APPENDIX 213 



confined to a group of comparatively few states, marked prog- 

 ress has been made in recent years, and new and highly 

 promising orchard sections developed. The old time ' apple 

 belt' includes New England, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, 

 and Michigan. The newer orchard sections of increasing 

 prominence and importance include the Ozark territory of 

 southern Missouri and northern Arkansas, southwestern 

 Iowa, eastern Nebraska, and Kansas, Colorado, and the Pa- 

 cific coast, where some of the finest specimens are found. 

 These states, together with isolated sections elsewhere, are 

 giving intelligent attention to apple growing, where climate 

 and soil are right. 



" In the distribution of the winter apple crop, the eastern 

 states, Canada, and Michigan, have been, as a rule, largely 

 drawn upon to make up deficiencies in the middle west and 

 northwest. The crop of hard varieties suitable for winter use 

 is deficient in some of the central states and in most of the 

 southern. A general criticism applying to nearly all sections 

 where temperatures are cool, is the fact that too much sum- 

 mer and autumn fruit is produced, finding indifferent outlet, 

 often at unremunerative prices. In the same line, there is 

 still urgent need of more intelligent work among orchardists 

 in the care of trees and in battling insect and fungus pests 

 in order to secure perfect fruit. 



" In the absorption of the apple crop through consumptive 

 channels, the first to disappear is autumn fruit, and inferior 

 to common stock generally, the poorest going to the cider- 

 mill, large quantities of better grade to evaporators. Prior to 

 and following the harvest of winter varieties, there is inter- 

 ested buying on the part of country shippers and city dealers, 

 entire orchards often being contracted long before the begin- 

 ning of autumn. Farmers and orchardists now so generally 

 understand practicable methods of storing and keeping fruit 

 at home, that an important part of the crop is so cared for, 

 this depending upon market conditions. The remainder is 

 barreled and put away for later use, much of it in ordinary 

 storage, and enormous quantities in the aggregate in cold- 

 storage plants in the large towns and cities, where equable 



