- 10 



Modern apple orchards : Apples are by far the most important tree 

 fruit crop while peaches and apricots are of minor importance 

 (Table 1). The apple varieties grown in order of their importance 

 are 'Golden Delicious,' 'Jonathan,' ' Gravenstein, ' 'Glockenapf el , ' 

 'Idared,' and 'Maigold,' 'Idared' is popular for fresh fruit. 



Table 1. Acres of tree fruits in Switzerland, 1974 (hedges and 

 slender-spindles, not including old orchards). 



Apples Pears Cherries Prunes Peaches Apricots 



11,616 2,178 724 464 75 13 



'Spartan' and 'Jonagold' are found in some of the newer orch- 

 ards. When asked about fruit size of 'Spartan,' one researcher 

 said that small fruit was not a problem because trees of the vari- 

 ety on M. 9 or M.26 produce larger fruit than trees on vigorous 

 size-control rootstocks or seedling trees. 



In general, the new orchards producing fruit for fresh use are on 

 either M. 9 or M.26 rootstocks and are being trained as slender-spin- 

 dles, whereas, the cider varieties mostly are on the more vigorous 

 rootstocks MM. 106, M.2, etc., and the trees trained as hedges. (A 

 hedge tree has 2 large scaffold limbs, in the lower part of the tree 

 opposite one another in the tree row, and a central leader. The 2 

 large limbs are trained horizontally by means of a wire strung along 

 the tree row. ) 



The trees on M. 9 or M.26 may be spaced 4.9 feet to 8.2 feet in 

 the row and 13.1 feet to 14 feet between rows depending on the var- 

 iety and rootstock combination. These spacings are wider than used 

 in the Netherlands to reduce cost of establishing orchards and to 

 permit tractor travel. (The tractors used on the diversified Swiss 

 fruit farm are wider than those used on the specialized Dutch fruit 

 farm. ) 



The research station at IVadenswil produces virus-free varie- 

 ties by heat treatment for the nurseries. This procedure involves 

 growing selected trees of various varieties in a climate chamber at 

 37° to 38°C for several weeks. The tips of the new growth on these 



:he 



source of bud wood for cooperating Swiss nurserymen. Thus, the 

 Swiss apple grower is reasonably sure that the trees purchased from 

 local nurserymen are healthy. 



