Importance and History of the Apple Industry 19 



the United States was comparatively in its infancy. Since 

 1896, citrus production has doubled and trebled in size 

 until during the year 1917 approximately 100,000 carloads 

 of citrus fruits were produced and sold in the United 

 States. Of these, 54,000 carloads were grown in Cali- 

 fornia alone ; the remainder largely in Florida. It is dif- 

 ficult definitely to establish the significance of this growth 

 in relation to the apple industry. In the first place, cit- 

 rus fruits can be grown only within comparatively small 

 areas and their production is thereby limited. Citrus- 

 growers have perfected a better system of distribution and 

 have placed their products in a greater number of markets. 

 This competition may check apple consumption, but on tho 

 whole, it seems to indicate that the possibilities of apple 

 distribution have not been as well recognized as they might 

 have been. Citrus production has increased much more 

 rapidly than population and yet distributing agencies have 

 sought out markets, stimulated demand and have disposed 

 of their vastly increased product in most instances at a 

 profit. 



Conclusions. 



On the whole, although our commercial apple produc- 

 tion may increase perceptibly in the next few years, due 

 principally to increased production from such regions as 

 the Pacific Northwest and the Shenandoah-Cumberland, 

 there will be no such relative increases as in the period 

 from 1905 to 1920. 



The population is increasing, with a resulting demand 

 for more fruit. The extension of foreign markets, better 

 means of distribution and wider uses of the apple, com- 

 bine in giving a promising outlook for the apple industry. 



