The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-10-02
RESEARCHES PROVE
INTERESTING
WORK OF Rem H. RICE WILL
PROVE OF VALUE TO Or
cAARDfsTs EVERYWHERE.

| over the continent will be Interested in
: the research work just completed by
! Ren II. Rice, secretary manager Of the
/ National Apple show nnc), showing
! that the present so-caIled wild apple"
or wild crab from which many Of
have sprung. were Maynard descen-
dants of trees originally imported from
/ England and other foreign countries
! in tho eighteenth century.
! MIR. Rise has complied data, tracing
+ the seeds from their habitat in foreign
/ soils to these shores. also the wander
| ing Of the trees from the path of civil
| Iization. revertInE to savagery and
/ then brought to the present day per-
I lection, az to color, size and flavor,
after years OF toll and study. OF the
! contributary factors, he says that the
| process of cultivation was not of suf-
/ ficiently long duration nor was it COM
/ pletc, and. as a consequence, after
! few years neglect, il was natural for
| the fruit to return to its normal state.
The appended excerpts are from Mr..
| Rice's manuscript, To be presented to
| Professor II. l.. Van Deman of Wash
| ington. u. G., who will head the board
! of Judges at the second national apple
| show in Spokane, November IL To 20:
| During revolutionary times and the
days of the Indian wars. when thou
sands of men were called to bear arms,
| many farms Were permitted to run to
| waste and weeds In numerous in
stances the isolated homesteads and
even settlements were attacked and
| destroyed, the occupants slain, the
| buildings sacked and burned and the
stock scattered when not stolen. Thus,
a few years completed the transition
| from pioneer, husbandry to utter ruin
| and chaos.
Frequently these settlements were
the outposts of civilization, situated as
they We're on the very edge of the
| wilderness. and. in the course of
| few years. rank weeks pushed their
| heads through the rOtted boards and
| logs. pine, hemlock and maple growths
| sprung up in the clearings and wild
things scampered unmolcsted over the
ruins. which were rapidly accumulat-
ing moss and lichens. In II word, the
wilderness had stretched forth its
hands and claimed its own.
The young orchards, which, with the
poplars and other trees served as
wind breaks. We're quickly surrounded
I and outstripped in growth by the ma
tive woods. the tangled underbrush
choked the tender trees and the fruit
reverted Ia the wild and free manner
of the pigeon berry and bccchnut
Wild apples" so-calIed. had pecu-
liar charm of their own. largely be
cause of their spicy flavor Though
barred from the tables of gentle folk
and the marts of trade. they were
sought by fully as interesting. If less
exactinS. consumers. Tho blanketed
reds used them as staples Of diet ana
the pioneers of the backwoods and the
fronttersmcn often stepped off the
trails To obtain a store. The settlers
Of more peaceful days found them IA
pleasant surprise in a zone not prolific
of fruits. and bear, raccoon and porcu-
pine knew them AZ an excellent prepa-
ration for the long sleep of winter.
When tho yoemcn returned from the
wars To resume the cultivation of the
soil. many farmers set themselves to
entered the process of selection and re-
lection as practiced by the foremost
pomologists and botanists of the pres
ent day. Trees were cleared of the UNI
derhrush and pruncd, and scinns were
developed and pruned in turn. until
after much patient toll. As long in du-
ration as the period OF retrogressiOn
had been. the wild fruit once again be
came the apple of civilization, and
with this came its development rs a
commercial product, which is destined
81 far as the northwestern states and
provinces are concerned, To rank with
the wheat industry in very few
years.
MIR. Rice shows in his compilation of
data. bearing ON the growing of com-
mercial apples. that the industry has
not kept pace with the increase i'm
population in the United States and
Canada. from the fact that the entire
crop this year. estimated ut ~ 600. 00A
barrels. Is many barrels less than the
production in 1896, when growers in the
United States harvested Gr.076. zoe.
Twenty-seven millions barrels ri APP
piles were harvested in the United
States last year.
The explanation of this condition lies
scattered over the broad acres in the
New England. eastern and middlewest-
ern states, where apple orchards. never
regarded as serious features of the
farm, have fallen easy prey To neg
lect and resultant pests. In mane in
stances the trees have been felled t.
supply manufacturers with materials.
while in other localities entire or
chards have been chopped nut tn af-
ford Room for more profitable crops.
As there is no substitute for the an
pie this would mean nothing less than 3
famine were IL not for the orchards
in the west. where an immense terri
tory has been dedicated To fruit pro
ductian. and with the millions Of trees
planted annually will make this the or
chard country of the world.
The lands already planted in WASH
ingt"n. Idaho. Oregon. Montana and
the province Of British Columbia
should produce a crop of apples in 1915
equal 10 the production of the United
States in 1894 said Mr. Rice i'm dis
cuSsing the outlook. and at that there