MISOEI.LANEOUS PAPEBS. 343 



WHEN WILL APPLE PLANTING BE OVERDONE? 



I am often asked this qaeslion. I say never ! Why ? Because 

 the planting is not keeping step with the consumption. Again, the 

 home of the apple is too circumscribed to supply the demands upon it. 

 The area suited to the apple embraces the 40th parallel and two de- 

 grees on either side of it ; that is the limit to successful apple growing. 

 The demand for it is world-wide. Its consumption is as yet unknown 

 in many countries. That it will force itself into recognition where now 

 unknown is certain, especially when it becomes cheap enough to ex- 

 port. Last season three million barrels of apples were exported for 

 European consumption alone. The demand promises to be much 

 greater this year. There are today in this vicinity many buyers for 

 apple§ for export trade. All agree that the crop is too small to meet 

 the demand. The apple is unlike most other fruit in that its keeping 

 qualities are such, through the improved methods of caring for them, 

 that they can be kept through a long season, giving plenty of time to 

 ship long distances. Their fine flavor and health-giving properties 

 make them almost a necessity. 



No, I do not look upon apple planting as I do many other fruits ; 

 but there is much to learn about apple planting if you would succeed. 

 Today there are thousands of bushels of apples in our orchards that 

 are useless and rotting for reason of no market. This is to the inex- 

 perienced a sure sign that the business is overdone. Is it? Let us 

 see. In times past those of us coming from the east had our notions 

 gained in the east, and planted such sorts as we were familiar with. 

 These varieties, being of Northern origin, became fall varieties. In 

 planting for commercial purposes only the best of late sorts should be 

 grown. You should lay aside your preferences in this matter if you 

 would succeed. 



Plant the big red varieties known to do well in your vicinity. For 

 Missouri and Kansas, Ben Davis, Gano, York Imperial, Jonathan, Mis- 

 souri Pippin. These five varieties will give more profit than a larger 

 list. Grown in groups, so as to avoid mixing varieties, is the proper 

 way. It is very annoying to have varieties scattered through your 

 orchard. The young farmer who may plant an orchard of ten acres of 

 the varities named will have, no doubt, more profit from the ten acres 

 at the end of fifteen years than he will from the other ninety of his 

 hundred-acre farm not so planted, but grown to other crops. The 



