60 The Commercial Apple Industry 



COLORADO 



Colorado stands out prominently as the most important 

 apple state in the inter-mountain district. Practically the 

 entire commercial apple crop of Colorado is produced on 

 the western slope of the Rockies, in the Grand and Gunni- 

 son valleys. The Grand Valley, extending in either 

 direction from Grand Junction, in Mesa County, for a 

 distance of about twelve miles, is the most highly developed 

 district in the state. This valley is comparable in many 

 ways with typical northwest apple districts, being essen- 

 tially boxed apple-producing, relying on irrigation, and 

 employing northwest methods of culture and farm man- 

 agement. 



Heaviest planting in the Grand Valley was in the 

 period 1905-1910. Practically no planting occurred 

 between 1912 and 1918. 'In 1918 there were about 

 10,250 acres of apples, of which 7,500 were over ten 

 years of age. Alkali outcroppings in certain parts of 

 the valley caused a considerable loss in acreage, amounting 

 to probably 2,000 or 3,000 acres. It is possible that 

 further decreases in acreage will occur and yet increased 

 bearing capacity of the remaining acreage will doubtless 

 bring about increased production. The principal ship- 

 ping stations in Mesa County are Grand Junction, Fruita 

 and Clifton. 



The Grand Valley, while primarily an apple section, is 

 not exclusively apple-producing. Nearly half of its fruit 

 acreage consists of other fruits than apples. Peach and 

 pear plantings, with smaller acreages of cherries and 

 plums, represent in the aggregate nearly as extensive 

 acreage as the apple. In the vicinity of Palisades, some 



