Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1919-05-29
Our Apple Belt in Front Ranks.

VIII llS SOOu Will VI HOA44~A - ''N~
are men, and each man has differ
ent way, and all are about equally sue
cessful, for all work and all fail. To
set out TO win the good graceS Of the
Queen of one Of the worlds greatest
Kingdoms by giving her an apple might
be laughed at as ludicrously rustic, but
il was tried and il succeeded, and It's
after effects are. still felt over large
part of America today, though the
incident took place many years ago
and both the principals have long
since gone to their rewards.
Victoria was young and, though she
was a Queen, she was also a woman,
and impreSSionable. Arthur Steven
son. who was then American minister
to the Court of ST. James, gave her
very beautiful apple-an Albema:le
pippin, from a Virginia orchard. So
pleased was the Queen that she COM
manded that more pippins be brought,
and ultimately caused the import tax
on apples to be removed. From that
time exports of apples from the United
States to England increased repidly.
England became, and has remained,
the principal export market for Ameri-
can apples.
This story has an unusual interest
lust now, when, following the world
war. the export markets are not only
to be reopened but possibly may as
sumo a larger importance than ever
before. Commercial apple growers in
the United States must meet any such
increased demand without increased
acreage. Apple production does not
respond quickly to supply and demand,
Trees require several years to come
into full bearing. Little can be done
toward Immediately increasing the
supply when an unusual demand ap-
pears.
Taking the United States as whole,
there has been very little planting
of apple trees since 1910. Compar-
atively few young trees, therefore, are
coming into bearing at this time. This
is shown by an investigation of the
commercial apple industry recently
made by the United States Department
of Agriculture Indeed, the largest
single commercial apple-producng
section in the United States has reach
ed its maximum production, and unless
the planting rate increases a decline
is to be expected.
That region is Western New York,
which, early in the sixties, became
and has since remained the centre OF
commercial apple production in the
United States. Western New York
has produced regularly about one
fourth of the normal commercial ap-
pie crop of the country. But most
of the present bearing trees were
planted in the late sixties and early
seventies, and are now nearly fifty
years old. Vigor and productivity
continue longer in Western New York
than anywhere else in the country,
perhaps, yet they cannot be maintained
indefinitely, and the centre of produc-
ton may be expected to shift. Similar
declines are taking place in what is
known as the New England Baldwin
belt, including portions of Maine, New
Hampshire, Vermont and Massachu-
sets, but as this has never represented
more than per cent of the total com
mercial production, it is relatively
less importance.
In latter years two comparatively
new commercial apple regions have
come into large production-the Pa
ciic Northwest and the Shenandoah
Cumberland region of Virginia, West
Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania
The former is producing now almost
as many commercial apples as New
York, and the latter is producing about
half as many. Roughly speaking, New
York, the Pacific Northwest and the
Shenandoah Cumberland produce
about five-eights of all the commercial
apples grown in the United States.
The Shenandoah-Cum region
is yet only approaching its maximum
production. In the Northwest there
was considerable planting Of un-
suitable lands, but western production
is being stabilized and will continue
to be an increasingly important factor
in the apple industry.
Other regions of considerable COM
mercial apple production are the Pied
mont district of Virginia, the Hud-
son Valley, Southern Ohio, Western
Michigan, Southern and Western IL
linois, the Ozark Mountain region oi
Arkansas and Missouri, the Missouri
River region of Iowa, Missouri, Kansas
and Nebraska, the Arkansas Valley
region, California and Colorado.
Investigation of commercial apple
production was begun by the Depart.
ment of Agriculture in 1917, and sur
vey has been made of every important
apple-producing country in the United
States. As a result OF this investiga
ton, a carefully organized system has
been perfected for issuing regular
monthly reports during the growing
season, forecasting commercial apple
production. This service has been ex
tended to peaches and soon will in
clude pears and other fruits.
A couple Of old codgers got int
a quarrel and landed before the loca
| nacietrats The lnSer turning IN hi