520 ^ ANNUAL, REPORT OF THE Off. Doc 



In the Garden of Eden and down to the present time, the apple 

 has been an important factor in civilization. No medicine has been 

 equal to give health to those who eat thereof; no cosmetic can color 

 the cheek of the maiden or artist paint such rosy tints as are pro- 

 duced to those who partake of this fruit. 



The apple is king of fruits. It furnishes from one summer's end 

 to another the most delicious and healthful foods and being the fruit 

 of wisdom is used and appreciated by the nations of the highest 

 civilization. When in bloom its fragrance and variegated tints 

 present to the lover of nature a grand conception of the handiwork 

 of the Almighty. 



From the planting of the scion to the maturing of the tree, the 

 culture affords the orchardist an enjoyable vocation. It initiates him 

 into the mysteries of nature and teaches him reverence and adora- 

 tion for a higher power. 



P'ruit growing, speaking in general, is humanizing, tending as it 

 does to elevate the emotions and develop the finer sensibilities in 

 mankind. But, you may ask, does this philosophizing pay us? Our 

 more modern ideas have dropped the esthetical side of the proposi- 

 tion and adopted that of the practical. In other words his aim is 

 the shekel rather than the beautiful and his inquiry is, does it pay? 

 So I suppose 3'ou want me to discuss the commercial rather than the 

 esthetical sides of the subject of apple growing. 



The subject of location is probably one of the first things to con- 

 sider, together with the value of the land. The orchard should be 

 located close to the farm buildings so as to permit of pasturage. 

 The apple adapts itself to many kinds of soil but where there is a 

 hard pan it is useless to plant trees for as a rule they prove to be 

 slow growers in such soil, after a certain age and also poor bearers. 

 No amount of fertilizing will make up for a soil underlaid by an im- 

 pervious hard pan. A northern exposure is preferable but an 

 eastern will do. A southern exposure is not desirable. 



Another reason why the orchard should be near the farm build- 

 ings is that it will be more convenient to store the crop which is 

 getting to be a very important matter to consider. 



As stated before the apple is not so particular as to the soil in 

 which it is planted but a very warm soil is not at all desirable f^r 

 winter apples, as it makes them mature too early. Early maturity 

 is also sometimes brought on by too heavy fertilization with manures 

 rich in nitrogen. Apples cannot be grown in soil that is not well 

 drained. 



The orchard should be cultivated until it arrives at the bearing 

 age, which will vary some according to varieties. But I would say 

 that it should be cultivated for the first ten years after planting. If 

 this is not possible, however, good results can be obtained by mulch- 

 ing your trees with coarse manure or other available material. 



Weeds and grass must be kept down by mowing for thus dis- 

 posed of they make an excellent mulch. The cropping of an orchard 

 is a practice not to be recommended, at any time unless it is the 

 first few years after planting. After the orchard begins to bear 

 nothing will be of better service than to allow the hogs to have free 

 range in it. They will destroy all wormy apples and if fed well will 

 manure the orchard. With this plan in force little attention is re- 

 quired except to see that the w^eeds and grass are kept down. 



