Yields 345 



reliable record of yields in both good and bad years. Cer- 

 tain growers in western New York have harvested 200 to 

 300 barrels to the acre from their orchards for a series of 

 several years. Such high yielding orchards may be found 

 about Geneva, Brockport and other towns, but their num- 

 ber is very few. In the Wenatchee Valley a few growers 

 obtained as high an average as 1,000 boxes to the acre. 

 Such yields usually occurred on Rome Beauty or Ben 

 Davis orchards, however. The famous Watsonville dis- 

 trict of California is another section where annual yields 

 of 1,000 boxes to the acre are not uncommon on the heavy 

 redwood soils of the Pajaro Valley. Orchards which 

 yield fruit in this amount in certain years are found 

 throughout the Middle West, but it is very seldom that 

 average yields approach this figure even in the most care- 

 fully cared for orchards. 



In studying the yielding possibilities of any orchard, 

 the following points should be considered: 



The size of the tree. Relative size and vigor of the 

 tree for a given age indicates the time required for trees 

 to attain maturity in any given region. 



Soil conditions. The nature of the soil should be 

 noticed, whether or not it is heavy or light, weak or strong, 

 and how well it is adapted to tree growth and fruit pro- 

 duction. 



The frequency of frost-injury. Regions are often so 

 situated as to render them very susceptible to frost. Cer- 

 tain areas in nearly all sections are particularly suscept- 

 ible to frost damage. 



Unfavorable conditions at blooming time. Not only 

 frost but other unfavorable weather conditions often occur. 



