Report of State Board of Horticulture. 41 



the past year is very great as to the future of the industry. I 

 am warranted in saying this as the planting of new orchards, 

 especially about Ashland, Medford, and Central Point, has 

 been large the past winter. I estimate that in the vicinity of 

 these three localities there has been 1,200 acres planted. 

 About sixty per cent of the new acreage is the apple and forty 

 per cent peach and pear. 



The planting of the present is on more intelligent lines than 

 during the large planting twelve and fifteen years ago. At 

 that time the adaptability of the soil for tree growth was not 

 considered. It was then taken for granted that any soil would 

 grow fruit trees and produce fine fruit of any variety the 

 planter fancied planting. The tree planters of the present are 

 avoiding this mistake, and now choose the best of soils for 

 apple and pear growing. One successful apple grower near 

 Central Point said to me during the winter : "I find no soil 

 too good to grow the apple and pear. To get large pelds and 

 the best quality you must have the best of soil." This grower, 

 Mr, W. H. Norcross, has an apple orchard of 21 acres of rich 

 bottom loam that is now ten years old that has borne five crops 

 of apples. The past season he sold 1,966 boxes of Spitzen- 

 burgs off of 404 trees, all four-tier, excepting 180 boxes five- 

 tier, for $1.45 per box f. o. b. Four hundred Ben Davis apple 

 trees produced 1,800 boxes, which he sold from $1.00 to $1.25 

 per box f. o. b. 



On the same kind of soil J. W. Merrett of Central Point has 

 210 apple trees ten years old of Spitzenburgs, Red Cheek and 

 Willow Twig. Mr. Merrett sold the crop on the trees, the 

 buyer picking and packing the apples, for which he received 

 a check for $1,249.20. I verified this sale by personally calling 

 on Mr. Merrett. He said the amount was correct, and added 

 that in addition to the amount of the check he made 100 gal- 

 lons of cider for which he got $20, and sold in the local mar- 

 ket 100 boxes of the best culls for $50, making a total of 

 $1,319.20 for his crop. 



In stating the profits in these two cases it must be remem- 

 bered many other apple growers on larger orchards did not 

 have Mr. Norcross' and Merrett's success, for the reason their 

 soils were not adapted to the greatest success in apple grow- 

 ing, although they may have pruned, sprayed, and cultivated 

 equally as well. In stating the profits in these cases the con- 

 ditions must be intelligently understood. The demand for 

 apples last fall was strong and prices ruled high, and, too, 



