BuEEATj OF Ageicultube. 77 



other orchards would have been established, but the 

 fight against foot-and-mouth disease necessitated the 

 use of the funds the Department had intended to devote 

 to the development of additional work along these lines. 



The orchards planted in 1913 in the counties of 

 Rowan and Hardin, are making a splendid growth. 

 These three Co-operative Orchard Associations are or- 

 ganized in counties where the lands are adapted to fruit 

 growing. As stated in the Twentieth Biennial Eeport, 

 the Department has only furnished trees where a suffi- 

 cient number of farmers were organized to plant at least 

 one thousand acres. Every indication is that what is 

 most needed in Kentucky along horticultural lines is a 

 system of co-operative marketing. Kentucky ranks sev- 

 enth as an apple-producing State among the states of 

 the nation; yet the fact remains that the apple growers 

 do not obtain anything like the prices they should get 

 for their product. This is the result of so many varie- 

 ties, and a lack of co-operation. Not more than six varie- 

 ties of winter apples have been furnished to any one of 

 the demonstration orchards as organized by this Depart- 

 ment, and the only requirement the Department has 

 made is that the members form an Association with the 

 proper officers, and all surplus fruit be sold through the 

 General Manager. 



Mr. R. E. Settle, Manager of the Hardin County 

 Fruit Growers' Association, writes as follows: 



"Our young orchards, planted here as a result of 

 the co-operation of the Agricultural Department of the 

 State, have made splendid growth this season, and are 

 going into the winter in good shape. From what infor- 

 mation I can gather, about seventy-five per cent, of the 

 members of the Fruit Growers' Association who put out 

 the apple "trees furnished by the State, have taken fairly 

 good care of their orchards. I have tried to give mine 

 first-class attention, and they have responded well to the 

 attention given them, as shown in the picture sent you. 

 They were trimmed closely last spring, yetj you will 

 notice, they are higher than a man's head. I have some 

 of the Stayman Winesaps in another part of the orchard 

 that have mad© phenominal growth. We are planning 



