1911-12] FRUIT GROWING IN THE WEST 43 



costs from one hundred to two hundred and fifty dollars an 

 acre, so that you see that it takes more capital to make a start 

 there than it did originally. Another thing against trying to 

 start in apple growing in that country at this time is that it is 

 a grave question if their market will be as good as it is now when 

 your orchard comes into bearing. Eastern fruit, particularly 

 New England fruit, is rather taking the lead away from them 

 in the matter of price. This winter these Western apples have 

 grown rather slowly in our eastern markets ; at prices not giving 

 too great a margin for profit, while the dealers could not get 

 enough No. 1 New England Baldwins, at from $5 to $6.50 a 

 barrel. 



Right here in Massachusetts and in Worcester County we 

 have as fine opportunities in orcharding as these western people 

 have. Probably our land is not in itself as valuable as theirs, 

 for that is a new country, and they have a deep soil, still rich 

 in vegetable matter, but certainly at the prices which land 

 can be bought here we can equal them or more, even if we are 

 obliged to apply more fertilizer than are they. The market is 

 right here at our door, without the thousands of miles of freight 

 haul and as I have just pointed out our New England apples 

 are the ones that are now being the most sought for. The 

 dealers formerly cried down New England fruit and recom- 

 mended western apples, but the public is too well posted in 

 regard to comparative quality for them to do that now, and 

 to-day it is the first class New England fruit that they are 

 pushing and finding the best profit in handling. Here in Wor- 

 cester County we have a great apple growing country, Worces- 

 ter and Franklin counties being the leading counties for apple 

 raising in Massachusetts. Then this is a good country to live 

 in, we are near schools, churches, markets, trolleys and good 

 roads, and our social conditions are better and life is pleasanter 

 in every way than in the Northwest. 



Here and there all over the State could be found those who 

 were handling their apple crop on scientific lines, and who were 

 reaping the just reward of their industry and intelligence. On 

 the other hand the greater part of the apples produced in Massa- 



