THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK 



those remaining may have room for development and may receive the 

 maximum of sunlight which gives the much-desired color. The apples are 

 carefully picked and packed in boxes, not barrels, each apple wrapped in 

 paper. The greatest care is exercised in sorting and grading the fruit. 

 Color counts first and size next. The grades are extra fancy, fancy, and 

 choice. And when you buy a box of apples from that country you may 

 feel sure that they are as represented, and that every apple is uniform in 

 size and up to the grade designated. They are very jealous of their repu- 

 tation. The compulsory spray law in the state makes for sound fruit, 

 free from worms, and their boast is that they raise the apple which you 

 can " eat in the dark." 



In marketing their fruit, cooperation is the watchword. Each valley 

 has its fruit growers association, through which the fruit produced may be 

 marketed. During my visit there in July I attended a meeting of the 

 Spokane County Horticultural Society at which preliminary arrangements 

 were effected for the establishment of a central fruit growers association 

 for the entire northwest. They realize that it is a question of distribution 

 and not of overproduction which is the vital point in the market for their 

 fruit, and they are taking steps to effect an organization so general in its 

 scope that all in the northwest may be a part of it. Such organization 

 spells success. 



To even supply the demand for apples in this country, that is, good 

 winter apples, is the crying need now. The question of overproduction is 

 so remote, even if it ever occurs, that it need not be considered. In 1895 

 the production of apples in the United States was about 180,000,000 boxes, 

 and in 1910 it had fallen to about 73,475,000 boxes, or about two fifths of 

 the yield of 1895, and this in view of the fact that in the fifteen years 

 which had elapsed the population had greatly increased. This increase in 

 population is still going on, making a constantly larger home demand, and 

 at the same time the demand in foreign countries for the northwestern 

 apple is rapidly growing. The high price of good, winter apples at the 

 present time is prohibitive, excepting to the few of large means. This 

 'should not be. Have you any idea how many apples New York City alone 

 can consume in a year? Figure it out on the basis of one apple per week 

 per individual, allowing one hundred apples to the box, an ordinary size, 

 and it would require two and one quarter million boxes to meet the 

 demand, at this ridiculously low quota. The apple is a food and should 

 be consumed largely. At the rate of one apple per day it would take 

 nearly 16,000,000 boxes, over one fifth of the entire apple yield of 1910, 

 to supply the demands of New York City alone. 



A feature of the apple industry during the past three years in the north- 

 west, and to occur again this fall, is the National Apple Show. At that of 

 1910 there were over 20,000 boxes on exhibition, representing over 

 2,000,000 apples. It requires about $50,000.00 to finance these exhibitions, 

 $20,000.00 of which is expended for prizes. 



Many eastern people are investing in orchard land in the northwest, and 



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