The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1909-03-23
AS TO BEST AP-
PIE VARIETIES
HORTICULTURIST WALDEN, IN
THE RANCH, GIVES SOME PER-
TINENT OBSERVATIONS ON VA
RIETIES TO PLANT.

Rev. F. Walden, many years horti-
cultural editor of the Ranch, the
well-known farm publication, has an
interesting story in the current num-
Der of that publication regarding the
best varieties of apples to plant.
The occasion for the article was a
query made as to the varieties adapt
ed to a section along the Columbia
where irrigation was not possible.
The following is the story:
"As to whether would prefer the
Delicious and King David to the
Spitzenberg where irrigation can not
be practical, ! wish to say that am
not prepared to speak as to the mer-
its of the King David. have some
trees top-grafted to the King David,
but / have not yet had the privilege
of testing the apple, so do not wish
to speak either for or against it.
Many testimonials are given in favor
of this beautiful apple, but 1 am not
able to add mine for lack of expert
ence. I have been able to sample
the Delicious and can say that it is a
large, beautiful apple that is deli
cious. If I were planting new or
chard I should certainly include this
in my selection.
About the first of January of this
year I heard an objection to the
Delicious made by a good man in
whom / have great confidence, that
put me to thinking. His objection
was that the Delicious, while very
fine apple in quality early in the
season, deteriorated very rapidly
and that near the close of winter it
became decidedly insipid. 1 am not
able to say whether this objection is
we'll founded or not. | had a few
Delicious sent me last fall and I had
but one left, so l held it to we'll into
January and can say that I could
not detect the least deterioration. I
am convinced that my friend was
mistaken in part at least. But this
objection is not very serious one,
for if an apple will hold up in quail
ity till after the holiday trade is
over it would prove a very profit
able apple to grow.
Whether it would be a wise thing
to grow the Spitzenberg extern
sively up the Columbia river, 1 do
not know. The Spitzenberg does ex-
tremely well in some localities, as
in Hood River, Ore, and in some
sections of the Wenatchee Valley, but
in some localities it is not very pro-
fitable. Where my farms are locat-
ed I am confident can make 50 rails
ing Winesap, Jonathan, Rome Beau
ty and Arkansas Black to where l
can make 81 raising either Spitzen-
berg or Yellow Newtown.
If the conditions are similar to
those prevailing at Hood River,
can hardly see how he can go very
far wrong in raising the Spitz.
Many people are led to plant the
Spitzenberg because it sells so high.
Here | must remind the readers of
the Ranch of my rule: Neither the
apple that bears the highest nor the
one that sells the highest will nee
essarily make the grower the most
money. I must confess that on our
ranch both the Spitzenberg and the
Newtown are on the trial list Last
year we had the best crop of New
towns we ever had, but it was q
disappointment when we found that
over one-half of this fine apple had
to be packed as seconds and sold
for much less than the firsts. I'm
less there is improvement in the fu-
Iture 1t were better for us, so far
as money is concerned, if our New
town trees were grated to some
thing else. We had a few Spitz
that sold very high, but, alas, had
but few Nearly all of our Spitz
were on top-grafted trees three
years old, but there were not one
tenth as many to the tree as with
the Rome Beauty, and not one-fifth
as many as with the Winesap and
Jonathan top-worked trees Of the
same age. l expect these trees top
grated to SpitZ to do better in flu
ture but do not expect them to ever
make as much money year after year
as the trees worked to Romes, Saps
and Jonathans. What I raise fruit
for is mainly for the money / can
make out of it. I take a good deal
of interest in testing new varieties,
but when it comes to raising COM
mercial apples / want to see the
shining dollars
/ was down on Western Avenue
-.