4 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
SUGGESTIONS TO GROWERS. 
From a leading manufacturer of fkuit products—Indus¬ 
tries WHICH CREATE. A DEMAND FOR THE APPLE—NEED OP 
CO-OPERATION BETWEEN GROWERS, MANUFACTURERS AND 
DEALERS. 
One of the largest manufacturers of fruit products of 
the country is Michael Doyle, of this city. Few are as 
well posted as he on the character of the demand for 
large quantities of apples, here and abroad. In con¬ 
versation with a representative of The Nurseryman, 
Mr. Doyle called attention to the superior advantages 
which the cheap orchard lands and the fertility of the 
virgin soil of the Mississippi Valley offer for the cultiva¬ 
tion of the apple. During the last five years the apple 
has been grown extensively in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, 
and Southern Illinois, where in eight or nine years it 
attained the growth which is attained in eighteen or 
twenty years in the eastern states. Good orchard lands 
can be had at from $15 to $30 per acre, and there are 
now in those states giant orchards in comparison with 
those of the East. Some of them are from 500 to 1200 
acres in extent. “ Uniformly better crops and greater 
certainty of results can be obtained there” said Mr. 
Doyle. “There have been, I think, but two failures of 
crops in nine years in the Mississippi Valley, while here 
in the east a good apple crop has been an exception. 
Fifteen or twenty years ago young trees from Western 
New York stocked these western orchards, but now all the 
trees are grown there. Some of the largest nurseries 
in the country are in that section. It may seem 
strange, but it is a fact, that young trees are sent from 
Arkansas to this city. A number of car loads were 
received here last year, and already shipments are 
arranged for this season. The prices realized seem to 
give a profit to the western growers. The chief advant¬ 
age of the western stock is the quick growth of the 
trees, two-year-olds being as vigorous as those which 
have attained a growth of four years in eastern soil. 
The principal varieties grown in the West are the Ben 
Davis, Winesap, jennetting and Jonathan. The varie¬ 
ties grown in the East are also cultivated there, but not 
to the extent that those named are. There is a profit¬ 
able market for all fruits grown in the western states 
on account of the close proximity of some of the largest 
markets of the country ; St. Louis, Kansas City, St. 
Joseph, Omaha, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Denver, and 
liiore western points. The difference in the freight 
alone as compared with that in the East is a great 
advantage—75 cents to $i per barrel—quite a respect¬ 
able profit of itself. Pears are grown quite largely there, 
and raspberries may be cultivated to good advantage if 
proper attention is given them. 
“Western New York still holds its own because of 
the intelligent cultivation of its growers as compared 
with that of western growers. The yield in the West 
might be doubled if there were the proper treatment of 
the soil and pruning of trees. There is a sufficient 
market in the West for all the fruit that may be grown 
there in the next twenty-five years.” 
PECULIARITY OF THE APPLE. 
“A peculiarity of the apple,” continued Mr. Doyle, 
“is the variety of the uses to which it may be put. 
Both in its fresh state and canned there is an enormous 
demand here and abroad, and the quantity evaporated 
is astounding, the figures reaching millions of pounds 
annually. Not only the best fruit but the poorer quality 
is sliced, the water is evaporated, and the product is 
packed for exportation to France and other countries, 
where it is manufactured into cider and apple brandy. 
Then again, the progress made in the manufacture and 
preservation of cider has given a fresh impetus to that 
branch of the industry, and has opened a market for a 
much larger amount of cider-apples, and at better prices 
than have ruled for many years. The laws, too, which 
have been passed in the eastern and in many of the 
western states throw a safeguard around the genuine 
article, and as the price which consumers are willing to 
pay is remunerative, there is no reason why the business 
should not be materially increased during the next few 
years. Then again, the apple is being used more exten¬ 
sively for distilling purposes. Its richness in sugar, and 
its easy convertibility into alcohol, together with the 
excellent quality and bouquet of the product renders it 
especially valuable and desirable for blending purposes. 
A profitable business, a thousand times the present 
volume, could be done in this direction. Any consoli¬ 
dation for the manufacture of alcohol or the advance in 
price thereof must inure largely to the advantage of the 
distiller of apple-brandy. Fully one half of the dried 
fruit exported to France is used for this purpose, and it 
is made the base of a very profitable industry to French 
manufacturers. There is no reason, whatever, why this 
article may not be produced here and thousands of 
dollars be saved to our people, which now annually goes 
abroad. 
“All of these things are of direct interest to growers 
of nursery stock, and to dealers, and they are subjects 
of such importance to them that they ought not for a 
moment to be overlooked. I might go farther and 
allude to the use of apples in the manufacture of jelly, 
which is increasing. People have had a surfeit of the 
common glucose jelly which has been in the market for 
years, and there is a perceptible demand for a pure 
quality. The laws in regard to food will undoubtedly 
increase the demand in the near future. This branch 
can be made a profitable avenue to an intelligent and 
honest manufacturer, who will endeavor to produce and 
sell a pure article at a reasonable price. 
‘ ‘ The industry in fruit generally in Western New York 
cannot but increase. There is a demand which exceeds 
