Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1909-10-14


than that Of the grower Of fruits.
His is the privilege of the open air
and the highway, of a home among
fragrant shadows and golden sun
shine, of clean task and a light
heart and independent of monetary
cares.
Because this is so, there has been
an astonishing exodus from the con-
gested cities back to the country Of
late. and fruit growing is claiming
the majority of these
Comparatively small tracts, con-
sidering the usual size of a farm. will
keep a family in comfort and put
money in the bank. The labor is
not heavy or confirming. little culti-
walton and care are demanded, and
the market is an excellent one. This
divided between the springs pruning
the summers spraying and the au-
tumns gathering and packing, leaves
the rest of the year for the enjoy
ment of the fruits of the marketing.
Fruit growing on a large scale is
proportionately a more serious bust
ness, calling a careful study of meth
DDS in growing and packing and ac-
tivity in the marketing But the
profits are also proportionately great
er than in any other line of agri-
cultural business, and the demands
less arduous
Apple growing in particular has a
great future before it. More suscept- !
ible than any other modern fruit to
shipment and keeping. and univers-
ally consumed, the apple has a ready
and unlimited market all over the
world.
But the national crop has suf-
fered a woeful decrease in the last
Is years. marked by surprising fuc-
tuations. From 69,OOO.0OO barrels
in 1896, the apple crop of the coun-
try dropped to 100000 in 1897.
Since then it has risen and dropped
alternately until the crop of 1909
is approximately 100000 barrels,
an increase over last year of 10000
600.
Contrary to a national inference,
this decrease has not been due to
crop failure from natural causes,
such as frosts, light blight. etc, but
it is claimed that the fall in produc-
ton has been due very largely to the
neglect of the middle western and
eastern orchardists, who once, their
trees have attained maturity and a
steady annual production, have been
content to put their whole trust in
the trees ability to turn out crops
and have not properly cultivated.
Druned and otherwise cared for their
steady degeneration in both quality
and quantity in fruit.
If it had not been for the north
west, the United States would have
suffered an apple famine last year.
This section of the union, however.
with its recent rapid development of
the fruit industry largely the result
of irrigation, though some of its fin
est fruits were produced by dry-farm-
ing) has come to the rescue and
the crop in the northwest was last
year valued approximately at $780,
100000 which will probably not be
increased this year.
Apple trees started bearing at FIVE
years of age, after which the crop
doubles each year up to IA years,
when the normal production of 1 2 to
IA boxes per year is attained At
this rate founded on the number of
trees planted last year. the apple crop
of the northwest in 1912 will be
worth something like $4,000. 900.
1t is obvious, then that the profits
to be made in the cultivation of APP
Piles are very large. if the United
States alone be taken as a market.
But the rapid increasing sale OF APP
pies to foreign markets is opening
up a Hmitless field to the grow
err London. Paris, Hong Kong, To-
kyo, Manila, and many other markets
of the world are clamoring for Am
erican apples, and at a fancy price,
into the bargain.
Other fruits, while probably hav-
ing more limited possibilities, are
none the less exceeding profitable
Whether on irrigated or non-irrigat-
ed land. whether peaches, pears,
prunes and plums. cherries and april
cots be selected as the variety to be
grown. the profits in fruit growing
are larger than any other product of
the soil The market is higher, the
cost of production Is less and the