36 New Hampshire Expekimext Statiox [Bulletin 223 



;il)proximately 32 per cent thin their Baldwins. Duchess, Gra\enstein. 

 Delicious, Ben Davis, Wafiener, Wolf River, Greening and Jonathan 

 are I'eporttvl ;uiuni<j; other xarieties thinned. About 65 per cent of the 

 men do this work duriuii the month of .Iul>'. 20 per cent in Jime and 

 12 i>er cent in August. The nuiking of_ hay is an imiwrtant task even 

 on most of the sjiecialized fruit farms. One of the chief hindrances to 

 the adoption of thinning is the fact that it is best done at approximately 

 the same time that the hay should be made. In many cases the hay 

 would be better if it were jnit up earlier. The adoption of thinning can- 

 not be lu'ged too strongly. 



Low qualit.-v fruit depresses the market and hinders tlie sale of good 

 stock to an even greater extent than additional supplies of good appl(\<. 

 Thinning reduces .slightly the total crop on the tree; but because it 

 eliminates the low grade ap])les and allows only those which are sound 

 and of good shape to gr'ow larger, it in\'ariably increases the net pro- 

 fits of ai)iile i^roduction. If every fi-uit grower in the United States 

 could be induced to thin, the total .supply of apples would be .^lightly 

 reduced and the cpiality materially increased. Both factors would tend 

 to rai.'^e the price of the fruit. 



Information was also requested as to source, character and a\'ailability 

 of labor .supply. This is of importance in relation to further develop- 

 ment of the industry. About 30 per cent of the fruit growers operate 

 tli(>ir orchards with their own labor and that of other members of the 

 family. The large majority, however, must enifJoy help. One of the 

 difficulties with the orchard business is that it is largely seasonal with 

 the peak labor demand at the harvest season. In New Hamiishire or- 

 chards practicall\- all of the fruit growers hire outside help in their own 

 locality. In a few instances students and laborers from the cities and 

 shops arc employed. Thirty per cent of the growers find no difficidty 

 in obtaining the necessarj' labor. Twenty-three per cent indicate that 

 it is f)btained fairly ea.sily, while about 46 per cent experience more or 

 less difficulty. The character of the lalior employed is classed as skilled 

 l)y .'ibout oiK'-h;ilf of the growers, and as un-killcd by th(^ remainder. 



FORECAST OF PRODUCTION 



Iti conclusion, as accurate an estimate as possible has be(>n made 

 of the ])robable de\'elopment of New Hampshire orchards for the next 

 15 years. Il must be emjihasized that these are onl}^ estimates .and 

 tli.-it: the f;ictors which control the growth of the industry ma.\- chang(> 

 markedly one way or another before the pca-iotl co\ered has (>lapsed. 

 Even so, these forecasts may be of value in determining the policy to 

 be followed bj^ New Hamp.shire orchardists. 



In order that the reader may more accurately judge tlu; nature of 

 these estimates it should be stated that it has been assumed that i>lant- 

 ing will continue for the next 15 years at the same rate as between 

 the years 1920-1926. It has also been assumed that many of these 



