4 



The remaining discussion in this section will be for apples alone; since 

 furtfeer data for other fruit are not available. However, proposed facilities may 

 be used for the small amount of other fruit. 



The irrigated valleys in the vicinity of Espanola are the largest apple 

 growing area in New MeKico, The area has 56 percent of the orchards and 41 per- 

 cent of the trees in the State (table 1). Producers in this area have raore new 

 plantings (approximatsly 10,000 trees a year) than those in other apple producing 

 areas of the State. Data in Table 1 are for the fall of 1962 while those in the 

 project work plan cited in the preceding paragraph are for 1964. 



Table 1, - New Mexico apples, Gonanercial crop: Number of acreSj orchards and 

 trees in the Espanola Valley and total for State, 1963 1/ 







] Nuisber / 



I of ! 



Ore 



hards : 



Trees i 



Average 



number 



Area 





: Percent : 





Percent: 



Trees 



: Trees 





Number 



: of State: 



Number ; 



of State: 



per 



: per 







acres . 





; total ; 





total : 



orchard 



: acre 



Rio Arriba 





2,080 



39S 



42 



113,300 



34 



285 



54 



Sante Fe 





460 



133 



14 



24,100 



J. 



181 



52 



Total 





2,540 



531 



56 



137,400 



41 



259 



54 



(Espanola Vail 



ey) 















. 



State total 





7,000 



950 



100 



330,000 



100 



347 



47 



1/ Survey made by New Mexico Crop and Livestock Service in the fall of 1962, 



Table 2 shows the cotrsnercial production of apples over a 10-year period in 

 the State and points up the sharp variation in production resulting from late 

 spring frost, hail, and the like. 



The variations in production by areas are even m.ore significant as the freeze 

 pattern in the apple producing counties varies considerably over the years. For 

 example, the 1959 Census of Agriculture reported a total production of 105,664 

 bushels of apples from 61,053 bearing trees in the Espanola Valley of New Mexico 

 as compared with 233,514 bushels produced from 65,709 trees in 1954. 



