116 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



2 GEORGE V., A. 1912 



YIELDS OF APPLE TREES FROM THIRD TO TWENTY-SECOND YEAR AFTER PLANTING. 



There are many persons who desire to grow apple trees who would like to know 

 when the trees will begin to bear and how much fruit they may expect to obtain at a 

 certain time after planting. Up to the present, so far as the writer knows, no figures 

 have been published in America giving the yields of individual trees from the time they 

 begin to bear. At the Central Experimental Farm, the yields of individual trees have 

 been kept since 1898, and the records from some of the trees were published under the 

 head of ' Individuality of Fruits ' in the annual reports for 1903, 1915, the Interim 

 Report for 1905-6, 1909, and again this year, in another part of this report. These 

 records, were, however, to show the variation in yield of trees of one variety rather 

 than a comparison of the yields of different varieties. In some cases in this table, 

 the yields from the time the trees began to bear are not published, as the trees were too 

 long planted before the records began to be kept. If it had been possible, it would 

 have been desirable to give the average yields of a large number of trees of each variety 

 Li this table, but the orchards at the Central Experimental Farm were planned for 

 variety testing rather than from the commercial standpoint, hence there are but few 

 trees of each variety grown. On account of the small number of trees of each variety 

 under test, it has been thought best to publish the yields of the best-yielding tree of 

 each variety, also, where it was possible, the yield of a young and of an older tree, 

 and also the records of some trees which are annual bearers. In this table, it will be 

 noticed that the Wealthy tree of which a record is given, began to bear four years afte/r 

 planting. The Wealthy, in many cases, bears three years after planting, if three-year 

 old trees are set. It may be stated that, in most cases, the trees of which the yields 

 are published were three years old when planted. The trees are grown in cultivated 

 orchards where cover crops are used, and, although not all under such similar condi- 

 tions, that an entirely accurate comparison of the yields of different varieties can be 

 made, it is thought that the yields thus published will prove valuable to intending 

 planters. 



