Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1912-11-07
Red Apples and Red Ink

presses haze outdone the planters
and the question arises, Is the apple
business likely TO be oyCrdone? Dur
ing the last ten years there has been
big revival OF interest in country
life of all sorts; and the fruitgroWing
business has come in for untold pag-
es of advertising. These stimuiants
of public interest have fallen square
ly on top of genuine prosperity in the
legitimate fruit-growing business it.
self, so that their effect has been
sweeping.
1t is a well-proyed fact that we'll
managed orchards everywhere have
been yielding splendid profits TO the
owners. Perhaps the biggest returns
have been secured in Oregon; Tor it
is plain that the Oregon fruit-groweIs
have been doing the best work in
Their orchards and are logically en-
titled TO the first prizes. AT the
same time very substantial profits
have been gathered from tie orchar-s
Of Western New York, from Virginia,
from Nova Scotia and from every 9th.
er section where apple-growing was
pracdced with any energy or skill
whatever.
Other lines OF fruit-growing, while
less in the public eye, have been
making good money. In some cases
big profits have been secured. Peach
growing has appealed to the specula-
tive interest, and vast new orchards
have been planted, especially in
Georgia and the Southern Appala-
chan region. Peach-growing is wide
ly regarded as a gambling game. and
SO no one has been disturbed at &C.
casicnaI losses in Georgia or Texas
or Maryland. The fat years have
oyerbalanced the lean ones. The
few men who have had orchards of
pears or cherries have done equally
well. Thus it has been that tie men
nearest TO the business hare known
positively that fruit-growing was
profitable; they have naturally been
enthusiastic; they have Dut their own
money freely into larger orchards and
have not hesita5ed to advise their
friends to do the same. While the
facts and the advertisements have
run so strongly together, what could
prevent a boom in the fr1it-growing
business?
The Coming Orchards.
The enormous paintings of recent
years of course form the principal
basis OF concern. Every one in touch
with fruit interests has been i'm
pressed, sometimes even staggered,
by the continued planting OF thou
sands and thousands Of apple AMI
peach trees. Hardly a day pass
when one does not hear OF new
plantation of 10000 or more. TIE
census figures for 1910 show that
there were then over sixty-fiye mil
ion apple trees not yet in bearing,
and over forty-two million young
peach trees yet to be heard from.
The proportions are eYen more
startling than the absolute figures, /
or they represent a potential in
,rease of II per cent in the proiuc-
ng area OF apples and OF almost ex-
Ictly the same increase in the peach !
business. If the actual output Of /
ruit should mount accordingly it 1
would certainly swamp the market |
Moreover a large proportion of these
-oung paintings are in big orchards
where they have the best of pomolC g
cal and business management. 1t
5 not as though they represented
paintings in the hands
# unskilled men. Back OF all this
S the general knowledge that all
,inds of farm crops have from time
o time been overprcduced. 1t is or
Y logical to look for a day when
pples and peaches viii fall into the
anne hard lines.
A boom is a dangerous entertain
lent and sure to react TO somebody's
arm. The most careful growers
ave experienced their years when
My their credit at their banks has
nabled them to keep up the cultiva-
on of their orchards: We must not
2 astonished when these men hest
tie to advise one to purchase new
ees in the face of such experiences.
hey know that it is inevitable that
any will never realize upon their
antings. that either the culture or
e market will be deficient in some
spect and that hopes viii be blast
by unforecasted frosts. The in
ease of consumption is a thing not '
silly estimated-it is such simple 7
d self-evident thing to the anna
lr-but the peach-grower who has
en- obliged to haul home his fruit "
d feed ii to the hogs thinks twice u