The Canadian Horticultun^ 



Vol. XXXVII 



JUNE, 1914 



No. 6 



Reducing the Cost of Productioiv' 



GOOD fruit land is generally cheap- 

 er than rich or more level farm 

 land that may be less desirable 

 for fruit production. Proper fruit soil 

 produces trees of good size, and fruits 

 of best quality and in large quantity ; 

 thus reducing the relative cost of pro- 

 duction. Proximity to market or ship- 

 ping station, to reduce the cost of haul- 

 ing, is an essential factor. 



Where there is 'good air drainage or 

 local elevation, spring frosts do not '■o 

 often injure blossoms or tender buds or 

 fruits, and thus there are more frequent 

 and larger crops, resulting in relative 

 cost reduction. 



Well drained soil means healthy, vig- 

 orous trees. Wet soil means poor trees, 

 and worst of all, apple tree diseases, such 

 as root rot, collar blight, and others. 

 Instead of a good income from a fine 

 crop on healthy trees money must go to 

 replace dead ones, or there will be very 

 serious loss that comes from leaving vac- 

 ant pl.'ices in the orchard. Wet or- 

 chards should be well drained ; but the 

 economy of dynamiting is yet to be prov- 

 en in 'general, for we know where it has 

 been very unsatisfactory. 



Good varieties are quoted constantly 

 in price above poor kinds. Compare to- 

 day's quotations on Stayman Winesap, 

 Rome Beauty or Baldwin, with those of 

 Ben Davis, Smith Cider or Shockley. 



Adapted varieties give finer fruits and 

 larger yields than those not adapted to 

 the regif)n, and of course as these sell 

 more easily and for higher prices, they 

 help to reduce the relative cost. A very 

 important economic consideration is that' 

 it pays all commercial growers of a com- 

 munity to put their efforts into growing 

 perfectly only those varieties (often but 

 one or two) that are decidedly Ix'st there. 



Healthy young trees from reliable nur- 

 serymen mean ready vigorous growth 

 without stunting by transplanting,' and 

 large early crops, if properly handled. 

 Trees not true to variety ordered may 

 mean years of loss. 



Plant at sutlicient distance, and on the 

 square system. The writer now plants 

 all permanent apple trees forty feet apart 

 and all others at twenty. This permits 

 profits from inter-croppin'g, cultivating 



•Kx ra«t fix)m aii • ddre « (le.iverod before 

 th<? ni<>nil)er» of the Niai^ara I'cninsula Fruit 

 (Jrowers' AKfKK'.iation. 



Prof. H. A. Surface, Harrisburg, Pa. 



each direction, and the development of 

 large trees with full crops. 



Low-headed tops cheapyen the cost of 

 production by reducing the work of 

 pruning, spraying, thinning and picking; 

 and prevent heavy loss by wind falls, as 

 well as mulch their own soil. 



Reduce the necessity for exjjensive 

 commercial fertilizers by growing legume 

 cover crops. The writer uses chiefly 

 crimson clover with buckwheat and har- 

 vest the latter. One orchard gave 

 eighty-four bushels of buckwheat this 

 year. In another the crimson clover was 

 sown with cow horn turnips, and we 

 now have a good stand of the former, 

 with over one hundred dollars worth of 

 excellent turnips, without detriment to 

 the young trees. 



Nitrogen, the expensive element in 

 commercial fertilizers, is not needed 

 where the legumes are grown in an or- 

 chard. We need buy only muriate of 

 potash and acid phosphate, and need but 

 little of these where orchards are com- 

 paratively young and occasionally culti- 

 vated. 



Pruning can be done at any time of 

 the year, if not too severe ; and neces- 

 sary severe pruning can be done at any 

 time during the dormant season. Thus 

 it is a "filler" job that can be done with 

 economy when more important work is 

 not pressing. 



For cover crops we grow our own 

 seed between the cultivated tree rows in 

 the young orchards, and in any orchard 

 that will not produce fruit that year. 



A uniform head of symmetrical trees 

 helps to maintain the income by insur- 

 ing fruit where otherwise there would 

 be vacant .spaces. 



Plant varieties to ripen in succession, 

 and thus keep the pickers engaged. 



We make all our own spray materials, 

 saving time and expense by preparing 

 stock solutions during bad weather. 



We spray as many times as are neces- 

 sary, but no more. This is four (or at 

 most, five) times in the year for pomes, 

 and three times for drupes. 



Owing to our low-headed trees the 

 thinnin'g is done easily and quickly, 

 mostly from the ground, and chiefly by 





:.v-;^'^^*^ 



?*c 





«; 





J. .u •<>♦« 



m fr^.il «" *»»••> •'•' *" *•■' 



A Revenue Producing Orchard in the Georgian Bay District 



This orchard, owmyi by Win. Beekie, Oamperdown. Out., has l>een sprnyed. praiicd and ft-rtll- 

 iaid. It oongtats principally of QraTenHtein, Snow, .Spy, Baldwin and Spitz v.irietiea. At the 

 time the i>liotograph was taken Ur. Reekie expected it to produce two hundred barreh) an acre. 



