The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1907-02-09
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PROFIT IN APPLES.

.
Secretary Goodman Of Missouri has
an apple orchard OF 23OO acres in
the southwestern section of that state.
Asked as to whether apple-growing
was profitable he replied
Apples at 25 cents bushel are
more profitable" said he, than wheat
at 81 bushel. A price of 81 barrel
is low price 1t is a conservative
estimate to place 81 a tree for re-
turn for a good crop of apples. That
would be $40 an acre. Is there any
other branch of farming that, from
financial standpoint, pays so well?"
Writing in Rural World on the
same subject Walter Williams says
1T requires intelligence, love and
patience to grow apples. This is the
opinion of every careful student OF or
charding. Intelligence, Of course; for
the old way of planting tree, leav-
ing it alone and returning years after
ward to pick crop, is long out of
date. Love, certainly; because he who
loves his calling makes larger sue
cess than he who merely is engaged
in it to make a living. Patience, as
suredly, because it takes waiting
years between the planting of the
trees and the gathering of the har-
vest. Wheat and corn and oats are
matters of single season, but the
growing of the apple requires five
years at least, and sometimes other
years added to the first five. Possibly
this last requirement of patience, add
ed to the necessary investment Of
capital, makes less liable the danger
Of overproduction Of apples.
Land for apple growing can be
bought at various prices, some less
valuable, away from market and I'M
developed, as low as $40 per acre;
some highly developed, close to mar
ket and with the best surroundings,
will sell as high as 500 per acre.
Both prices, of course, are for the
land before the trees have been plant
ed. Thirty to forty dollars an acre
Is not an uncommon price for land
suitable for orcharding. 1t costs 10
cents to Is cents tree to purchase
and set out the apple trees. Then fol-
lows care and cultivation-and the
waiting time. A well-set orchard in !
good bearing condition and with ex-
cellent transportation facilities has |
sold for 5000 and upward an acre.
WHY YOUNG TREES ARE BEST.
These are the advantages of plant
Ing young trees: They can be trained
to the desired form better than old
er trees. A two or three-year-old tree
is branched and has had it's head al
ready formed by the nurseryman; a
yearling tree Of the apple, pear anu
sweet cherry is usually unbranched.
the nurseryman has head
ed the tree too high or has not been
careful enough about starting out the
scaffold limbs, and it is difficult to
correct the form of the head after it
has been started. There is an unmis-
preference for low-headed
trees, due chiefly to the need of econ
omy and efficiency in spraying and
harvesting The single disadvantage
Of low-heading is greater inconveni-
ence in tillage. This is much more
than Offset by the advantages, in the
judgment of most growers. Within
ten years the height recommended for
heading apple trees in the East has
been reduced at least two feet. The
bearing of this on the matter of
vearling trees is that the grower can
head yearling tree where he pleases.
News.