Importance and History of the Apple Industry 7 



Along with the development of the commercial apple 

 industry there has been built up, and particularly in 

 recent years, extensive machinery for the handling, dis- 

 tributing and marketing of apples. Sectional lines have 

 been broken down and this product has become distinctly 

 a national and even international commodity of exchange. 

 Thousands of cars of this fruit move across the entire 

 continent and large cargoes are exported to Europe, Aus- 

 tralia and South America, ^ew and interesting relations 

 between the producer and consumer have been established 

 in an intricate system of marketing. Competition in the 

 production of high quality fruit has worked great changes 

 in cultural methods. Scientific investigation has thrown 

 light on many phases of the industry, all of which will 

 require separate treatment. 



OUTLOOK FOB THE APPLE INDUSTRY 



Apple production does not respond quickly to supply 

 and demand, and for this reason there tends to be less 

 stability in the matter of prices than with other products. 

 It requires several years for trees to come into full bearing, 

 and over-production as the result of excessive planting is 

 not felt for a considerable period. If the production of 

 potatoes, wheat or oats exceeds the demand, the land can 

 be put in other crops. But when it has required ten or 

 fifteen years, and much expense, to bring an apple or- 

 chard to bearing, the owner is loath to pull out his trees 

 and will usually wait several years in the hope that price 

 and production will become adjusted. 



The history of apple production in the United States 

 has run in cycles. In the middle of the past century, 

 when apples first began to be grown commercially, prices 



