The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1897-09-23
The apple crop is a fine ona ~. M,

The apple crop is a fine o,a -,
prices are assured, but no one an. ne
mate the number of barrels which ~, u'.i-
out or the amount of money which III IN
come into the belt. From eight 70 % ta,
years after planting the orchard heo;n ~
TO make glad the heart of it's ownar
There are thousands of acres which M
TOT the flrst time, count this year in the
gains of the Illinois apple men. A vonno.
1 orcharo, with Its first good crop ripepin%
belongs in the first class of attran+is,,,
sigh's: On any OF the railroads traversino
the belt one rides mile after mile tbrnnrI
orchards which stretch on either sids -
far as the vision comprehends the ro1linn
landscape. And the young orchards ont'
number far the old
Gov. Tanner is one of the most exta,,
siVe apple raisers of this region. but as
we'll posted as he is, he hesitated to piva
hgures on the extent which the industry
has reached. He estimated the acreaCa
in the single county of Clay at 20, 600 70
%, 900, and after little further converse
ton, thought the figures had better he
scaled down, because of the large number
of failures. At least three fourths of
those who start to become apple raisers
drop out. 1t takes patience to wait ten
years, and at the same time keep I'D the
culture.
'From eight to eighteen years. the
Governor said, ''the Ben Davis bears well.
while the Jonathan will keep going from
the time it is eight to thirty years old.
The varieties which are really profitable
in the Illinois belt are four. | should con-
fine planting to the Ben Davis, the iona
than, the winesap and the duchess. The
wilotwig would be a great favorite, but
it btter-rots in our locality
Governor, it is claimed by some that
the Ben Davis originated in this nat ural
apple belt of Ilinois?'
at did. The Ben Davis was discover
ed at Burnt Prairie. Old Pres. Funk
houser got it from seeding. In the
books you will find the Ben Davis. the
Funk houser and the Baltimore red class
ed as the same. The Funkhouser is the
true name of the apple. Some nursery
man propagated it and called it the Ben
Davis. Baltimore red was the name given
somewhere else
question that suggests itself when
the magnitude of the Illinois orchards
first impresses itself, is whether there is
NOT danger that the industry may be over
done. Gov. Tanner believes there is no
danger, for several reasons.
''In the first place" be said, ''the belt
can not be extended much beyond present
limits. Ii is natural apple district, just
as there are regions which favor broom
corn or some special product. There is
something in the soil and climate which
gives the best results of proper culture
Further, the apple crop is very uncertain
IL is almost never the case that there are
two good crops in succession, or that
there is good crop the country over.
The fact is curious that in the Illinois
belt, up to four years ago. the largest
crops commanded the highest prices.
That was because when we had great
crops Of apples there were failures in the
East or in Michigan. And. finally, the
small proportion of those who start
orchards to those who maintain them
removes all fear of overproduction.
An apple crop depends largely on
the sun and the temperature for the
few days of bloom, | have a large or
chard, in which the trees Of one-haf are
full and those Of the other side have no
apples at all. Sometimes the forest along
side of the orchard is a protection from
frost and sometimes it operates the re-
verse by preventing free circulation of air.
When we do get a good crop it means
three barrels to the tree. There are fifty
trees to the acre. That would be $50
barrels to the acre, which would give at
80, the minimum price this year 1925
an acre, or $4,000 for a forty acre Or
chard -