Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1909-01-08
Grave Danger Threatens
Apple Orchards.
VIOLENCE IS CALLED FOR
Apple Crop of the Country for a Ser
les of Years by the Agri-
cultural Department.

The apple is without doubt the
King Of all Fruits and If there are
any who have been hesitating about
planting an orchard for fear the
price will fall below a profit, they
should read the following article
taken from the January 2 number
of the Saturday Evening Post.
The introduction of this article has
reference to the Apple Show which
recently took place at Spokane and
we omit 1t as not material. The
article itself is a wonderful showing
Of the apple prospects generally and
the conclusions are so clearly drawn
that he who takes the trouble will be
able to see that the man who plants
an apple orchard and protects 1t
| from the pests will have the best
paying investment known among the
industries. Quoting from the arti-
Gle in question we have:
THE National Apple Show idea
was projected by the Spokane County
Horticultural Society and was
heartily supported by the business
men of Spokane. Their motto was:
Cleaner and better fruit and more
of it. To accomplish this, how
ever, as the most intelligent sup
porters of the apple industry per-
ceiye, 1t will be necessary to bring
about radical changes in the man
ner of cultivating apples on this con-
tinent. There must be general
betterment of conditions in the COM
mercial orchards. If this is not
done the United States and Canada,
within few years, will probably be
forced to import apples instead of
exporting them. In support of
the belief that the domestic sup
supply is insufficient is the fact
that, If it had not been for the enor-
nous crops in the Pacific and North
western States and Provinces last
year an apple famine would have re-
suited. In many of the Middle
Western and Eastern States the
yields were small last season, due to
the failures In numerous instances
but generally because of pests. Or
chards had been neglected and, In
| hau
permitted to die through lack OF
even ordinary attention, while, again
in others the growers did not know
how to combat insects and diseases
1t was to improve these conditions
by making Investigations and sug-
gesting remedies to bring about more
satisfactory results that the growers
were invited to come to Spokane.
I'm 1896, the total product of the
apple crop of the country was So,
10000 barrels, or 1855, ,00C
bushels. Since then hundreds o
thousands OF acres have been ad
ded, and methods of fruit CROWNS
have improved, yet the government
reports show that the aggregat,
crop In all the states In the UnioI
was not more than 25,000,000 bar
rels, or 62,500,00 bushels in 1908
ITO understand the decreases II
the production of apples in tn,
} Union in the last IL years refer
ence should be made to the stats
tics compiled by the Federal Depart
} ment Of Agriculture. Growers pro
duced 60,540,000 barrels OF apples
in 1895, and 6s,07O,O0O barrels Il
} 1896, the banner year In the histor,
OF the country. There was a de
crease of nearly $4,000, 900 barrels
or more than the entire crop o
1908, in 1897, when the yiel,
amounted to 41.536,00O. Anothe
decrease followed in 1898, the yie.,
being placed at 23,57O,O00 barrels
but in 1899 and 1900 there wer
substantial increases, the yie,i be
| ing 37.560,000 and 47.760, 900 bar
! rels respectively. There was a d-o
OF 20.ss0, ,0oObarrels in 1901. Will
1902 showed an increase OF 20,655
! 900 barrels. the crop that year bs
! ing estimated at 47.s25.0oo barrell
) Torty-svs million barrels Of frui