SOILS OF MASSACHUSETTS AND CONNECTICUT. 37 



Exports of apples from the United States at five principal eastern ports. 



Port. 



1912 



1910 





Bushels. 



437,611 



609,041 



649 



158,717 



168 



Bushels. 

 170, 013 





566, 926 





39 





67,748 





92 







The States of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, 

 and Pennsylvania include approximately one- fourth of the popula- 

 tion of the United States, and it is apparent from the above figures 

 that Massachusetts and Connecticut are very fortunate not only in 

 home markets for fruits but also in facilities for exporting whenever 

 prices at home make it advisable to ship apples out of the country. 

 These States have, however, an unusually large proportion of non- 

 agricultural population, and local markets are exceptionally good in 

 that they are well distributed and consume a relatively large quan- 

 tity of fruit for which remunerative prices are paid. This gives no 

 small advantage over States that have to ship a much greater dis- 

 tance to these same markets, but in order to take full advantage of 

 these excellent opportunities the grading and jDacking of fruit should 

 be greatly improved. There are already sufficient exceptions to in- 

 ferior grading and packing effectively to demonstrate the superior 

 profit of better methods, and by them the general grower should be 

 guided. The importance of the fruit industry in southern New 

 England necessitates a better development of business methods in 

 handling and marketing the crop, and there is already a very no- 

 ticeable and commendable tendency to effect these ends. 



RELATION OF SOIL CHARACTERS TO CROP AND VARIETAL 



ADAPTATION. 



While the statement that " a given variety of apple, for the most 

 successful growth within its general climatic region, requires a cer- 

 tain kind or condition of soil" seems incontrovertible, inasmuch as 

 it is so well substantiated by orchard results under a wide range of 

 conditions, the reason why this should be so is not so easily stated. 

 It seems to depend fundamentally upon the water-holding capacity, 

 or rather the moisture coefficient, of the soil. The capacity of a soil 

 to hold capillary water, which is the only kind plant growth can 

 use, depends on (1) the soil texture (i. e., the size of the soil grain) ; 

 (2) the soil structure or the grouping of these tiny grains into clus- 

 ters, thus making it granular; (3) the amount of humus in the soil; 

 and (4) the degree of soil tilth, which is a combined effect of the 

 foregoing and tillage. 



