ORCHARDING ON NEW ENGLAND HILL FARMS 87 



and plums from California, peaches from Georgia, grapes 

 from Ohio, apples and grapes from New York, and apples 

 from Michigan, Missouri and Nova Scotia, to say nothing 

 of the immense quantities of oranges shipped from Cali- 

 fornia and Florida. 



Although we cannot grow the orange in New England, 

 it probably affects the price of apples more than all of 

 the other tropical and semi-tropical fruits combined. 



The most important fruit grown in the temperate zone 

 is the apple. Notwithstanding what has been said about 

 the barrenness of our soil and the severity of the climate, 

 the apple can be grown to as high a state of perfection, 

 as regards color, flavor and keeping qualities, in New 

 England, as anywhere else in the world ; and it is an 

 undisputed fact that New England's best apples are not 

 produced in her meadows or valleys, but on her hillsides. 



Admitting, then, that apples can be grown on our hills, 

 the next question to be considered is : Can apples be 

 grown and sold with profit at the market price, taking 

 one year with another ? Much is being said about the 

 low price at which farm produce sells, and has sold for 

 the past few years, and that prices are not what they 

 used to be. This does not apply to apples, for, tak- 

 ing the price at which they have sold one year with an- 

 other, it has not varied to any considerable extent during 

 the last 20 years, the ruling price in the fall being about 

 $1.50 per barrel for No. i fruit. 



The cost of picking and barreling apples varies with 

 the style of the tree (high- or low-headed), quantity on 

 the tree, and the size of the fruit. 



In my own case, to pick the fruit from the trees has 

 cost from 10 cents to 12^ cents per barrel, varying with 

 the amount of fruit on the trees; to sort, face and pack 

 the fruit in the barrel ready for heading, 5 cents ; heading 

 5 cents ; drawing three miles to car at 5 cents per barrel, 

 20 cents. Calling the picking 12^ cents, this makes the 

 cost of picking the fruit and putting it on board the car, 

 including barrel, 45 cents, which, with the price of apples 

 at Si. 50 per barrel, leaves $1.05 per barrel for use of the 

 land and the growing of the fruit. 



