24 CONFERENCE OF GOVERNORS. 



How do the crops taken from the orchard compare with the original 

 investment? It is not possible to give these figures net, as an itemized 

 expense account is not available. The gross returns from the orchard 



1896, . . $250 00 1^02, .... $2,000 00 



1897, . 12 00 1903, . . 1,400 00 



1898, . . 800 00 1904, . . 2,722 50 



1899, 200 00 



1900, . 1,200 00 Total, $8,884 50 



1901, . . 300 00 



It will be seen that there is a gradual increase in the amount of the 

 crop; naturally, there exists a corresponding increase in the cost of 

 production and marketing. 



Thus we have an average return of $987.16 per year, or at the 

 rate of $109.68 per acre gross, or a net return of over $50 per 

 acre. The original price of each acre has been returning every 

 year since the purchase was made. 



Apple Gkowing on the Decline in the East. 



Notwithstanding the instances cited, it is a fact that orchard- 

 ing in 'Rew England and New York is either stationary or on the 

 decline. That it is on the decline in New England there is no 

 question; the thousands of neglected farmstead orchards witness 

 the truth of the statement. Even in the great commercial apple- 

 growing area of western New York, where apple growing is a well- 

 established industry, the area has not extended as much as 1 per 

 cent, per annum during the past ten years. Let us remember that 

 this condition prevails in a thoroughly prosperous region, where 

 apple growing is a staple and profitable industry. 



But, while this represents a condition of the past, I am confi- 

 dent that it in no way represents the condition which will continue 

 during the next decade. Apple orchards are now being planted 

 extensively, and a degree of enthusiasm approaching that of the 

 westerner is manifesting itself in the activities of our Ne«- York 

 orchardists. 



Outlook foe Apple Growing. 



There have been those, and there are those at the present time, 

 who are inclined to think that the apple industry will be overdone 

 in the near future. "We can gain some notion of the outlook in 

 this regard by reviewing the apple crops for the past decade. The 

 year 1896 gave the United States the largest crop in our history; the 



