Charlevoix county herald., 1911-05-27
wiped out many good peach orchards
and damaged some Others.

wiped out many good peach orchards
and damaged some others.
On the other hand l know OF hun
dreds of orchards, many Of them In
good LOCATION and in good soil, in all
parts Of Michigan, that for lack OF
proper treatment, have made an actu-
al lUss to the owner.
Between these two extremes are
orchards that have had fair or ordi-
nary care. Such orchards have usu-
ally averaged reasonable. though
not large, yearly profit to the grower.
While no man living can at the
planting of an orchard look far enough
into the future TO predict what CIV
en- orchard may or may not produce
ten years hence, or what prices may
be, any one With fair judgment and
long experience as a grower can come
pretty near telling what number of
orchards under given conditions are
likely to do on the average, in local
ity with which he is we'll acquainted.
l know OF orchards where actual
results this past serson were far ahead
OF this average, not only on apples,
but on cherries and peaches as well. l
have one in mind, a little orchard
which l bought near Grand Rapids.
There were six acres of Steel Reds.
Spys and Jonathans. The price paid
was high ($4.25 per barrel (. o. b. for
| all these varieties; there were few
| trees of odd kinds which / did bot
buy) but was not record price for
last season by any means. There
were little over 1000 barrels OF those
varieties on about 10 trees. The
sales at the station, including the
culls, was S4sO0.OO. The barrels, pick
ing aud packing together cost approx
imately $4,000, leaving net receipts
for the fruit on the trees OF $4G50. 10,
or say s650.OO per acre.
One Of the largest peach growers of
| the state near Frankfort gave me his
| figures short time since, and they
showed for last years (l9O9) operation
over $4,000 per acre net on one ORCH
ard of Elberta peaches. Considerable
leeway there, too, is there not? The
same grower has a large acreage of
cherries. He puts them up artistical-
ly in western style. and Of course gets
prices above the average. His orchard
of Montmorency cherries netted him
over 81 100000 per acre this past year,
and his OXharts much more.
IL may be said: 1T is not safe to
| base future expectation on present
day PRICES" That's true enough.
and were going into large planting
proposition 1 should base my figures
on yield so per cent less than real
| ly expected, on prices so per cent low
er aud on expenses and original cost
Of plant so per cent higher. Ii on
that basis l could not see future
profit, would pot start.
It's the fashion for the trade and
the consumer to complain of present
high prices on fruit and to predict
lower ones. ] always do. and yet, ten
years from now, prices may be higher
instead OF lower
Ten years ago, after heavy crop,
it was freely predicted that we would
never again see apples as high as 81 100
per barrel at the shipping station.
Since that time LOO has been paid
several times for large orchards and
ia few instances $500, and the aver
aye has been nearly $500, so predic-
tions Of lower prices may not be full
filed, and they may be even higher
than now.
Some will say: "You cannot COM
pete against the west," but that is IA
mistake. Michigan can compete with
any section, if they will but use the
methods of the west.
We hear wonderful things about the
west. and certain isolated orchards
have done wonderful things, TO my
certain knowledge. L know Of some
hundred dollar per acre crops, and
few double that, but L know of the
same in Michigan, and my belief is
that while the west has, to date, aver
aged earlier crops and better color
than Michigan, the well cared for
orchards of Michigan will be doing
business long after those of the west
have stopped bearing.
The difference in flavor, in cooking
quality, in freight rates and in cost
of laud Is all largely in favor of Mich
igan, and my own belief is that the
difference in net returns will average
on the same side, for Michigan is
waking up.