Omaha daily bee., 1909-11-16
Some Things You Want to Know
The Big Red Apple.

Long live King Applet Such is the toast
IN Spokane. where the National Apple
show opens today. and In Council Bluffs,
where the National Horticultural congress
is beginning its annual session. The apple
Is the most important OF all American
fruits and among horticulturists is hailed
as king. The show at Spokane is an an
nual affair which exploits the apples OF
the great northwest. which is rapidly COM
ing to the front as ar apple-produCing sec
ton. The Council Bluffs congress Is more
national in It's scope, and includes the
representatives Of fruit-growers interested
In other crops than apples. The fruit growing
industry is perhaps the most highly organ
lied Of rural activities. There are a dozen
national organizations OF fruit-growers.
The citrus fruit growers Of California prob
ably have the most compact and effective
organization existing In agricultural circles
In the world.
The horticulturists Of the country face
some very serious problems, which will be
discussed at the Council Bluffs meeting.
Statistics compiled by apple trade author
tiles show that, despite increased demand
and good prices. the apple crop OF the
United States is decreasing, In 1896 and
1896 the annual crop was about 6O,OO0,0OO
barrels. 1906 It was less than 40,OOO,OO bar
rels and in 1907 and 1908 the total crop
fell below 80, 100000 barrels. This falling off
was due in large measure to unfavorable
weather conditions which in Missouri, the
largest apple growing state in the union,
resulted in almost a complete crop failure.
1t is impossible to change the weather
by human effort, but it is possible to
take precautions against frost and thus to
save the apple crops. One orchardist In
Missouri in the spring Of this year spent
5000 for crude oil to keep fires alight In
his 64O-acre orchard for several cold nights.
His ~neighbors laughed at his folly. He
sold his crop in the orchard for $64,OW.
His neighbors didn't have any apples this
year. 1t is all a question Of protecting the
buds from a possible late frost. The ques-
ton Of the success or failure of an apple
crop is often the question of one night.
Heating in orchards is accomplished by
means Of large lamps, resembling s%cuttles'
in which crude petroleum is burned with
a wick. They give forth heat and send
up enough smoke to lie as a protecting
blanket over the orchard.
One orchardist had eighty acres Of apple
trees. He equipped It with 1000 heating
pots and bought $1,000 gallons of fuel. The
actual cost of the oil used and Of a tenth
u DaTt OF the Cost u lhd hOAS ~ hV -
ten years-was only sS75. To this was
added the expense of seven nights firing.
II 1t had not been for this heat the apples
would have been completely killed, as was
the case in neighboring orchards. With the
firing frost was driven eff, and the cror
amounted to 10000 cases OF apples, which
sold for more than $4,000, The finland
empire" of Washington and Idaho, whose
--4arsAGN. - nAIran hne
been proved to possess a more favorable
climate for apple growing than other sec
tions which produce fine fruit. 1t is prob.
able that the next census will show th'
extreme northwest to be at the head Of th'
apple producing sections.
Another factor in producing the decline
in the yield of eastern and central orchards
Is the scourge Of insect pests and plan
diseases. Intelligent efforts are being mad
to combat these enemies, of King Apple
and almost every state, government ha
joined hands with the federal Department
of Agriculture in the war-on San Jos
scale and other enemies Of fruit trees. I'll
west does not suffer so greatly as tn
older sections Of the country for severa
reasons. one is that the new countries ar
not so thoroughly infected, and another /
lldl II 10 tdSi6I W SGNul6 NI1 hNdiAy ~
operation of all fruit growers in a ney
country.
Fruit growers pay much attention to tn
problem of marketing their product. Or
8 chardists have established selling agencis
Of their own control to obviste the econ1
mic loss OF the commission merchant
profit. From the tree to the table" is tn
motto Of such organizations, and some O
them have been remarkably successful.
Many American apples are exported t
Europe, especially to England and Ge1
many. Export apples are very CAREFUL
+ handled. Tho exporters DO not risk tn
skill OF the orchardists, as a rule. but blu
o the crops on the trees and send their ow
n carefully trained corps OF FUCKERS an
: packers into the orchards to take care c
e the crop. Progressive fruit growers ad
a to the keeping qualities OF their fruit b
preceding It before loading it into re
= frigerator cars, This Is Accomplished I
= small cold storage plants in the orchard
u or at the railway stations, Ammoniate
air is used as a refrigersting agent, an