The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1938-08-24
APPLE MEN IN
FIELD DAY TO
HEAR REPORT.
State Experts Make Sur
vey, Outline Plans for
Industry's Growth
COUNTY ONE OF FOUR
CHIEF PRODUCERS

Henderson cOunty's second an
nuaI orchard field day and picnic
j. being held today at +. l.. Mar
shalps farm at Dana.
The meeting this morning be
gan with a study of demonStra-
tons in the orchard of Mr.. Mar
shall under the recommendations
of the extension department of
the State College of Agriculture
and Engineering.
The results have been crafty
ing. hence the selection of Mr..
Marshal's orchard for the meet
ing.
The orchard observations were
discontinued for a picnic spread
at the noon hour.
Visiting speakers scheduled for
the program this afternoon In
clude II. K. NiSwonger, extension
horticulturist from State College
Station. Raleigh: c. f. Van De-
man, who is i'm charge of the new
experiment station in the BruShy
Mountain apple district; Miss
Anne c. Rowe. district home agent
for Western Carolina; and District
Farm Agent F. S. Sloan.
One of the items for chief con-
sideration was the 29-page report
of J. W. JOhanSen, extension eco
nomiSt. who recently investigated
the apple industry of Henderson
county and the apple section
around Sauda. Polk county.
Mr.. JOhanSen'S report, which
was first released today, covers
the local apple industry at great
length. The high spots of this re-
port. carrying many facts and sta
tisticS, with recommendations on
better marketing facilities. follow
in part:
Henderson county had in the
spring of 1888 approximately
100000 trees in commercial apple
orchards of 100 trees and over.
About 80 per cent of the trees
ia commercial orchards were In
bearing.
Trees six years old and less,
claSSed as nOn-bearing, cOnstitut-
I'd above 40 per cent of the lOO.-
900 trees: those seven years old
and up to 10 years. 80 per cent;
those 10 10 25 years inclusive, IA
per cent; and over 25 years. per
cent.
The four varieties Of Red De-
licious. Rome Beauty. Stayman.
and Golden Delicious constituted
approximately IS per cent of the
total trees of the commercial or
chards of the county.
The total number of bushels of
apples marketed from the 81 ,462
bearing trees in Henderson coun-
" in 1887 amounted 10 222 $50
bushels or approximately four
bushels per tree. There are many
young trees listed as bearing
which were just coming into pro-
duction.
CULTURAL PRACTICES
About IS per cent of the or
chardists used power spray equip
ment and Is per cent used hand
power. The prevailing pressure
used by those having power equip
ment was $50 to 800 pounds, and
100 to $50 pounds was the more
common pressure used by those
having hand sprays. The fire.
quencv Of sprays per season va
ried from one to as high as eight
with the most common number of
spray applications established as
three to four.
The kinds of cover crops grown
in orchards varied to quite an ex-
tent. but lespedeza was either used
exclusively or used with some
other cover crop in 70 orchards
out of a total of 100.
In so orchards out of 1903. soda
only was used as fertilizer, with
the most frequent per tree appG-
cation of 2 to 3 pounds: soda and
0-10-4 was used by % but this
combination was indefinite as to
proportions; two used ammonium
sulphate only; Is used complete
fertilizers. some of which were
1875 and 1856 and 3-l0-4 and
4-S-4; and three used POmo Food.
which is a complete fertilizer man.
ufactured by a chemical manufac-
turing company.
The application per bearing
tree varied widely for the differ
ent orchards and also for the va
rious kinds of fertilizer applied.
SOME WOULD STRENGTHEN
GROWERS ASSOCIATION
Discussing the topic of distribu-
ton of growers according to pre-
ferred apple marketing program,
the survey relates the following:
Eleven growers out OF the 80
reporting on this subject prefer
the merchant and grower-trucker
way of marketing which is the
present major prevailing system.
Continued On page hTe)