COST OF PRODUCING APPLES IN YAKIMA VALLEY. 



15 



industry and contained many of the above mentioned varieties. With 

 the development of the industry came the knowledge of the varieties 

 better adapted to the region. 



The principal commercial varieties now grown in Yakima County 

 are Winesap, Jonathan, Ben Davis, Esopus, Missouri, etc. (See 

 Table VIII.) 



Table VIII.— Ten varieties of apples having the largest acreage in Yakima County. 



Variety. 



Acres. 



Per cent 

 of total 



Winesap 



Jonathan 



Ben Davis 



Esopus (Spitzenberg) . . 



Missouri . , 



Yellow Newtown 



Rome Beauty 



Gano 



Arkansas (Black Twig) 

 Stayman Winesap 



6,201 

 5,916 

 5,103 

 2, 654 

 2,578 

 2,366 

 2,203 

 1,339 

 1, 075 

 991 



15.52 

 14.81 

 12.77 

 6.64 

 6.45 

 5.92 

 5.51 

 3.40 

 2.69 

 2.48 



METHOD OF ORCHARD PLANTING. 



Many of the older orchards of the valley are set as close as 15 by 15 

 or 20 by 20 on the square. However, in many instances the orchard- 

 is ts are removing part of the trees so as to get sufficient space for the 

 growth and development of those remaining. Among the younger 

 orchards the distances set vary from 20 by 20 to 30 by 30, trees being 

 set on different plans. As might be expected, there is little difference 

 in the plan of setting between the clean-cultivated and the mulch-crop 

 orchards, since most of these orchards were set before any considera- 

 tion was taken of an orchard mulch crop. Considering all orchards 

 in the Zillah district, regardless of the plan of setting, there was an 

 average of 68.2 trees per acre. In the North Yakima district there 

 was an average of 78.2 trees per acre. Considering all records taken 

 in the valley, there was an average of 73.6 trees per acre. 



YIELDS. 



Records of yields were obtained from each orchardist covering as 

 long a period as possible. (See Table IX.) The plan was to get rec- 

 ords covering at least a 5-year period, so that any abnormality in one 

 year or another might be minimized in the average. The belief was 

 that fair results could not be counted on from the consideration of 

 any one year's yield, since many conditions, such as the weather, in- 

 sect pests, and fungus diseases, often make the yield for a given season 

 entirely unreliable as a measure of the business of a district. In 1911 

 a severe frost affected the yield of many of the orchards of the valley. 

 Two ranchers considered in this investigation lost their entire crops 

 that year. 



13116°— 17— Bull. 614 2 



