20 The Commercial Apple Industry 



There seems no reason to believe that over a period of 

 years, taking the good with the bad, apples will make any 

 materially better returns than many other farm crops ; 

 yet apple-growing is a specialized industry and will always 

 afford exceptional opportunity for individual effort. 



HISTOEY OF COMMERCIAL APPLE-GKOWING IN THE 



UNITED STATES 



The cultivated apple comes to us from prehistoric time. 

 While several species of native crab-apples were growing 

 wild in the forests at the time of the discovery of this 

 country, these species have never attained commercial im- 

 portance. Practically all the commercial varieties are 

 from the Pyrus Mains stock, which is a native of southwest 

 Asia and adjacent Europe and which has been cultivated 

 since time immemorial. Crab-apples came chiefly from 

 Pyrus lodccdta, or Siberian crab, which comes from the 

 more northern and eastern parts of Asia. 



At present the apple is the most widely cultivated and 

 important fruit in existence, being grown in practically 

 every country and in every climate. It has reached its 

 greatest cultural development in the United States, which 

 is the principal apple-producing country in the world. 



It is interesting to know that apple-culture in this coun- 

 try developed almost simultaneously with the settling of 

 the early colonies. Early records show that apple trees 

 were being grown in New England within a few years after 

 the founding of the Plymouth colony. In 1648 Governor 

 Endicott exchanged with Wm. Trask 500 apple trees of 

 three years' growth for 200 acres of land. Other frag- 

 mentary information taken from the history of the New 

 England settlements indicates that apples were being 



