BETTER FRUIT 



STATE ASSOCIATE EDITORS 



OREGON— C. I. Lewis, Horticulturist, Corvallls. 



WASHINGTON — Dr. A. L. Melander. Entomologist : 

 O. M. Morris, Horticulturist; W. S. Thomber, Horticul- 

 turist, Pullman. 



COLORADO — C. P. Gillette. Director and Entomologist: 

 E. B. House, Chief of Department of Civil and Irrigation 

 Engineering. St-ate Agricultural College, Fort Collins. 



ARIZONA— E. P. Taylor, Horticulturist. Tucson. 



WISCONSIN— Dr. E. D. Ball. Director and Entomologist, 

 Madison. 



MONTANA — O. B. Whipple. Horticulturist. Bozeman. 



CALIFORNIA — C. W. Woodworth. Entomologist, Berke- 

 ley; W. H. Volck. Entomologist. Watsonville; Leon D. 

 Batchelor, Horticulturist, Riverside. 



INDIANA— H. S. Jackson, Pathologist, Lafayette. 



An Illustrated Magazine Devoted to the Interests 



of Modern, Progressive Fruit Growing 



and Marketing. 



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Entered as second-class matter April 22, 1918, 



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the Act of Congress of March 3, 1879. 



Volume XIV 



Portland, Oregon, .July 1, 1919 



Number 1 



California Leads the World in the Apricot Industry 



By George P. Weldon, Chief Deputy, State Commission of Horticulture, California 



APRICOTS are grown In a number 

 of difTerent states of the Union, 

 but the commercial industry is 

 practically confined to the State of 

 California, where there are at the pres- 

 ent time 40,886 acres in bearing and 

 19,444 acres that have not yet reached 

 the bearing age. The production in 1918 

 was 135,787 tons, and the valuation of 

 the fruit during the same year was 

 $8,800,000. Not only is this fruit little 

 grown outside of California in America, 

 but also in other countries of the world. 



The Apricot a Popular Fruit. 



The apricot is very popular for con- 

 sumption in the fresh state, also for 

 drying and canning purposes. The in- 

 dustry has suffered somewhat in times 

 past in California because of the desire 

 on the part of the growers of this fruit 

 to get their product into the market as 

 early as possible each season. This has 

 resulted in much fruit being shipped 

 before it was sufTiciently matured to be 

 of good quality. When left on the trees 

 until ripe enough for shipment this fruit 



is of splendid quality and is generally 

 liked by the consumer. 



At the present time the State Commis- 

 sioner of Horticulture, in the enforce- 

 ment of a standardization law, is bring- 

 ing about a decided improvement as to 

 the quality and maturity of fruit that is 

 packed in the fresh state. The future 

 of the industry is therefore very much 

 more promising than it would be were 

 it not for the fact that standardization 

 is being compelled. 



Drying and Canning. 



There is no fruit that is more popular 

 when dried than the apricot. Most of 

 the drying is done on trays spread in a 

 field, where the sun evaporates the 

 moisture from the fruit. California has 

 a decided advantage over other states in 

 this respect, as nearly always during 

 the fall of the year the weather is warm 

 and dry and there is a scarcity of heavy 

 winds, making it possible to dry the 

 fruit outside. 



The canned product is also very fine 

 and thousands of tons of this fruit are 





Photo by California IlorlicuUural Commission. 



A round type of apricot tree developed in a hea\ y producing orchard, Ventura County, California, 



utilized by the canneries during each 

 season. The larger sizes are the most 

 popular for canning purposes. 



Tree Characteristics. 



In general apricot trees are hardy, 

 making a heavy growth and bearing 

 early. The third season after planting 

 a crop of commercial importance is 

 frequently harvested. Thus, there is 

 not the uneasiness experienced in the 

 case of this fruit as with many other 

 fruits during a number of years while 

 the young trees are making their growth 

 and before any fruit is borne to help 

 pay expenses. 



One characteristic of the tree which 

 localizes its planting to a certain extent 

 is the early blooming habit. This fruit 

 comes into bloom shortly after the 

 almond, which is the earliest bloomer 

 of all our common fruits. It is there- 

 fore necessary to select localities that 

 are free from spring frosts, in order 

 that the blossoms may not be injured 

 by same. 



Bearing Habits. 



The fruit of the apricot is borne both 

 on spurs and on one-year-old wood, 

 differing from the peach, which bears 

 entirely on one-year-old wood. Gener- 

 ally this fruit bears heavily, although 

 there are certain varieties that are noted 

 for their shy-bearing characteristics. 

 For example, in California the Royal 

 variety, which is more extensively 

 grown than any other, is a very heavy 

 and constant bearer, while the Moor- 

 park, which is of a much larger size and 

 consequently of greater commercial im- 

 portance, is inclined to be a light bearer, 

 and is therefore not favored for general 

 planting. Other varieties of commercial 

 importance are Peach, Blenheim, Tilton 

 and Ilemskirk. 



Pruning. 



Some trees bear so heavily that thin- 

 ning becomes necessary, either by prun- 

 ing or by the removal of the fruit after 

 it has become set. 



The methods of pruning the apricot 

 do not differ widely from those used 

 in pruning other deciduous fruits. On 

 account of its spur-producing charac- 

 teristics it is not necessary to cut as 

 heavily as is the case with the peach, 

 upon which it is necessary to develop 



