BETTER FRUIT 



Page /I 



Ot tile (liffcTfiit facUirs that arc essen- 

 tial in the business we mention, first, the 

 liication. This must be where the soils 

 and climate are at least fairly congenial 

 to the wants of the particular fruit to 

 be grown. The next factor that must 

 be considered is that of distance from 

 and availability of markets. There are 

 many districts that are too inaccessible 

 to make it ctjmmercially profitable to 

 grow fruit. Another factor that must 

 be considered in fruit growing is the 

 comparative immunity from diseases and 

 insect pests. No place is entirely free 

 from all diseases and pests, i)ut some 

 places are more subject to certain dis- 

 eases than others because of climatic 

 conditi<ins or geographical location. 



Different species of fruit, and even 

 different varieties of the same specieSj 

 need different conditions under which to 

 reach their best development. Most of 

 our fruits, however, are cosmopolitan in 

 their wants, and may be grown fairlj' 

 successful!}' on a great variety of soils 

 and under many different conditions. 

 The apple in particular, although it 

 demands a fairly rigid climate to reach, 

 its highest quality, is grown irom far 

 north in Canada to the Southern States. 



At present fruit growing in the United 

 States and Canada, particularly apple 

 growing, is divided into five great areas 

 or districts. Each of these has its pecu- 

 liar advantages of location and climatic 

 conditions. Each of these districts is 

 also competing with the others in the 

 markets of the world. The first and 

 oldest of these districts is that extend- 

 ing from Nova Scotia through Northern 

 New England to the Great Lakes. This 

 area is characterized by a short season, 

 with an abundance of moisture. Because 

 of these conditidus the quality of the 

 fruit in this district is uniformly high. 

 On the other hand, the humid climate 



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WHEN WRITrNG AnVERTISF.RS MFNTION RRITFR FRI'IT 



very little of the stringiness so commnn 

 makes favorable conditions for the devel- 

 opment of all the fungous diseases that 

 trouble fruit growing, and because of 

 the age of the industry in this district all 

 of the insects that are known to fruit 

 growers have to be combated. As a 

 result this area produces the maximum 

 of high quality, but imperfect fruits. 



The next district is that of the 

 Appalachian Mountain States, running 

 from New York to Virginia and Ken- 

 tucky. This district is characterized by 

 a longer season, but with a maximum 

 of rainfall. The fruit produced in these 

 districts is not uniformly as high qualitj' 

 as that in the North, and the fungous 

 diseases and insect pests are practically 

 the same as in the first district mentioned. 



Tlie third great fruit growing area 

 is that known as the Ozark district, 

 embracing part of Kansas, Nebraska, 

 M'ssouri. Arkansas and adjacent states. 

 This area is characterized by a long 

 season, with a fair amount of moisture. 

 Insect pests and fungous, diseases are 

 practically the same as that of the pre- 

 viously mentioned districts, and the long 

 season tends to produce an excess of 

 tough, woody tissue in the fruit. In this 

 region such varieties as Ben Davis, Gano, 

 Missouri Pippin and Arkansas Black are 

 largely grown. 



The next important fruit growing sec- 

 tion is that of the Rocky Mountain dis- 

 trict, embracing Colorado, New Alexico, 

 Utah, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. 



The fifth important division is that of 

 the Pacific Coast, including California, 

 Oregon and Washington. This district, 

 because of its semi-arid climate, is com- 

 paratively free from fungous troubles, 

 and because of its comparative newness 

 is also free from the many insect pests 

 of the East. As a result the fruit is 

 characterized by freeness from fungous 

 diseases, but owing to the long season 

 it is not so good in flavor and texture as 

 that of the North, or the Nova Scotia 

 district. 



The Rocky Mountain district has some 

 characteristics that make it different 

 from any of the other four areas. Some 

 of the principles in horticulture are 

 invoh-ed that are worth while for our 

 fruit growers to keep in mind. First, 

 our high altitude gives us a short season 

 that corresponds with that of the Cana- 

 dian districts. The result of this is to 

 make a fine or delicately tissued fruit. 

