APPENDIX. 103 



1898. But when properly dried I think they are as safe a crop to handle as 

 any of the fruits we raise. We next come to the apple, the backbone of 

 the fruit industry, which is grown and used more than all other fruits to- 

 gether. There are many families that never have a box of cherries, peaches 

 or pears that think they cannot get along without their box or barrel of 

 apples. And our markets are growing from year to year, and each year 

 finds our apple being introduced in some new market. Now, the selection 

 of the apple tree should, if possible, have more care than any other, for the 

 reason that it is a longer lived tree, and it takes it longer to come into full 

 bearing than most other trees. But with proper care it will be a profitable 

 tree until it i* twenty to thirty years old, and more in some cases. Now, it 

 is generally thought that when trees get old the fruit is no good, and this is 

 so in many cases. But if the apple ti'ee is taken care of as it should be, and 

 not let go unpruned and uncultivated as most orchards are, but is properly 

 pruned, and well cultivated and sprayed, you will find the tree at twenty 

 years old wall give you from twenty to thirty boxes of as good apples as trees 

 ten years old that will give you only from five to ten boxes. So it is easy to 

 figure out the profit in properly taking care of your trees. Now, as to the 

 varieties of apjiles it is hard to decide ; many varieties have their friends. I 

 know the old Ben Davis has many friends, and also many enemies, and if we 

 judge the future by the past, we must admit it is a money-maker. But as 

 for me I want none of it. And I know the people I deal with and sell apples 

 to do not want it if it is possible to get anything else. If the foreign trade 

 would take them they would be a good apple to raise, as they are prolific, a 

 good keeper and a good shipper. And this is about all the good qualities 

 they have. But the foreign trade does not want them. We all know the 

 Newtown, Sijitzenbej'g, Jonathan and Bellefleur: they sell in any market, 

 and there are several other good apples, so why not raise them. 



ADOPT VARIETY TO LOCALITY. 



I admit all apples do not grow equally well in all localities. If you gen- 

 tlemen at Yakima can grow the Spitzenberg better than other varieties, it is 

 your apple to grow. If Oregon excels with the Newtown, grow them. Let 

 us each try to find what does best in our locality, and then make the apple a 

 success. We in Walla Walla think we can raise first-class Jonathan, New- 

 town and Bellefleur. The Spitzenberg does not succeed so well with us, and 

 I do not think the Newtown does so w^ell in the Palouse, as the season does 

 not seem to be long enough for it. They should grow" some apple that 

 will mature earlier. I have at Walla Walla a twenty-acre orchard of winter 

 apples that I have top-grafted to Duchess of Oldenburg and Gravenstein for 

 the local market, as I find I can work off quite a number of cars of those 

 early apples before the Palouse and Bitter Root apples come into market. 

 This scheme is for the local trade only, and it would take but few acres to 

 overstock it. Try to find out what does best, grow it and we will accomplish 

 two things: get the best returns and not be in such competition with each 

 other. I would not try to sell my poor Spitzenberg against the tine stock 

 that Yakima and Oregon raise. The Palouse country would not be trying 

 to sell its off-grade Newtowns against mv good ones. If we are careful 



