476 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Oct. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 APPLES IN "WESTERN NEW YOBK. 



During tbe past ten or twelve years, the 

 apple crop of Western New York has assumed 

 an importance, as a market fruit, that could 

 hardly have been considered possible at any 

 previous time. The section having been set- 

 tled and cleared up during the last fifty or 

 eixty years, the first orchards set out are still 

 in full vigor. As they were set for family u?e, 

 ■with little reference to distant markets, they 

 were not large, averaging, perhaps, two acres. 



Fifteen years ago a large share of these or- 

 chards were natiual fruit. While of the grafted 

 trees many were set to inferior or unproduc- 

 tive ^ ai ieties, and many to coarse sweet ap- 

 ples for feeding, that have had to be grafted 

 over again. As the demand became more 

 constant, farmers turned their attention to the 

 cultivation and grafting of such kinds as were 

 most called for, and they begun to set out new 

 and larger orchards, — some of from ten to 

 twenty acres. A lew of these new orchards 

 have commenced bearing, while many have 

 only been set from one to five years. 



The cot-t of picking, barrelling and taking 

 to market, may range from twenty live cents 

 to one dollar a i)arrel ; var\ ing with the yield 

 and condition of the fruit, and the distance 

 from market ; but probably averaging about 

 fifty cents. On low trees, that hang full of 

 fair fruit, needing little sorting, a good hand , 

 Avill pick and put up fiom ten to twenty bar- ' 

 rels a day. Where the fruit is thin and needs 

 sorting, from five to eight barrels will be a 

 day's work. AVith a suitable rack, a team will 

 draw f'lom eighteen to twenty barrels of apples 

 at a load. Railroads and canals being con- 

 venient, it very seldom, if ever, takes more 

 than one day to go to maikot ; and often sev- 

 eral Iliads are diawn in a day. I 



Altliough in some seasons a few hundred 

 barrels ol' apples could be sold, as long ago 

 as twenty or ivvcnty-livc years, it was often the 

 case that the finest kinds could not be soli 

 at any price ; but had to be taken lor cider, 

 or (cd out. Some lificen years ago there be- 

 gun to i»e a legular demand, and the apple 

 trade a.v-uuicd tlie proportions of a regular 

 busiiie>s. Atlirstthe price was fifty cents to 

 one doil.u' a hand ; and on>-e or twice going 

 up tit irom one dollar twent\ -live to one dol- 

 lar I. ft \ lor the apples ; the buyer finding the 

 barr< 1 oi- paying for it, as is always the case 

 here. Hut during the last ten jears, the aver- 

 age prices liave largely advaneeil. The aver- 

 age ibr the last ten jears being from one dol- 

 lar lifiy to two dollars ; fur the last five years 

 from two dollais fifty to three dollars, and the 

 last two years between four and five dollars a 

 barrel. 



Tin- demand for Western New York apples 

 is wry iaige, and widely extended. From a 

 small loi-al di niaiid, to supply the cities and 

 vilhiges iiere, the marlvct has not only ex- 

 t' ndL;d to Ciii.ago, St. Louis, and many other 



I places west ; to many of the cities and towns 

 in Canada ; to Boston, Providence, and most 

 ; of the other cities in New England ; as well 

 as to New York, and vicinity, but a large por- 

 i tion are sent to Pliiladelphia. Baltimore, and 

 I many places in the Southern States, as well as 

 ; to the West India Islands and Europe. The 

 ' Southern and foreign export trade is said to be 

 , very large, and only limited by the supply. 

 ; To a very large extent, this is also the case 

 j with the home demand. Downing says that 

 American apples are equal if not superior to 

 ! those of any other part of the Avorld. And in 

 no part of this country are apples grown su- 

 perior to those of AVesternNew York for pro- 

 ductiveness, fiiirness, and good quality as to 

 flavor and long-keeping. Keeping longer than 

 AVestern apples, they are wanted in Chi^-ago 

 and other places west for the spring trade. 

 Being earlier and better than Canada apples, 

 a considerable portion goes to the Provinces. 

 The demand in New England is partlv gov- 

 erned by the local supplies, and partly by the 

 quality. In New York the demand and price 

 is probably governed by the supply in the 

 country generally, and the demand for export. 

 South, the demand must be governed l>y the 

 supply and the means to buy with. For, aa 

 they cannrt raise apples that will keep through 

 the winter and spring, their supplies of this 

 fruit must come from the north. While it is 

 said (American Fruit Cultuiist page 18) that 

 "large portions of the Eastern continent would 

 gladly become purchasers as soon as sufficient 

 quantities should create facilities for a reason- 

 able supply." 



But it is not our best apples only that are 

 wanted. Last fall fifty cents a bushel were 

 paid for culls and inferior fruit, to send to 

 some place near Boston — as I was told — to 

 make eider. And a writer in the Rural New 

 Yorker says : "Extensive buildings and cellars 

 have been erected along the eastern jjortion of 

 the Erie canal, and other plai-es, for man- 

 ufacturing tne best fjuality of cider. To sup- 

 ply these with apples to manufacture several 

 thousand barrels each, cider ap])les are bought 

 as high as fifty cents per bushel, along the 

 canals and railroads, ami moved one; to two 

 hundred miles. The cider is retined and put 

 up in casks and bottles, and sent south and to 

 the cities, and sold at a large profit — such a 

 profit as must increase the luimber of these 

 estal)lishments." 



In regard to the amount of apples grown 

 in AVestern New York, I am sorry my data is 

 so meagre. But still, with such as I have at 

 hand, approximate results at least may be 

 reached. According to the census of \i>'A), 

 the value of the orchard pi'oducts of this State 

 was $1,701,950. In ISGO it was !t!;;,72G.:!8(_) ; 

 making an increase of nearly $:i,(K )(),()( )0 in 

 ten years. AVhile this includes other orchard 

 fruits, like ])cars and peai-hes, the following 

 refers exclusively to ajiples. Such (la*^a, as I 

 have been able to collect, being mostlv ob- 



