COST OF PRODUCING APPLES IN WESTERN COLORADO. 7 



survey has been made of the Paonia and Hotchkiss districts, but the 

 fruit here is located on mesa lands with soil of the same general typo 

 as the Mesa clay loam. 



CLIMATE. 



The climate of this region on the whole is semiarid, with marked 

 seasonal ranges in temperature and great variation in season, due 

 largely to altitude, which ranges from 4,575 feet above sea level at 

 Grand Junction to 6,100 feet at Cedaredge, in Delta County. 



The maximum precipitation is about 11 inches; minimum, 6 inches. 

 This amount of precipitation supports only sparse native vegetation. 

 Crops depend entirely on irrigation. An admirable feature of the 

 climate is its very low humidity. Destructive windstorms are 

 uncommon, but the more elevated regions are subject to destructive 

 local hailstorms. 



The topographical features of the region have a marked influence 

 upon the occurrence of killing frosts. Often a difference in elevation 

 of 100 feet or even less is enough to save an orchard from frost. Air 

 currents and "pockets" also have a decided influence. Certain 

 small areas are nearly always subject to damage by frosts. In 

 locating an orchard it is well to pay particular attention to records of 

 frost damage in previous years. 



Table II shows climatic data for this region as compared with other 

 important apple districts of the United States. It should be stated 

 in this connection that the weather stations for these various places 

 often are not located in the same locality, or on the same elevation 

 as the orchard; hence the figures are not necessarily a true guide to 

 weather conditions affecting the orchards. 



Table II. — Climate of western Colorado and other apple districts of the United States. 1 



Station. 



Alti- 

 tude. 



Mean 

 annual 

 rainfall 

 (normal). 



Mean 

 annual 

 temper- 

 ature 

 (normal). 



Num- 

 ber of 

 clear 

 days. 



Num- 

 ber of 

 rainy 

 days. 



Average 

 date of 



last 

 killing 

 frost in 

 spring. 



Average 

 date of 



first 

 killing 

 frost in 



autumn. 



Aver- 

 age 

 num- 

 ber of 

 grow- 

 ing 

 days. 



Western Colorado: 



Feet. 

 4,602 

 4,510 

 4,965 

 5,694 

 5,811 



1,070 



2,159 



300 



L425 



23 



967 



537 



Indies. 



8.3 

 10.22 



7.76 

 13.22 



9.58 



6.64 

 11.41 

 34.65 

 14.57 

 23.85 

 33.21 

 35.44 



°F. 

 52.5 

 49.7 

 49.7 

 49.6 

 47.5 



51 



50.8 



50.1 



54.5 



57.3 



54.7 



47.2 



170 

 182 

 225 

 130 



168 



189.8 



168 



161 



160 



139 



159 



115 



84 

 63 

 54 

 81 

 86 



56.6 

 63 

 90 

 114 



80 

 87 

 143 



Apr. 18 

 May 3 

 May 11 

 May 1 

 May 21 



Apr. 18 

 May 9 

 Apr. 22 

 Apr. 30 

 Mar. 17 

 Apr. 17 

 May 2 



Oct. 18 

 Oct. 4 

 Sept. 27 

 Oct. 10 



Sept. 28 



Oct. 22 

 Sept. 30 

 Oct. 14 

 Oct. 6 

 Nov. 1 

 Sept, 26 

 Oct. 13 



188 



Fruita 



154 



Delta 



139 



Paonia 



162 



Montrose 



130 



Other important apple dis- 

 tricts in United States: 

 North Yakima, Wash. 2 ... 

 Payette, Idaho 



187 

 144 



Hood River, Oreg 



Medford, Oreg 



175 

 159 



Watsonville, Cal 



229 





162 



Brockport, N. Y 



164 







1 Taken from U. S. climatology records for past 15 years. 



2 North Yakima data taken for years 1910 to 1914 inclusive. 



68536°— Bull. 500—17- 



