COMMERCIAL ORCHARDING IN NEBRASKA 197 



braska is solved. The smudge pot to consume either coal or oil is now 

 quite generally in use in the Colorado orchards as a late spring frost 

 protection. They are used in numbers ranging from forty to eighty to 

 the acre of trees and have proven satisfactory in raising the temperature 

 sufficiently to ward off frost. 



In interviewing Mr. Stephens as to the probable yield of his fruit 

 crop this season he said: "Thirty carloads of fruit in sight to be 

 marketed from the home orchards, thirty carloads to be marketed from 

 the branch orchards, seventeen tons of grapes from the home vineyards, 

 fine crop in sight in the W. E. Shearer (Kearney county) vineyard." 



Co-operative Orchards. 



In explanation, will say that Mr. Stephens' reference to branch orch- 

 ards has to do with co-operative orchards located in various parts of 

 western and northwestern Nebraska, where, in 1897, he conceived the 

 idea of planting branch orchards with the purpose of eliminating the 

 excessive freight charges. He satisfied himself by the growth of trees 

 sent out to his customers that by making a suitable selection of hardy 

 varieties adapted to western conditions, fruit could be grown in com- 

 mercial quantities and thus supply the local markets of the west with 

 fruit freed from excessive freight charges. Fifty thousand trees were 

 planted under a joint expense and profit-sharing plan. The farmer im- 

 proving his property by planting and cultivating a successful orchard and 

 availing himself of the methods and close supervision and long experience 

 of Mr. Stephens. When the fruit is ready to pick and market the expense 

 of picking, packing, packages and marketing are jointly borne by each 

 and resulting profits divided for a term of years. 



Returning to the subject of production of the orchard, Mr. Stephens 

 said: "The crop of apples in the orchard in 1891, eighteen years ago, was 

 13,000 bushels. At that time the younger orchards were not yet in bear- 

 ing and the trees in other sections of the orchard were just coming into 

 bearing. Comparing the orchard in previous years, in 1891 and in other 

 years with its appearance this year, the probabilities are that the estimate 

 for 1909 should not be far below that estimated by some expert authori- 

 ties that have placed it at 15,000 to 18,000 bushels." 



Yield of Single Trees. 



In 1907 single trees of the Rawles Janet apple gave thirty bushels per 

 tree. From 264 trees of this variety that season enough fruit was sold 

 to pay the running expenses of handling the entire property. Single trees 

 of the Ben Davis have yielded eight barrels. One Ben Davis tree, in age 

 about thirty years, now has a spread of branches of some forty feet. 

 These orchards have been handled on a plan of close planting and ulti- 

 mately cutting out as trees needed more room. Under this method apple 

 trees planted 12i/^x20 feet have yielded for three years in succession at 