 This fruit will not stand handling as well 

 as that of the Ozark district, but so far 

 as tissue goes no better quality can be 

 grown anywhere. The most important 

 feature to keep in mind, however, is the 

 principle that high altitude reduces the 

 flavor. At first this might be thought to 

 be a disadvantage to our fruit growers. 

 If recognized and properly taken into 

 account it does not need to be a draw- 

 back; and in many cases is an advantage. 

 The principle is well illustrated from the 

 celery and cauliflower growing of this 

 state. In lower altitudes these vegetables 

 tend toward a stringy, tough tissue, with 

 a strong, flavor, In the high altitudes of 

 Colorado neither of these characteristics 

 is noticeable. The celery is crisp, with 

 in the East and none of the rank, strong 



lla\-or so common there. Other illustra- 

 tions might be gi-\-en, but these are sufli- 

 cient to demonstrate the principle. 



Jn applying this principle to our fniil 

 growing we can readily see that it is 

 necessary for us to grow those varieties 

 of fruit that will stand cutting down in 

 flavor and still leave the quality good. 

 This is best illustrated by the Jonathan 

 apple. In New York and New England 

 the Jonathan apple is a decidedly acid 

 fruit. With us the Jonathan is a mild 

 sub-acid fruit. The toning down of the 

 high altitudes is just what the Jonathan 

 needs to give it the delicate flavor that 

 is desired to make it a valuable dessert 

 fruit. The Baldwin, which is grown 

 more than any other apple in New York 

 and New England, is a mild sub-acid 

 fruit in that district. Here the Baldwin 

 is so deficient in flavor as to be practi- 

 cally valueless as a Colorado apple. For 

 this reason the varieties adapted to Colo- 

 rado are those that are strong, or, as you 

 might say, heavy flavored in lower alti- 

 tudes. Many thousands of dollars have 

 been thrown away in Cfjlorado because 

 this principle was not recognized and 

 acted upon in the earlier days of fruit 

 growing in the state. Even now our old 

 orchards are largely made up of such 

 varieties as Ben Davis, Whitney Crab 

 and other varieties even more worthless. 

 It is probable that these are present in 

 the orchards largely because of a pre- 

 vailing notion that the better varieties 

 were not sufficiently hardy for our 

 climate. We now know that the best 

 varieties that are obtainable are suffi- 

 ciently hardy to withstand the climate 

 of Colorado, even as high as 7,000 feet 

 in some parts of the state. 



In looking over the situation of apple 

 growing in the United States it would 

 seem to us that our great advantage is 

 in the fact that we can produce as good 

 a tissued apple as the best districts of 

 America; we have almost no fungous 

 diseases to contend with, comparatively 

 few serious insect pests, and by select- 

 ing the proper varieties may grow a 

 quality of fruit that is unsurpassed. We 

 must recognize, however, that other dis- 

 tricts have woke up to the fact that the 

 troubles that twenty years ago seemed 

 to be hopeless may be controlled, and 

 not only may be handled, but are being- 

 handled in many of . the other districts 

 of the United States. The whole fruit 

 growing industry has undergone not a 

 revolution, but an evolution, in the past 

 few years, and while the old farm 

 orchard of the East is a thing of the 

 past many of those places are now mak- 

 ing orcharding a business, and through 

 better cultural methods and better care 

 of the trees in the way of pruning, spray- 

 ing, thinning, etc., are producing fruit 

 that will make a close competitor to the 

 best of our Western fruits. Our growers 

 have sufficient advantages that should 

 enable us to hold the enviable position 

 in the markets of the East that has been 

 secured. It . will be necessary, however, 

 for us to use the very best methods that 

 are known to horticultural science from 

 the time the scion graft is made till the 

 apples are placed in the hands of the 

 consumer. 



