Daily Kennebec journal., 1914-02-24
MAINE APPLES.
Address Before Cascade
Grange by VIM. n. Savage
Instructive Chapter on Grading,
Packing and Marketing
What the Maine State Pomological
Society Is Trying to Do.

Inc ADDRESS is Dy WIN. N. Savage
of Waterville before Cascade Grange;
The apple is the world renowned
fruit of temperate climate although
less delicious than the peach or the
pear 1t possesses from it's great har-
diness and productiveness combined
with its long keeping qualities and
numerous uses an Importance not
equaled by any other fruit. We have
around four million apple trees scat
tered over the State. OF this number
nearly two thirds are of a bearing
age. We also have thousands of wild
native trees that should be producing
marketable fruit.
We have planted nearly everything
in the line of apple varieties since the
pioneer period of fruit growing, but
the question of what varieties to plant
is an important one in the mind of
the grower. New fruit regions have
been opened in the South and West.
New marketing facilities are being de-
veloped, and the tendency of the fruit
grower is to plant for a special rather
than a general market. In order to
meet these requirements, the nursery
men are constantly placing new varl-
cites before the public These new va
reties may be a chance seeding do
mesticated from its wild stage or
cross between two promising varieties
by some plant breeder, but in either
case the difficulty of thoroughly test
ing these new varieties explains why
so many are disappointing when we
come to try them Different varieties
reach their perfection under different
climate and soil requirements, and
there is no lack of climate and soil
conditions prevailing in this State un-
der which apples are grown, and every
person who has an orchard should
take advantage of any local adapta-
tons which he can find and specialize
with those varieties that are best suit
ed to his conditions. Your orchard
may produce an extra nice Baldwin
or perhaps you grow a superior grade
of Mcintosh or any of our commercial
varieties, and by growing these sorts
that are adapted to your locality you
will be producing a grade of fruit
that will compete with the Western
apples. which are catering to our east
! ern markets and also the markets of
/ Europe. There are thousands of boxes
/ of Western apples shipped into our
+ Eastern cities every year and most
of these apples are handled by the
fruit stands. They send East the
Jonathan. This is a fall apple. hand
some in color but not to be compared
with the Mcintosh that we grow here
/ in Maine. AS the season advances the
Spitzenburg can be seen on the fruit
stands in our Maine cities and at the
present time the Staman Winesap is
on the market.
Why is so much Western fruit
handled by the fruit stands in a state
where there are millions of apple trees
producing thousands of barrels of fruit
every year? Because we are not pro-
ducing a fancy grade of fruit. The
fruit stand dealers would be glad te
take our fruit If it were properly grad
ed and packed, but we have beer
careless in our growing and packing
methods which has brought on ths
condition that prevails today. The
Western grower has invaded the east
ern market with their beautiful fruit
and in 1912 we had a large crop and
there were a million of people withir
two days haul from our orchards Wht
were paying five cents apiece fol
Western apples, while hundreds o.
barrels of our fruit were not gathered
or were spelling in storage.
There are thousands of small orch
ards scattered over the State where
the owner does not have a carload
shipment and if they do not have 6
local market are entirely at the mercy
of the buyers and this condition pre-
vailing gives a very unsatisfactory
method of handling our fruit. We have
the Maine Pathological Society to as
sist us in correcting many of the er,
rors connected with the fruit CROWNS
industry of Maine.
The aim of this is better fruit fol
Maine, proper grading and packing
and cooperative marketing. Ever,
person who is interested in the wei
fare of our apple industry should be
come q member. We who have al
orchard do not maintain 1t for the ad
dition it makes to the landscape bu
for the profit we derive. The object II
to secure year after year the larges
possible profit for our labor. Ou
orchards as rule are situated on ou
best land and will respond with boun
tiful crops if given proper care. W.
should renovate the old orchards CO
operate with our neighbors and estab
lish a brand of fruit in the market
that will make Maine here in the Eas
what Hood River is in the West. Al
apple growing district noted in the
markets of the world for its superior
fruit.