Why are South Mountain and the Fruit Belt so important to the area and Pennsylvania?

Why are South Mountain and the Fruit Belt so important to the area and Pennsylvania?. . , The Historic South Mountain Fruit Belt encompasses about 20,000 acres and forms a fertile crescent (half moon shape) covering the southeastern slopes of South Mountain in the western half of Adams County. The soils are deep, well drained and gravelly, and make this one of the finest fruit producing regions in the United States. In fact, Adams County is the largest producer of apples and peaches in Pennsylvania and 5th in the nation. A thriving fruit industry has existed here for over a century, and now there is also a growing winemaking industry. Only in Italy can similar soils be found., In 1878, Noah Sheely planted the first commercial orchards 4 miles west of Arendtsville (now the Round Barn Farm and Market). Mr. Sheely, a flamboyant and influential character went to the Chicago World's Fair in 1895 and found a buyer for Adams County's first big crop of apples. Very soon, other orchards were planted in the county, notably Deardorffs (now home to Hauser's Estate Winery) and Tysons (one of several local fruit growing Quaker families). The industry grew and by 1925, there were 50,000 barrels of apples exported to England. Local forestlands supplied the growing wooden apple barrel factories at several locations including here in Arendtsville. A successful fruit processing business was launched in 1907, when Christian H. Musselman purchased a local canning business in nearby Biglerville and the Musselman brand was created. Later, Knouse Foods Cooperative Inc. purchased these operations and expanded the well-known Musselman and Lucky Leaf brands., Since Arendtsville is located in the heart of the largest fruit growing region in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania State University established a Fruit Research Laboratory here in 1918. This ever-expanding research program continues today with a laboratory and office building in nearby Biglerville and research plots still located here. . This historical marker is in Arendtsville in Adams County Pennsylvania