The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-12-17
BY ISAAC TOTEM.


proven quite conclusiveIy this year
and this was supposed to be an Off
year-what can be accomplished in
fruit production when the orchards
are handled as they should be.
An old orchard that was over-run
with briers, that had been sadly neg
lected for long time, was taken IN
charge by the Purdue people.
They cleaned out the orchard, they
pruned the trees, they fortified and
they sprayed.
The result:
A net profit of $3.50 per acre.
Think of it.
This was supposed to be an off year,
too.
The spraying, pruning and fertiliZing
caused an investment OF $500 per
acre; but what of that, when the net
profit is considered.
BY the way, the idea which the Pur-
due people are carrying out Of getting
right out and showing the farmers
what can be done on their own farms,
right at home, has a telling effect.
1t shows to the farmers that the
bulletins and other literature which
the Department of Agriculture sends
out to those who will only ask for 1t
is something more than verblage.
There is no fruit that outclasses the
apple, no matter from what viewpoint
it is considered.
And there is no state in the United
States that can produce better apples
than Indiana.
90 not say this to appeal to state
pride, or to fill up space, it is a fact
which has been proven.
The recent apple show at Indianapo-
lis showed some of the finest speci
mems of apples that can be found any
where, and they came from different
sections of the state.
One man at the show reported that
he had a Grimes tree that yielded
seventy bushels.
Doesn't hardly seem possible does
it?
I do not know the man and cannot
vouch for his adherence to the truth,
but those who know him say that his
word is good.
They call him Uncle Joe Burton, the
Apple King.
If tree will bear seventy bushels
of apples in an off year, what will that
tree do in an ION" year?
That is problem for you.
John D. Smith of Upton county set
out an orchard of 240 trees seventeen
years ago, and he allowed them to
grow without attention until three
years ago.
Somehow he got converted to the
business of apple raising for profit, not
for the mere purpose of saying that
he kept an orchard; he wanted to
change the subject and have the orch
ard aid in keeping him.
He began to prune, to spray and to
fertilize.
1t seems to be natural law that we
cannot get something for nothing in
the farm line.
Last year Mr.. Smiths orchard pro-
duced $500 bushels which he sold for
S1.25 a bushel.
Oh yes, that was last year-that
was one of the ION" years.
He took six out of the ten prizes in
the classes he showed at the Indiana
polls apple show.
One plate of his apples scored 9912
points.
I have mentioned only two Incl
dents: but there are many more that
show the results that can be obtained
! even in off years.
Right here in Wayne county we have
several progressive horticulturists;
thew have learned in the school of ey-
perience that it pays to give propes..h
tention to the orchards if good results
are expected.
! These men and women do not rely
! solely on the experiments of others,
! they do little experimenting for
! themselves; yet they have whole lot
of confidence in the work others are
doing.
/ Compare in appearance, and IN every
other way the orchard of one of these
| horticulturists who takes pride IN his
orchard with some of the other Or
chards that bear only in the off years.
| A we'll kept orchard is a beautiful
sight.
The rows of we'll shaped trees, the
| ground cleared of trash, the bark OF
the trees shining and free of foreign
growth.
| 1t is not all in the growing of the APP
pies. say the apple growers. There is
a whole lot Of profit in the proper pre-
pairing for market. OF course, one
must have the fruit to sell, but the
selling end must be considered too.
Professor Van Deman, the veteran
apple Judge. doesn't think very much
ofthe using of barrels for packing the
fruit, he advocates the use of boxes
for the fancy fruit.
/ He says that the average fruit buy
err will pay s2.00 for a bushel box OF
fancy apples. when they will give only
about 800 for an entire barrel
This means that one receives about
twice as much for the box packed fruit
as for the barrel packed
Somehow we have to have things
handed to US nowadays on silver plat.
tiers. but as long as the customer
wants the trimmings and is willing to
pay for them why should we care.
We shouldn't worry, anyway. there
Is whole lot of satisfaction in hav,
ing things look nice, don't you think
There is a little point that comes to
mind here about the marketing of our