464 THE APPLE 



The great cities of the Middle West are the consumers of 

 the big red apple of the Ozarks. Chicago, Omaha, St. Louis, and 

 other river towns appreciate perhaps more fully the qualities of 

 the apple and peach products of this region than do the cities 

 of the East. It is certain that for apples that require warm soil, 

 fervent day heat, and relatively cool nights the conditions in this 

 region are most favorable, and the Ben Davis of the Ozarks is 

 a different creation from the Ben Davis of New York or New 

 England, and a better one. 



The region is being rapidly developed, but it does not follow 

 that because apple trees are being planted there by the hundreds 

 of thousands it is going to dominate the apple-producing sections 

 of the United States. Drawbacks are found here as elsewhere. 

 Cold rains and unfavorable spring conditions have blasted fruit 

 prospects for three consecutive years. Present fruit-growing methods 

 will probably need modification as time goes on. 



It is worth noting that on account of the small stature of the 

 trees and the hilly and irregular surface of the ground, many of the 

 Ozark fruit-growers have adopted the dust or dry-spray method 

 of combating insects and other plant parasites. 



The fruit-growers of the region are energetic, hospitable people, 

 and visitors are welcomed and entertained with true Western 

 heartiness. 



The Nova Scotia section. Much English capital has been in- 

 vested in the growing of apples in Nova Scotia, the center of the 

 industry being in the beautiful Annapolis valley. The varieties of 

 apples which have proved most generally successful in the cold- 

 est sections of Nova Scotia are as follows : Yellow Transparent, 

 W r ealthy, Ribston, Baxter, Mcintosh, Stark. The ten most pop- 

 ular and largely grown sorts for the Annapolis valley and other 

 more favorable sections are probably the Gravenstein, Ribston, 

 Blenheim, Northern Spy, Baldwin, King, Nonpareil, Eallawater, 

 Golden Russet, and Stark. 



The general tendency of the planters in this region is to hold 

 to the better quality of varieties. However, considerable plantings 

 have recently been made of Ben Davis and Gano. The apples 

 are generally exported to England, principally to the Liverpool 

 market, the annual export being from 250,000 to 400,000 barrels. 



