38 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
harvests have quite measurably exceeded the crop 
mentioned but in the best returns of most of the years 
the harvests ranged a little more than 40,000,000 barrels 
while in the years of marked failures the harvest returns 
were between 21,000,000 and 23,000,000 barrels. The 
United States government report for the present year 
places the annual crop as ranging along between 23,000,- 
000 and 24,000.000 barrels. 
Nearly a quarter of a century has passed since the 
notable crop of 1896, and revolving time has increased 
our population by adding between 15,000,000 and 20,- 
000,000 more people to feed. Then comes the call from 
foreign shores, like the call from Macedonia, “Come over 
and help us” making earnest appeals from countries 
where orchards have been devastated in the lightning 
scorched tracks of devastating armies, asking for sup¬ 
plies of wholesome life sustaining, national fruit. With¬ 
out enough apples to supply our own needs and wants, 
it will be quite obvious that the foreign calls for our 
fruit will too often go unheard and unheeded. 
Such things should not be. This country has the soil, 
the climate, and all necessary guiding lights and efficient 
aids and advantages to grow from 100,000,000 to 150,- 
000,000 barrels of apples annually, and every apple in 
such an increased annual crop would be needed for 
timely service in either the domestic or foreign trade. 
As one of the organizers of the Mississippi Valley 
Apple Growers’ Association, serving as its secretary for 
seventeen years, I frequently came in contact with or¬ 
chards and orcharding in different parts of the country 
and was often impressed by rulings of cause and effect 
when observing either the success or failure of annual 
harvests. I was led to believe that failures were entirely 
too frequent and was influenced to institute the feature 
of having a national apple day with confidence that if 
there would be a concentration on the industry of grow¬ 
ing apples all over the country on at least one day in the 
year it would be fruitful in leading to better results. 
In the commercial courses of our best business men we 
know that on one day of every passing year, they draw 
off what is termed a trial balance taken from their fin¬ 
ancial records. And come weal or come woe the meth¬ 
odical business man faces the showing of such sheets 
with both eyes open. If the balances appear on the right 
side of the ledger the causes for such showings are dis¬ 
covered and persistently pushed in future efforts. If 
balances appear on the unfavorable side of the ledger it is 
followed with a searching for causes and when su^h 
causes become obvious there is a certainty that they will 
be eliminated in future endeavors and that lines leading 
to better results will be carefully followed. 
It was anticipated with the establishing of a national 
apple day, those making failures in growing the national 
fruit would observe the annual returning event as a day 
for atonement and repentance arousing determination for 
future improvement. The day was first observed all over 
the country on the first Tuesday in October in 1905 and 
has since grown in favor and importance. There having 
been some objection made to the date in the extreme 
northern and southern sections of the country during the 
past two or three vears the date was changed irom Oc¬ 
tober to the first Thursday in November in order to more 
readily secure ripe and maturing apples for feasts 
of tlie favorite fruit which naturally became associated 
with the annual anniversary. 
For the first few days I stood practically 
alone in reminding the public of the yearly returning 
date and through the medium of the press appealing for 
due recognition and fitting observance of the festival. 
Later, the International Apple Shippers Association 
which was quick to see the manifold advantages of hav¬ 
ing such a day came to the rescue with forceful vim and 
vigor placing the annual event in firmest fixed position 
before the public. The association offered first and sec¬ 
ond prizes to the cities making most notable celebrations 
in commemorating the day. It will be remembered that 
Cincinnati won the first prize that was awarded, and in 
other years, Pittsburgh, Pa., Chicago, Rochester, N. Y., 
Indianapolis, Ind., were among the prize winners. 
The exceptionally light annual harvests of past three 
years having precluded possibilities for enthusiastic cele¬ 
brations, the International Apple Shippers Association 
continued its commendable work by liberally using its 
own funds and generous contributions given for the pur¬ 
pose, shipped hundreds of carloads of apples to Europe 
for gratuitous distribution among allied armies fighting 
for the world’s freedom on the battle fields of France. 
The association honored the last date for apple day by 
sending apples to the sick and wounded soldiers of the 
allies on both sides of the Atlantic. It is understood that 
New York City alone contributed $5000 for this noble 
purpose. 
Now that the people are emerging from the horrors of 
war and drawing nearer to the dawning of peace the 
association is contemplating offering prizes for the best 
results that can be shown in orcharding in the nation at 
large during the approaching New Year. 
It being my intention to appeal to the different state 
horticultural societies to supplement their movement by 
offering prizes for the best results in orcharding dis¬ 
covered within their own boundaries let me hope that the 
horticultural society of Tennessee will co-operate by aid¬ 
ing a movement sure to increase production which is an 
urgent necessity of the present time. At the last meeting 
of the International Apple Shippers Association, held at 
Milwaukee in August, with delegates from Europe, 
South America, Canada, and Cuba, it was unanimously 
voted to change name from National Apple Day to Inter¬ 
national Apple Day. thus forging ahead of the United 
States Senate in forming a league and covenant of nations 
with assurance of enioying the blessed fruits of peace. 
In my former, earlier years I was engaged in the work 
of transporting lumber from Southern forests for use in 
large manufactories of the northern states. Being some¬ 
what of a practical river man I contracted for freighting 
lumber sawed at Paducah on the Ohio River to points on 
the Upper Mississippi, and became familiar with produc¬ 
tions of Southern forests by the millions of feet of logs I 
witnessed floating down the Cumberland and Tennessee 
rivers. I always was convinced that soil upon which any 
variety of trees grew spontaneously would be ideal places 
for thrifty fruit bearing orchards and the people of Ten¬ 
nessee should be congratulated upon having their lines 
cast in such pleasant and favorable locations for growing 
apples and all other varieties of fruits. 
As you have your efficient state University and experi- 
