31S 



APPLE APPLE 



importance, there is now known to be much greater 

 latitude in this respect than was generally considered. 

 In recent years, apples have been successfully and 

 profitably grown under conditions that formerly were 

 thought to be very undesirable. This is mentioned here 

 to show that the proper selection of varieties and the 

 adoption of special methods of treatment are also 

 important factors, and that the "fruit-belt" is nob the 

 only controlling factor. 



The accompanying table gives some information 

 regarding the number of apple trees and the production 

 of apples in the states under consideration. One column 

 also shows the relation of the production of the various 

 states to the total production of the United States: 



VARIOUS APPLE STATISTICS FOB THE NORTHEASTERN STATES, ACCORDING TO THB 

 CENSUS REPORTS FOR 1900 AND 1910. 



alluring settlement of the West and others by the oppor- 

 tunities in the rapidly growing manufacturing centers, 

 forsook their orchards. Of those who remained, many 

 cut down the trees to make room for more profitable 

 crops. The orchards that remained were mostly neg- 

 lected and many of them may still be found, although 

 few of them are now profitable. There have been two 

 or three attempts at reviving the industry and these 

 mark well-defined epochs of orchard planting. 



With the phenomenal amassing of population in the 

 eastern cities and with the marked improvement in 

 transportation facilities, there has developed within 

 the past ten years a remarkable opportunity in the 

 growing of apples. As a result, enormous areas are 

 being planted and many 

 of the old and neglected 

 orchards are being re- 

 vived. Many persons from 

 the cities are being at- 

 tracted to the cheap lands 

 in the East and most of 

 them are planting apple 

 trees. It is difficult to 

 ascertain, even in an ap- 

 proximate way, the num- 

 ber of trees being planted 

 in any section. The thir- 

 teenth census shows that 

 there are over 7,425,000 

 apple trees in the eight 

 states under discussion 

 that had not reached the 

 bearing age in 1910, and 

 there has been much greater activity in tree-planting in 

 the three subsequent seasons than ever before. Many of 

 the old orchards, however, are fast passing out of exis- 

 tence. From the census reports it may be seen that 

 despite the number of young orchards coming into bear- 

 ing in the ten-year period, there were 10,488,000 more 

 trees of the bearing age reported in 1900 than in 1910. 



The question of the probability of over-production 

 immediately arises. Most of the growers are still 

 optimistic, thinking that for various reasons many of 

 the orchards will never reach the bearing age and that 

 with the rapidly growing population, the increasing 

 opportunities for exporting, the raising of varieties of 

 better quality, and with better methods of grading and 

 packing, the supply will not exceed the demand for any 

 considerable time. 



Apple regions. 



It is remarkable that the apple industry has reached 

 its highest development in certain restricted regions. 

 When pomologists speak of the western New York 

 fruit-belt or the Champlain Valley district, a fairly 

 definite area is understood. Usually such districts are 

 marked by exceptionally favorable soil or climatic 

 conditions. The conspicuous apple regions of the North- 

 east, although frequently hundreds of miles apart, 

 possess about the same set of conditions. This is 

 especially true within the same parallels of latitude. 

 The distinctive features of these regions are: 



(1) A favorable climate, that insures protection 

 from extreme temperature, affords sufficient rainfall 

 in summer, and that furnishes long days and abundant 

 sunshine throughout the growing season. 



(2) A favorable soil, that insures good drainage, ease 

 of cultivation, and a spacious feeding-ground for the 

 roots. 



(3) A suitable topography, that affords adequate 

 atmospheric drainage and insures protection from 

 frosts and freezes. Lands adjacent to large bodies of 

 water, however, are not necessarily dependent upon 

 variations in altitude to insure protection from frost. 



While favorable soil, climate and topography often 

 are determining factors and are considerations of great 



By comparing the production from the various 

 counties, it is easy to determine the conspicuous apple 

 sections. The following table shows the production 

 from the twenty-four highest producing counties in the 

 northeastern states: 



TABLE SHOWING PRODUCTION OF APPLES FROM THE 

 TWENTY-FOUR HIGHEST PRODUCING COUNTIES IN 

 THE NORTHEASTERN STATES, CENSUS OF 1910. 



It will be seen that of the twenty-four counties, 

 seventeen are in New York state, three in Maine and 

 two each in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. 



The territory under consideration lies mostly between 

 the 68th and 81st degrees of longitude and the 40th and 

 46th degrees of latitude. It possesses, on the whole, a 

 very irregular topography, resulting from glacial 

 deposits. It is drained in almost all directions by rivers 

 of various sizes. It includes many fertile valleys, ele- 

 vated plateaus, and several mountainous areas. Along 



