Leading Apple Regions of the United States 63 



Southeastern Illinois. 



The Marion County district in southeast Illinois is 

 sometimes spoken of as the Flora section, since Flora 

 is the principal shipping point and one of the important 

 apple centers in the state. Clay, Richland, Wayne, Ef- 

 fingham and Jasper counties are also included in this 

 general region. Marion County was at one time credited 

 as leading in the state in total number of trees, but in 

 recent years has suffered heavily from loss in trees. 

 Practically all of the orchards are of bearing age and 

 very few trees are coming into bearing to replace a great 

 percentage which passed out prior to 1918. Neglect, old 

 age, and infection with disease and insects, notably San 

 Jose scale, have exacted a heavy toll. Some commercial 

 growers are maintaining their orchards, but it is doubtful 

 whether over 50 per cent of the total acreage is sprayed 

 at all. Yields throughout this section are generally low. 



Most of the apples are sold in bulk; the remainder in 

 barrels. Ben Davis is the leading commercial variety and 

 represents over half of the total production. Jonathan, 

 Winesap, Rome Beauty and Grimes Golden are less ex- 

 tensively grown. Of the summer varieties which prob- 

 ably represent 15 per cent of the total production, Benoni, 

 Transparent, Duchess and Wealthy are important. Con- 

 sidered as a whole, Illinois is one of the few if not the 

 only middle western state to maintain its commercial 

 production in the face of a general decline in apple 

 acreage throughout the Middle West during the period 

 1905 to 1918. Of its three commercial apple regions, 

 two are showing increased production. High production 

 is possible with good care and it seems probable that 



