The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1909-11-25
SHORT YEAR IN APPLES.
Only Moderate Yield Of Merchantable
Fruit and High Prices-Best Re-
turns Are From Well Cared For
Orchards.
New England Homestead.)

short season in apples. There is
nothing new in this statement. In
order to arrive at just estimate of
crop and harvest condition, this mag
azine has conducted most careful
inquiry among growers in all apple
sections and specialists on the ground
who are in close touch with the stu
alton. A careful weighing of returns
from our valued correspondents
shows conclusively where the short
ages are to be found and summary
of crop development makes it very
clear just why an early encouraging
promise was followed by disappoint-
ment at the October harvests. The
sections where a better than last
years Indifferent crop has been Sc
cured are as scarce as hens teeth.
In this, the final report of the apple
crop of the United States, the New
England Homestead places the total
for 1909 at 22,735,OO0 barrels, against
revised figures for 1908 of %, 45O,000.
Indifferent apple crops and the totals
named fall far short of such seasons
as 1906, 1904, and that ever memoir
able bumper crop, 1896, which is still
discussed and recognized as high
water mark in the conventions of
fruit growers and dealers.
From the standpoint of the general
reader the question might well be
asked, why is it that the apple crop
scarcely holds it own one season
with another during stretch
of years, when the paintings
of new orchards are wide
| spread, the number of young trees
coming into bearing each year in
creasing by leaps and bounds, and the
keen interest in growing apples new
er so marked as now? A careful an
alysis of conditions which have been
patent for months and a careful crys-
tallizing of the reports which within
the past week or two have come for
ward to the New England Homestead
throw specific light on the PROPOSE
ton. First of ALL looking toward the
development in orchard sections of
the past summer and fall, climatic
conditions were exceedingly trying.
In some important sections, notably
our older eastern States, orchards
have been weakened by one, two or
more dry seasons Immediately pre-
ceding the one now brought to a
close. This feet found trees in no
very vigorous condition to withstand
the assaults of further and similar
vicissitudes in 1909. In other import
ant sections, an encouraging outlook
at time of blossoming was somewhat
shattered by the advent of cold and
persistent rains, the fruit failing tc
set; this quite outside of some trying
frost visitations. In the territory
indicated, comprising loosely some o.
the States of the central and middle
West and northwest, this poor STAR
was followed by more or less serious
drouth, lasting well into the summer
The autumn months were more ia
vorable in the way of temperature
and moisture, but the crops could no
lrecover
Another distinct and farreachint
reason for the Indifferent crop o
1909, and the further fact that il
spite of increasing paintings of or
chards the yield of merchantabl
fruit is Indifferent in quantity ant
quality, is the neglect so very gen
orally observed in the care of the or
chard. In the long and extended
work of the New England Homestead
: crop reporting bureau, this regrett
able fact was never more accentuate'
than right now. The mass of testi
: mony from our conscientious an,
careful crop observers shows the liz
: norance or indifference, or perhap
the lacking in possibility, of properl
5 caring for orchards. Farmers ar
' generally well fortified, with knowl
r edge about feeding the soil, spraying
, etc But in spite of this, instance
7 are innumerable where an otherwis
: fair to good crop has been RUNE
= the past season through lack of carr
}, Some bright examples are presente
r where, despite drouth, the grower
Y have given trees the attention the
n needed, triumphing in REASONABLE
!, good outturn of sound apples, whic
;. are today bringing splendid money
In the accompanying table, shown
apple crops by State for three yeal
the figures are arranged for CONVEX
# fence into sections, the first compri
y ing New England and the secor
so-called Middle States, embodyin
the group which is most important
u the comemrcial sense. In the State
! of the Central West, the Far We
and the South, great quantities
y apples are produced, liberal pr,
/ portion finding their way into Il
Ie distributing markets; outside of thei
" are a number of States, large pr
N ducers, but not important in Il
's autumn and winter markets. In fac
y the shaping States as to value mig
IS almost be counted on ones hand
y New York and Michigan of primal
" Importance, followed perhaps