APPLES 



You likely are interested in the profits that Apples will bring you, in the length of time it will take the 

 trees to come into bearing, in the matter of varieties, in ofchard plans, and in the general advisability of 

 planting Apples. We haven't much space here to tell you so many things, but can discuss a few. 



It costs, on the average, around thirty cents a bushel to produce and market the finest grade of Apples. 

 This amount will prune, spray, cultivate and fertilize the trees in a modern, scientific manner, and, rightly 

 expended, will make fruit that will bring on most any wholesale market at least $1.25 per bushel. 

 Say we consider a ten-acre orchard as a basis, as that size is easy to handle, and ten-year trees. 



Cost of 



Growinc because, if they have been cared for properly, they will be bearing nicely. 



-S You will have fillers of peach or early-bearing Apples between your standard trees if you are 



a business farmer; but, in our calculations, we will let the product of the fillers go to pay the expense of the 

 orchard, and concern ourselves only with the Apples produced with the forty or so permanent trees you have 

 on each acre. This tenth year each one of these trees ought to produce eight or ten bushels. In our experi- 

 ence, that is about the average, if we except some of the later-bearing sorts like Spy. But you may think 

 that five bushels will be enough to count on. We don't have to be exact in this, because you will see we have 

 plenty of room to spare. 



Four hundred trees will produce 2,000 bushels when each tree produces only five bushels. These Apples, 

 at 30 cents per bushel, will cost you $600 per year. That figure includes everything — the work you do (wages 

 p 1 counted out), the cost of materials used, the depreciation cf tools, horses and buildings, and in- 



Zl^:™ terest on the investment. At $1 a bushel the Apples will bring you $2,000, leaving you $1,400 

 Returns ^^^^^ profit from the ten acres, without counting the product from the fillers, which easily can 



be as much again, or even twice as much. If you get $1.25 for your Apples, as there is every reason 



to expect, you would have another $500. And even though you get only 50 cents a bushel, which only the 

 most careless handling of the orchard and the worst marketing will make necessary, you will get $200 

 profit yearly at the very least, out of the ten-acre orchard after paying all expenses. If you are a live grower, 



you can double or treble this. 



Now what grain, hay, vegetable or stock crop could 

 you expect to yield as much? An income of $1,400 from 

 ten acres is $140 from one acre. The best regular wheat 

 income we know of is made on a Lancaster county, Pa., 

 farm, and it runs about $18 an acre after expenses of the 

 crop are paid. We tell you, friends, that you want to get 

 into the fruit business. There is nothing like it at present, 

 and it is growing better all the time. 



Why this is so involves so many reasons that you will 

 have to study modern civilization to know it thoroughly. 

 Fifteen years ago the fruit business was just beginning. 

 Since that time people all over the world have learned to 

 eat more fruit. They have found out that fruit will tone 

 up the system wonderfully. In all the cities the demand 

 has grown till now nearly every family must have its 

 quota of fruit. There never is enough. Each annual crop 

 is largely eaten by Christmas, and before that time fruit 

 is so high in price that it is beyond the reach of three- 

 fcurths of the people. 



With this steady, heavy demand, better methods cf 

 marketing were bound to be worked out. The modern 

 box came of this demand, and is a good thing. Grading 

 was found necessary, because the Apples fit into boxes 

 better when they are of the same size, and because people 

 want good Apples, or medium Apples, or poor Apples — they 

 do not want them mixed, or all at the same price. Cold 

 storage, or cool storage, in properly ventilated cellars, 

 and modern shipping, all help a lot. These things are men- 

 tioned here to convince doubters that Apple-growing has 

 the great possibilities we say it has, and who want to know 

 why fruit-growing yields so much. 



Now fruit-growing is as much better than ordinary 

 farming as a real tune is better than the noise made by 

 some one who can not play a violin or a piano. It's a 

 further development. If you have found it hard work to 

 make things go, study fruit-growing, and by and by you 

 will really live, without the ceaseless struggle that is a 

 part of most farmers' and workers' daily existence. 



How soon will trees bear? It depends on the variety 

 and on the care that the trees receive. Such sorts as 

 Duchess, Stayman's, Yellow) Transparent, Mcintosh Red, 

 Grimes' Golden, Wagener, and others will set thirty to 

 fifty Apples the third year if they have received good care. 

 The fifth year is soon enough, however, to let the perma- 

 Careful prumng, clean trees, clover cover-crop, ciean ^ent trees bear many Apples, and that season they niay 

 cultivation and asparagus planting produce a bushel without harming themselves. After that 



