts. Dwarf trees at Saunders Brothers are supported with wooden stakes, a trellis or a combination of the two. Twenty percent of the trees at Crown Orchard are on M.26 or M.9 rootstock supported with a post. Kent Barley, Inc., located at Stephens City, supports all its new plantings with conduit or conduit plus a single wire.
On average, the state's fruit crop generates about $30 million in sales. Processing fruit dominates, with York a popular variety for that purpose. Fresh sales range from one-half to one-quarter those of fruit for processing. Price per pound is generally at the 8-10-cent mark.
The region has a history of exporting apples. In the 1800s, an Albemarle County Newtown Pippin made its way to Queen Victoria of Great Britain. She was very definitely amused (and delighted) by the apple and then lifted the British trade barrier on apples - only for Albemarle County.
Virginia apples are becoming a player again in the export game, said LaChance. England is again a trading partner, but so are Germany, Brazil and the Netherlands. The overseas customers like the newer varieties such as Fuji, Braeburn and Ginger Gold, he said.
The tour wasn't all apples - at Saunders Brothers Orchard, Bennett Saunders showed off a new peach planting trained to the perpendicular V system. Varieties include PF 12-A, Redhaven, Salem and White Lady. The trees are planted on mounded rows, which increases vigor and helps avoid peach tree short life. Saunders planted the trees at 16-by-6 feet but feels 18 or 20 feet may be better.
Educational support for the state's fruit growing industry comes from Virginia Tech University. One of the tour stops was to its research station near Winchester, the Alison H. Smith Jr. Agricultural Research and Extension Center. The station specializes in variety trials, fungicide trials and growth regulator trials.
Virginia's warm and humid climate is a breeding ground for disease. Plant pathologist Keith Yoder is working on fungicide evaluations. He is looking at a broad spectrum of material, including some experimental compounds. The overall goals of his testing program are resistance management, particularly regarding apple scab, and helping growers deal with the Food Quality Protection Act.
The historical sites on the tour had a horticultural flavor. The New Market Civil War battlefield was where teenage cadets from Virginia Military Institute won the Confederacy's last victory in the valley. One of the key skirmishes took place in an orchard.
Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, prominently features a garden, orchards and a vineyard. Apples, peaches, cherries, pears, plums, grapes and a variety of small fruit grew in Jefferson's time and do so again today. Today's orchard has been restored to its appearance in 1812.
Jefferson's two favorite apples were the Esopus Spitzenberg and the Newtown Pippin, explained Peter Hatch, director of gardens and grounds at Monticello. Other heirloom varieties include Calville Blanc d'Hiver, Clarke's and Howes' Crab, which was one of Jefferson's two favorite cider apples. The other, Taliaferro, has not been found.