168 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



the warring nations but to otlier parts of tlie world as well. The 

 export trade consumes around three to five million barrels annually 

 and this amount placed on the American markets might in some cases 

 cause a low price to the grower, but generally speaking it would not 

 make a great deal of difference to the general apple market. — 

 August, 1914. 



THE APPLE CROP IN NEBRASKA. 

 September. 



The figures as given out by the government bureau of crop esti- 

 mates Sept. 1 was that the crop of apples in Nebraska this fall would 

 be 1,690,000 bushels. The Burlington weekly crop report for last 

 week says the apple crop will be above the average. 



From all Information received at this office from leading fruit 

 growers, farmers and others who are in actual touch with orchard 

 conditions throughout the state only the well cared for orchards are 

 going to produce any fruit. These orchards are not going to produce 

 over 40 per cent of a crop. Thousands and thousands of trees 

 throughout the state which were left alive by the drouth and canker 

 will not produce a bushel of fruit. Reports received at this office 

 indicate the government figures are nearly 50 per cent too high. In 

 making up the figures for crop estimates they must of necessity be 

 based on total number of bearing trees in the state. The government 

 bases its figures on count of trees made at last census. The last 

 twelve months has caused an enormous loss of trees in the orchards 

 of the state, and it is impossible to get an accurate count on the 

 remaining trees. The State Board of Agriculture through the asses- 

 sors last spring gathered figures on the apple crop of 1913. The 

 total number of bushels produced in Burt, Dodge, Washington, Doug- 

 las, Sarpy, Saunders, Cass, Otoe, Johnson, Nemaha. Pawnee, and 

 Richardson counties last year were in round numbers 409,000 bushels. 

 Those counties produced the bulk of the crop last year and will do 

 so again this year. The most careful estimate indicates that this dis- 

 trict will not produce over 600,000 bushels of fruit this year. The 

 rest of the state will not produce over half the number produced in 

 this district. Thus giving ample allowance for the average farm 

 orchards there will be less than 90 0,000 bushels of apples harvested 

 ^ in Nebraska this fall. The same condition holds true as to the crop 

 to "be harvested in all the apple producing states of the Missouri ana 

 ^Mississippi river valleys. The only place where an extra large crop is 

 in sight is in parts of New York, and parts of the New England states. 

 Bear reports have been sent out by apple operators to the effect that 

 the biggest crop of apples was in sight in the United States which has 

 ever been grown. These reports together with tying up of the export 

 trade to Europe will be used by the operators to force the growers to sell 

 their apples for less money than the cost of production. The reports 

 received at this office from growers, associations, state boards of 



