l6o AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



Statistics are compiled showing quantity and condition of 

 crop throughout the American continent and Europe. Con- 

 stant telegraphic advices are received and recorded, giving total 

 estimated shipments of apples from all ports to all ports. Pre- 

 vailing conditions on all markets are recorded daily and reports 

 received from our representatives and agents from all markets 

 touched by the North American fruits. 



All these reports are carefully studied and instructions are 

 issued as a result. 



THE PRESENT AND FUTURE OF APPLE GROWING. 



Address by S. H. Fulton, Sleepy Creek, W. Va. 



Within the past twenty-five years apple growing has become 

 one of the great branches of agriculture in this country, eclips- 

 ing, in area of orchards planted and in quantity of fruit pro- 

 duced, all other fruits common to the temperate zone. The 

 attractiveness of this fruit, its palatability and its health giving 

 properties, together with the fact that it is in season practically 

 the year around, all combine to make the apple the greatest 

 single asset of American horticulture. When the census of 

 1910 was taken, there were 151,323,000 apple trees of bearing 

 age in the United States. Among the states of the Union, Mis- 

 souri ranks first, having in round numbers, 20,000,000 bearing 

 trees; New York stands next, with 15,000,000; Illinois third, 

 with 13,000,000 bearing trees, and so on down the list. With 

 such vast interests in apple growing, it is not surprising that 

 anything pertaining to the culture of this fruit is of keen inter- 

 est not alone to rural horticultural circles but even to town and 

 city people with money to invest. Within the past decade, hun- 

 dreds of people unacquainted with the orchard business, but 

 allured by tales of great profit in orcharding, have invested large 

 sums of money in apple orchards. This is particularly true 

 with reference to orchards located in sections where large areas 

 of cheap undeveloped land can be secured, as in the Virginias, 

 western Maryland, southwest Pennsylvania and sections of 

 other states which might be mentioned. In Maryland, within 

 forty miles of the home of the writer, one company is develop- 



