2274 NORTH AMERICAN STATES 



NORTH AMERICAN STATES 



maintaining soil fertility. Clean cultivation is practised 

 in most of the bearing orchards, although some atten- 

 tion has been directed recently to the sod-mulch system 

 of orchard management. The latter system seems to 

 have considerable promise in the sections where irriga- 

 tion water is not the limiting factor. While the young 

 orchards are being grown to a bearing age they are 

 usually intercropped with some vegetable or small-fruit 

 crop, as sugar-beets, tomatoes, strawberries, and the 

 like. Cover-crops are the exception rather than the 

 rule, and the application of chemical fertilizers is 

 practically unheard of within the state. Thus far the 

 application of moderate amounts of stable-manure 

 seems to have maintained the plant-food and humus. 



Irrigation water is usually applied by the furrow 

 system. The basin system is occasionally used, however, 

 in the case of orchards growing a sod or a cover-crop. 

 The number of irrigations necessary to produce a crop 

 of fruit will vary considerably with the soil conditions 

 and the kind of fruit. Apples on the clay-loam soils 

 are usually watered three or four times during the season 

 of July to September inclusive. Sufficient water is 

 applied to wet the soil down to a depth of 6 or 8 feet. 



Peach orchards and the other stone-fruits on gravel- 

 loam soils with only a medium water-holding capacity, 

 are more frequently irrigated than apple orchards, and 

 less water is applied at an irrigation. For the best pro- 

 duction of peaches, it is especially desirable to have 

 plenty of water available during the season following 

 the hardening of the pit till harvest time. No amount 

 of water during the early growing season will make up 

 for lack of water during the month preceding the 

 harvest. Early irrigation stimulates vegetative growth 

 and thus causes an even greater demand for moisture 

 later in the season than would otherwise be the case. 



The fruit industry of Utah has undergone little or 

 no boom when compared with some other sections. 

 The steady, conservative growth of this industry seems 

 reasonably certain, and future generations may see the 

 horticultural crops of more relative importance than 

 they are at present. 



Utah is characterized, as a whole, by farmers owning 

 their own farms, and the fruit industry is no exception 

 to this rule. Land values have remained at conserva- 

 tive levels. The fruit-grower not only owns the orchard 

 in which he works but usually has no desire to sell it. 



Truck-gardening has only been locally developed 

 around Brigham, Odgen and Salt Lake City. However, 

 the canning factories have developed profitable ana 

 intensive production of tomatoes and peas in various 

 sections throughout the state. 



The cut-flower establishments around Salt Lake City 

 and Ogden supply the local markets and export a quan- 

 tity of flowers to the northwestern states. 



Utah is especially free from insects and plant dis- 

 eases harmful to fruit crops. The arid climate makes an 

 uncongenial home for most of the fungous diseases and 

 only the easily controlled fruit insects are prevalent 

 within the borders of the state. 



Very stringent horticultural laws promote the pro- 

 duction of clean high-class fruit, as it is a misdemeanor 

 in the state of Utah to sell, ship or offer for sale any 

 fruit infested with insect or plant-disease blemishes. 



Utah fruit enjoys a very favorable reputation among 

 local and general markets. Utah Jonathan apples, 

 Napoleon cherries, and Elberta peaches bring the top 

 prices for these varieties, and compare favorably with 

 similar fruit from other fruit-growing sections, wherever 

 comparisons are made. Rich soils, the intense sunshine 

 of an arid climate, and an abundance of irrigation 

 water combine to produce fruit of the very highest 

 quality and color. 



Public-service agencies for horticulture. 



The Utah Agriculture College is located in the 

 northern part of the state at Logan in Cache County. 



This institution was established in 1888. The horti- 

 cultural staff consists of three teaching members. 



The Agriculture Experiment Station, organized as a 

 division of the College, has played an important part 

 in helping the fruit-growers to solve their problems. 

 The experimental staff has usually included at least one 

 additional worker to the teaching staff mentioned above. 



The following institutions in Utah teach one or more 

 courses in fruit-growing to a large number of students 

 of high-school and college grade: Utah Agriculture Col- 

 lege Branch Normal School at Cedar City, Brigham 

 Young University at Provo, Brigham Young College 

 at Logan, Snow Academy at Ephraim, Murdock 

 Academy at Beaver, and St. George Academy at St. 

 George. With the exception of the first-mentioned, 

 which is a state institution, the above schools were 

 established and are now maintained by the Mormon 

 Church. In addition to the above, every high-school in 

 the state teaches at least one course in horticulture 

 except schools located at Salt Lake City and Eureka. 



The Utah Horticultural Society was formed in 1905 

 and has grown steadily in influence and value to the 

 state since its foundation. A State Horticultural Com- 

 mission was created in 1899, consisting of the Ento- 

 mologist and Horticulturist of the Utah Agricultural 

 College and three practical horticultural resident citi- 

 zens of the state, one to be the Horticultural Inspector 

 appointed by the Governor, and the other two to be 

 appointed from the members of the State Horticul- 

 tural Society. 



Statistics (Thirteenth Census). 



The approximate land area of Utah in 1910 was 52,- 

 597,760 acres. The land in farms was 6.5 per cent of 

 the land area, or 3,397,699 acres. Of this land in farms, 

 the improved land numbered 1,368,211 acres; the wood- 

 land, 145,510 acres; and other unimproved land in 

 farms, ^1,883,978 acres. The total number of all the 

 farms in Utah in 1910 was 21,676, and the average 

 acreage to the farm, 156.7. [The total area is 84,970 

 square miles.] 



The leading agricultural crops grown in Utah are 

 hay and forage, cereals, and sugar crops. The acreage 

 devoted to the production of hay and forage increased 

 from 388,043 in 1899 to 405,394 in 1909, when the pro- 

 duction was valued at $7,429,901, which was 40.2 per 

 cent of the total value of all crops. Cereals increased in 

 acreage from 255,699 in 1899 to 298,613 in 1909, when 

 the production was valued at $6,092,281, or 33 per 

 cent of the total value of all crops. Sugar crops 

 increased in acreage from 7,917 in 1899 to 27,812 in 

 1909, an increase of 251.3 per cent, when the produc- 

 tion was valued at $1,871,478, or 10.1 per cent of the 

 total value of all crops. Forest products of the farms 

 were valued at 6,730 m 1909, as compared with $13,325 

 in 1899. 



Horticultural crops grown in Utah are fruits and nuts, 

 small-fruits, potatoes and other vegetables, and flowers 

 and plants and nursery products. The value of the 

 fruits and nuts produced in 1909 was $671,165, as com- 

 pared with $291,902 in 1899. Small-fruits increased in 

 acreage from 1,052 in 1899 to 1,416 in 1909, when the 

 production was 3,118,395 quarts, valued at $217,327. 

 The total acreage of potatoes and other vegetables in 

 1909 was 21,216 and their value $1,591,847. Exclud- 

 ing potatoes, other vegetables increased from 6,023 in 

 1899 to 7,006 in 1909, when the production was valued 

 at $717,776. Flowers and plants and nursery products 

 increased in acreage from 250 in 1899 to 597 in 1909, 

 when the production was valued at $269,571. 



The total production of orchard-fruits in 1909 was 

 633,739 bushels, valued at $640,904. Apples con- 

 tributed more than one-half of this quantity, and 

 peaches and nectarines ranked next in importance. 

 The apple trees of bearing age in 1910 numbered 

 517,039; those not of bearing age, 789,260. The pro- 



