Additional Papers. 127 



But shipping- facilities having improved, new markets being 

 offered, buyers coming from other lands and the demand grovi^ing 

 faster than the supply, prices seemed to increase rather than grow 

 less. 



From that time to the present has the growth been steady and 

 upward until at this date we have a few orchards of over 1,500 acres, 

 a number of orchards over 1,000 acres, a very large number of over 

 500 acres, and thousands of them over 100 acres, to say nothing of 

 many, many more of 'the smaller and yet the most profitable orchards 

 of them all. 



About this time also began the wonderful development of the 

 Ozark region of South Missouri, and the extensive plantings there 

 made have been the wonder of our pushing West, the astonishment of 

 the Eastern fruit growers, and entirely beyond the belief of the people 

 living across the waters. It is certainly amusing to hear the expres- 

 sion of some of these foreigners when visiting our largest orchards and 

 seeing where peach trees are bearing loads of peaches where only three 

 years before was the virgin forest; such things are beyond their belief. 



No more wonderful work has taken place in this wonderful State, 

 in this wonderful West, than this work of fruit growing in Missouri. 

 A few years ago we were the tenth in the list of States, then ten 

 years ago we were fifth, but in 1900 we find that we are first in number 

 of trees in apple orchard, and by 1905 we shall be first in peach or- 

 chards also. 



In 1890 Missouri had about 8,000,000 apple trees, while in 1900 

 the number had increased 150 per cent or 12,000,000 more, making a 

 total of over 20,000,000 apple trees in orchard. In 1905 we have esti- 

 mated the apple trees in Missouri to be fully 25,000,000. These trees 

 are in a large measure young trees, and not in bearing and other 

 states still lead us in value of products for this reason. As soon as 

 these trees come into bearing and the late planting of peach trees also 

 we shall find that Missouri occupies the first position in apple orchards, 

 and its products ; the first in peach orchards, and its products, and 

 the first in strawberry plantations and its products. 



The peach trees of Aiissouri were four and one-half million in 

 1900 and in 1905 will number at least 6,000,000 trees. 



'Other states follow Missouri as follows: New York second, Illi- 

 nois third, Ohio fourth. Missouri has shown the largest increase in 

 orchard and increase in plantings. Since 1900 apple planting, peach 

 planting also, has increased accelerating rapidly ; well trained good 



