QUALITY OF NEBRASKA APPLES. 103 



QUALITY OF NEBRASKA APPLES. 

 Val Keyser, Lincoln. 



In discussing this subject the wrilei" has no apology to make for Ne- 

 braska apples. That we can produce apples in Nebraska of superior 

 quality is a question over which there is no chance for argument. 



In order to deal fairly with this subject I wish to state that by qual- 

 ity I mean, first flavor, second texture, third color, and fourth keeping 

 quality — on the ability of the apple to stand up in storage, on the mar- 

 ket, or in the hands of the consumer. 



Apples produced in Nebraska are good, it makes no difference 

 whether you measure them by the barrel or the box or in bulk. Ne- 

 braska has a soil which contains the elements essential to the production 

 of apples equal to those grown anywhere in the world, and which enables 

 the production of better quality than many sections of the country, far 

 more notorious, for apple growing. 



Mother Nature has likewise been more generous' with climatic con- 

 ditions, moisture, and sunshine, heat and cold, and other factors which 

 measure climatic conditions and which work in harmony with the prop- 

 erties of the soil in fixing desirable qualities in our apples. That these 

 things are literally true no rational mind would attempt to defy. We 

 have proven our assertions by producing the fruit. 



Many apple growers, perhaps we had better say many people who 

 attempt to grow apples, have labored under the delusion that fruit at the 

 highest standard of excellence can be produced by planting a tree and 

 leaving it to care for itself. In this respect we must all feel a sense of 

 guilt, for it is only recently, within the past ten years, that we have been 

 able to put upon the market with certainty apples which prove Nebras- 

 ka's real worth in the production of this fruit. It is true that in the early 

 history of orcharding in Nebraska fruit equal in quality to the best speci- 

 mens grown today was produced. The fact that such splendid apples 

 could be grown with the exercise of to little care on the part of the 

 grower later proved to be an unfortunate condition of affairs. 



The climate did not change to any great extent, nor did the soil un- 

 dergo any material changes. In many respects trees grow as well today 

 or better than they did forty years ago, and yet in order to produce fruit 

 equal in quality to that of the early growing it requires the exercise of 

 the most intelligent care and cultural methods. 



Nebraska growers are unfortunate in assuming that because high 

 quality fruit was produced in the ear]3' days without any special care 

 that those conditions would remain unchanged, and while sleeping on 

 that assumption they failed to awaken to see the ravages of Insect ene- 

 mies and dangerous plant diseases, which depreciated the quality, dis- 

 couraged the grower, and greatly injured the reputation of Nebraska's 

 apples. 



All sort of theories were advanced by experienced orchardists In 

 feeble attempts to explain the status of the apple-growing business in 



