- 9 - 

 come from a rather stable acreages 



Outlet for Old Varieties - About UO per cent of the eastern apple crop is now market- 

 ed through processing channels s Canned sauce constitutes the major processed output 

 at present and, for every tushel of Mcintosh, Delicious or other dessert types, a 

 bushel of York Imperial, Rhode Island Greening, Baldwin, Stayman Vifinesap or Grimes 

 Golden is required for the proper bland for high quality sauce. 



Improved Method s - Production practices in many eastern orchards have had a face 

 lifting in recent years 9 Vfith larger acreages the trend is definitely toward mechan- 

 ized methods both in the orchard and in the packing house. Pallet handling of the 

 fruit is becoming common practice. Automatic spray equipment of one type or another 

 is in greater usee Better pruning is achieved through the use of pneumatic equipment 

 and pruning platforms, Vifith the introduction of new pesticides;> Insect and disease 

 control has been tremendously im.proved» 



Along with these changes the eastern grower is changing his perspective. His 

 sights are nov; set on growing high-^uaLity fruit. He has become "finish" conscious. 

 Eastern apples were characterized in the past as having rough finish vrLth much 

 russeting. This was due in part to the nedessity of using sulfur sprays for disease 

 control^ but cold weather in early spring was a contributing factor. Adverse climatic 

 conditions will continue to be a threat to fruit finish; however, much study is being 

 made to find combinations of the newer organic pesticides that vn.ll minimize spray 

 injury to the fruit svurface. Some excellent progress has been made In this direction. 

 Should these efforts to improve frxiit finish show any degree of success, competition 

 of dessert apples on the fresh-fruit market is bovind to increase. 



Irrigation - Because of the possibilities of improving quality, and in viewof the 

 past 3 years of rather serious drought in many areas, grovrers are giving much thought 

 to irrigation and quite a few orchards are novi equipped to irrigates ''"ith the newer 

 equipment now available, it is quite certain that many more growers will adopt the 

 practice if sufficient vfater is available 



The importance of fruit size also brings up the subject of f ruit thinning s The 

 eastern grower is more and more getting to appreciate the importance of this practice, 

 but high labor costs of hand thinning of large acreages are very discouraging. Des- 

 pite the fact that results have been rather variable, many growers are using chemical 

 spray thinners© 



Cultural Practices - The system of culture in eastern orchards is almost entirely 

 one of permanent soda This sod cover of volunteer grasses and weeds effectively re- 

 duces run-off of rainwater and subsequent soil erosion. It also affords protection 

 from soil compaction by heavy spray equipment and other orchard traffic. In the New 

 England states and in many other sections, mulching of apple trees is a standard 

 practice and most of the highest producing trees are f ouM in orchards where this 

 cultural system is followed. 



The per-acre production in eastern orchards is considerably less than that of 

 central and northcentral Yfeshingtona The average commercial yields are about 2^0 

 bushels per acre. Some more favorably situated and better cared-for holdin- s may 

 produce ^00 bushels, while a fev/ exceptional orchards have reached SOOa There are 

 many reasons for the lower production, but the reluctance of growers to use sufficient 

 nitrogen is partly responsible e It is vrell recognized that retardation of red color 

 development is correlated with high nitrogen levels. Environmental conditions not 

 conducive to red pigment formation generally prevail in many eastern apple regions. 

 Nitrogen levels necessary for high ;^ld have invariably resulted in serious reduction 

 in color of most varieties in these areas. Such fruit is not only a drug on the 



