Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1926-03-25
APPLE GROWING
MADEPROFITABLE
B. T. Taylor Finds That With Proper
Care Orchard Can Be Made to
Yield Good Profit
INCREASES YIELD FROM
$50 TO $500 BUSHELS S

(By H. R. Niswonger, North Caro-
lima Extension Service, Southern
Ruralist.)
The cash return from CONNER
cial growing of apples does not de.
pend upon the number of producing
trees per acre, but no the quality OF
aforementioned fruit yield pei
tree. The ultimate aim of every or
chardist should be to develop a tree
that has large capacity for year
ly crop of marketable apples.
In the program Of orchard manage,
ment, cultivation and spraying have
more to do with production than any
other phase of the work. A fruit
tree under intensive cultivation pro-
duces new wood and additional fruit
buds. 1t is kept in a state of vigor,
thereby increasing the set of bios
som buds on the old wood,a nd in
many instances, making these buds
more resistant to adverse weather
conditions. Spraying, in combination
with cultivation, also inceases the set
fruit and prevents the accumulation
of insects and diseases, theeby reduc-
ing the number of culls and increas-
in the volume of salable apples.
These two factors in orchard man.
agement have proved very profitable
to Mr.. B. T. Taylor of Stony Fork,
N. c., who has followed the recon-
mendation of the state department of
horticulture in cooperation with the
county agent of Watauga county.
Mr.. Taylor four years ago purchased
a neglected ochard of around 1000
bearing apple trees, 10 to Is years of
age. The soil had grown to sage grass
and briers, the trees were severely
over-pruned and stunted in growth,
and had not borne marketable crop
of apples. The first year it was pur-
chased, the only attention the orchard
received was the breaking up and
turning under of the broomsedge and
the grubbing out Of the briers. The
orchard that year b.omed very little,
followed by light crop of around
$50 bushels, nearly all of which fell
off due to the absence of the spray
program.
The second year the trees were
given an application of nitrate of
soda as the buds weres yelling, were
cultivated and the orchard sown to
cOwpeas the latter part of the sum
mer. Three sprays were put on, a
dormant, calyx and one later appli-
cation. The production jumped to
1,20O bushels of marketable fruit
The third year the same cultivation
and spraying were continued with a
production of $500 bushels.
Mr.. Taylor, although satisfied
with the quality of fruit, was not sat
isfied with the condition of the ap-
pies, as he had been having too many
culls. In conference with the county
agent he found that he had been
om;tting one of the most important
early summer sprays. namely, the
pink bud application OF the one pre-
ceding the calyx spray. The chief
trouble causing the Gull apples was
the presence of apple scab, a disease
which begins its infection as the fruit
bud clusters are separating and often
as early as the appearance of the
leaves.
The following year which was
lor's management, the production
was $500 bushels. Not only was the
yield increased, but the condition of
the fruit was better; apple scab in
fection was reduced, resulting in a
greater quantity marketable apples.
Mr.. Taylor found that by increasing
the number of sprays the fruit set
better In addition he controlled ap-
pie scab early infection, which if not
checked causes large number of
the young apples to drop off. The
spraying up to this time had been
handled by barrel pump, which was
traded in on power outfit at the
beginning of the season of 1925. This
outfit enabled the spraying crew to
cover the orchard in a short period
of time and to put on the various
sprays at the proper period. The
apple production this past year was
$500 bushels with the condition of
the fruit far superior than any of
the previous years.
Mr.. Taylor kept rerords on cost
and returns of this orchard which
are as follows: Yield for the -four
years, 300 bushels with all average
price of $1.25 per bushel at the or.
chard, making the gross returns $12,.
1875. The cost of orchard manage
ment, includinb all labor, material fol-
spraying and soil improvement, box
es and barrels, etc., was around 81,
900 per year or total four-vear cost
of $4,000. This gave Mr.. Taylor net
return for the four years of Ss,125
The farm, including so acres, 25 o.
which is in orchard, was purchased
by Mr.. Taylor for $4,000.
In Contrasting the two systems O.
orchard practice, it was observed tia