The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1910-08-01
S1OO,OO0,OOO N
APPLE CROP
II. L. Moody Makes Predic
lions AS to Yield in
Few Years.

and Montana, those who are familiar
with the unrivaled climatic, soil and
ether conditions believe the time is
near when the apple yields of the
four states will be worth 100000
600 and the culture of the king of
fruit will be the chief industry
H. L. Moody of Spokane, where he
is member of the chamber of COM
merce and other organizations, said
this in an address on Apple Culture
am Irrigation in the Northwest, at
the first meeting of the Chicago r.
rigation association in the La Sale
hotel here the evening of July 2S.
Judge Charles F. Fishback was toast
master. Mr.. Moody added among
other things:
Federal and state engineers say
in reports TO their respective depart
ments there are approximately 200.-
100000 acres of undeveloped arabic
lands in the I'm tcd States west Of
the 9Sth meridian, ana men versed in
agriculture assert that under proper
cultivation this area could be made to
produce between 4,00O,OOO,OOO and
$500, 100000 bushels of wheat year
ly, or other crops in proportion. The
settlement of these lands would mean
homes for not less than 20,000,000
population and a source of added food
supply, and, as a consequence, perma-
nent prosperity.
The four northwestern states con-
tain 253, S94,76O acres, as follows:
Montana, 93,S06,OSO; Oregon, 61,-
SS7, $50; Idaho, 53,960,320; Wash
ington, 44,241, 900. Less than five
per cent of this land is occupied by
farms and the total population is not
more than 100000 in an area of
397,700 square miles. More than
3 100000 acres of this land is adapt
ed to irrigation. Planted to apples
and properly watered the minimum
crop at maturity would be a matter
of O,000,OOO,00O bushels, or about
40 per cent of the total crop of the
United States in 1910, when less then
%, 100000 barrels of apples were
harvested
Il mention these facts merely to
show the possibilities of the country
as proof that as gold was the strong
magnet which sent the first American
across the continent to the California
coast in 1S49, so today the apple is
attracting thousands upon thousands
more people from Eastern, middle
western and southern states to the
great orchard belts of the Northwest.
THE apple is king throughout the
vast northwestern domain, and it is
conceded by genealogical experts that
no district in America stands higher
in fruit production. Washington has
now more than 100000 acres in or
chards, and the value of a full fruit
crop would undoubtedly equal $780,
100000.
with increased transportation ia
| cilities and the steady influx of set
tiers, the early attempts in the val
! leys and uplands have become more
pretentious and systematic. Irriga-
! ton plants have been established by
private individuals and corporations,
and the United States government is
eXpending enormous sums in reclaim
| ing the volcanic wastes which are SO
wonderfully rich and fertile and SO
peculiarly adapted to raising fruits,
unblemished and perfect in size and
color
Apples grown in Washington, Ore
gon, Idaho and Montana are in de-
mand in the Eastern and middlewest-
ern states and in Europe and Aus
| tralia and the markets are being ex-
tended year by year. Experts in the
east who have studied conditions in
the Northwest frequently refer to
these states as the worlds fruit bas-
ket,' adding there has been estab-
lished in a comparatively short time
domain where the first foot of soil,
properly cultivated and irrigated, is
worth more than all the mines from
Alaska to Mexico and all the forests
from the United States boundary to
the Arctic sea.
Regarding possible Over-produc-
ton in the Northwest, may say that
the demand is growing greater every
day, not only throughout America,
but in Europe, Australia and the ORR
ent. Although population ana the
domestic demand for these fruits has
increased and exports continually
augmented, strangely enough, the
production of the apple has steadily
increased. The apple crop for 1909,
reported to be less than 100000
barrels, for example, was only slight
ly in excess of one-third of that for
the years 1896 and 1900, and much
less than the crop for 1905, when
the production reached a low figure.
The fact that the production in the
United States has averaged below
100000 barrels in four of the last