The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1909-11-19
Do Not Neglect
The Apple Orchard

northwest in the National Apple Snow
held at Spokane this week tor the
second time, the first exhibition ha7-
ing been held last year. The Idea
originated with the Spokane County
Horticultural Society and was heart
lily supported by the business men OF
Spokane. Their motto was: 'Clean-
er and better fruit and more of It, =
To accomplish this, however. as the
most intelligent supporters and stu
dents of the apple industry perceive,
it will be necessary to bring about
radical changes in the manner of cui-
tivating apples on this continent.
There must be general betterment CT
conditions in the commercial or
chards. 1T this not done the United
States and Canada, within few years.
will probably be forced to import
apples instead of exporting them.
In 1896, the total apple crop was
69,07O,OO0 barrels, or 172, 675. 600
bushels. Since then hundreds of
thousands of acres have been added.
and methods of fruIt-growing have
been improved. yet the Government
reports show that the aggregate crop
in all the States in the Union was
not more than 25. 600, 900 barrels, or
100000 bushels in 1908.
To understand the decreases in the
production of apples in the Union in
the last twelve years reference should
be made to the statistics copmiled by
the Federal Department of Agricul-
ture. Growers produced 60, $4,000
barrels in 1896. the banner year in
the history of the country. There
was decrease of nearly %, 900, 600
barrels, or more than the entire crop
of 1908. in 1897. when the yield
amounted to 41.536.UOO. Another
decrease followed in 1898. the yield
being placed at %, $40 900 barrels
baa in 1899 and 1900 there were sub
stantial increases. the yields being
81. 100000 and At, 100000 barrels
respectively. There was a drop of
2O.S90, 600 barrels in 1901. while
1902 showed an increase of 90. 655,
900 barrels the crop that year being
estimated at 47.625. OOU barrels.
Forty-fve million barrels of fruit
we're produced in 1903, and in 1904
the yield was 800. 1000 barrels greater.
Then, in 1905. 1T dropped to %. .500.-
600 barrels and in 1906 it increased
to SO, 13O. 900 barrels. The crop of
1907 feII off to %. OOC, 900 barrels
The apple growing industry is
substantial one: in fact, few enter
prises offer surer or more attractive
profits or more healthfuI and pleasant
occupation. A small invest %
will secure a beginning, and trust
worthy literature can be had readily
from the DepaI aItu.ent of Agriculture
and the numerous horticultural and
farm journals. There never will be
an over production of frst-class stock.
Ii is, in fact, impossible at the pres
ent time to produce the enormous
quantity of euod apples requisite to
meet the demand. This is evidenced
by the fact that England, Germany.
France. Denmark, Australia and the
Orient are already drawing upon the
orchards in Washington, Idaho. Ore
Ron and British Columbia. When
this export trade is firmly establish
ed, as it will be in a few years, the
demands upon the growers will be
largely increased. This means more
orchards, and better care of the older
ones.
That applegrowing in the North
west has passed the experimental stage
and is already factor may be gath
cred from official statements. More
than 100000 growing trees were
reported by horticultural inspectors
in Washington, Oregon and Idaho at
the close of the Season of 1908. and
of these 6.744. 161 bore fruit that
year. The total crop reached an esti-
mated value of s19. 9.0O0,O 900 to s2O,
600. 200. Washington, with 2 935, :
824 producing trees. was seventeenth
in the list of number of trees and sec
ond in productiveness. Oregon had
2. 825, 988 bear ng trees and Idaho re-
ported 982. $40 trees in fruit. When
the other trees now growing come into
bearing in 1912. it is estimated the
yield will be about "a, 600, 600 bush
els, or 1000. 600 bushels more than
the total crop of the United States iii
1908. equal also to the wheat crop of
the three states that year. Washing
ton had 5, 332. 097 apple trees at the
beginning of the season. during which
$500. 600 were set out, with more than
3, 900. 600 contracted for to be plant
ed in 1909. Oregon had 5. 500. 600
and set out 1000. 600 more. while
Idaho reported $500. 900.
The apple is the national fruit Of