4 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 299 



Increase in Local Production 



To aggravate a generally unfavorable situation, Massachusetts is one state in 

 which production is expanding. Of a total of 2,LS9,120 trees in 1925,^ 756,897 or 

 35 per cent were not of bearing age; 248,000 or 11.5 per cent were over 29 years of 

 age. In 1931^ the total number of trees was 1,716,000, of which 585,000 or 34 

 per cent were 8 years of age or less. The number of trees over 30 years old varied 

 from 11 to 14 per cent depending upon the total used; while 20 to 25 per cent 

 of the trees were from 9 to 13 years old. 



The large percentage of young trees gives reasonable assurance that any decrease 

 in production which results from cutting down old trees will be more than offset 

 by the 9- to 13-3'ear-old trees coming into full bearing. The high percentage of 

 trees less than 9 years old furnishes a sound basis for expecting an increase of 30 

 per cent in total annual yield during the next decade. If efficiency in orchard and 

 harvesting practices continues at its present high level, over 75 per cent of this 

 increase will be of commercial importance. 



Commercial production is influenced constantly by improvements which growers 

 have made and are making in their orchard and harvesting practices. Increase 

 in the percentage commercially produced concurrent with a larger total production 

 will increase more than proportionately the volume of locally grown apples avail- 

 able for the market. 



Among the changes in methods which enable the grower to place a larger percen - 

 tage of his crop on the market are the growing of fewer varieties and the production 

 of cleaner fruit. Table 3 shows the tendency of Massachusetts growers to con- 

 centrate on fewer varieties. Cleaner fruit is promoted by the "Ninety Per Cent 

 Clean Apple Club." The growth of the commercial crop in relation to the total 

 crop in Massachusetts is shown in Table 4. 



Table 3 — Trees in Massachusetts Apple Orchards, Percentage Distri- 

 bution BY Variety and Age 



Variety 

 Baldwin 

 Mcintosh 

 Wealthy 

 Delicious 

 Graveiistcin 

 Cortland 

 Ot her 



Total 



'Vount, II. W. and Jefferson. L. P., An Economic Study of tlic Massachusotts; Apjilo Indiistrv. 

 Mass. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bui. 228, P. Ill, Table V. 



'Plan for Making Apple Industry of Massachusetts More Profitable, Ext. Ser. Bui. Anne.\. 

 19.^2. M. S. C. 



^Youngnian, Statistics and Charts of the Apple Industry, p. 10. U. S. Dcpt. .\gt. P,ui. Atii. 

 Econ. March, 19.S0. 



'U. S. Dept. Agr. Yearbook 1931, p. 719. 



