Apple Growing
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M. C. Burritt >> Apple Growing
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APPLE GROWING
APPLE
GROWING
BY
M.C. BURRITT
NEW YORK
OUTING PUBLISHING COMPANY
MCMXII
COPYRIGHT, 1912, BY
OUTING PUBLISHING COMPANY.
All rights reserved.
PREFACE
In the preparation of this book I have tried to keep constantly before
me the conditions of the average farm in the Northeastern States with
its small apple orchard. It has been my aim to set down only such
facts as would be of practical value to an owner of such a farm and to
state these facts in the plain language of experience. This book is in
no sense intended as a final scientific treatment of the subject, and
if it is of any value in helping to make the fruit department of the
general farm more profitable the author will be entirely satisfied.
The facts herein set down were first learned in the school of
practical experience on the writer's own farm in Western New York.
They were afterwards supplemented by some theoretical training and by
a rather wide observation of farm orchard conditions and methods in
New York, Pennsylvania, the New England States and other contiguous
territory. These facts were first put together in something like
their present form in the winter of 1909-10, when the writer gave a
series of lectures on Commercial Fruit Growing to the Short Courses in
Horticulture at Cornell University. These lectures were revised and
repeated in 1910-11 and are now put in their present form.
The author's sincere thanks are due to Professor C.S. Wilson, of the
Department of Pomology at Cornell University, for many valuable facts
and suggestions used in this book, and for a careful reading of the
manuscript. He is also under obligations to Mr. Roy D. Anthony of the
same Department for corrections and suggestions on the chapters on
Insects and Diseases and on Spraying.
M.C. BURRITT.
Hilton, N.Y.
February, 1912.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. THE OUTLOOK FOR THE GROWING OF APPLES 11
II. PLANNING FOR THE ORCHARD 18
III. PLANTING AND GROWING THE ORCHARD 30
IV. PRUNING THE TREES 48
V. CULTIVATION AND COVER CROPPING 62
VI. MANURING AND FERTILIZING 78
VII. INSECTS AND DISEASES AFFECTING THE APPLE 92
VIII. THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF SPRAYING 108
IX. HARVESTING AND STORING 127
X. MARKETS AND MARKETING 142
XI. SOME HINTS ON RENOVATING OLD ORCHARDS 153
XII. THE COST OF GROWING APPLES 164
APPLE GROWING
CHAPTER I
THE OUTLOOK FOR THE GROWING OF APPLES
The apple has long been the most popular of our tree fruits, but the
last few years have seen a steady growth in its appreciation and use.
This is probably due in a large measure to a better knowledge of its
value and to the development of new methods of preparation for
consumption. Few fruits can be utilized in as many ways as can the
apple. In addition to the common use of the fresh fruit out of hand
and of the fresh, sweet juice as cider, this "King of Fruits" can be
cooked, baked, dried, canned, and made into jellies and other
appetizing dishes, to enumerate all of which would be to prepare a
list pages long. Few who have tasted once want to be without their
apple sauce and apple pies in season, not to mention the crisp, juicy
specimens to eat out of hand by the open fireplace in the long winter
evenings. Apples thus served call up pleasant memories to most of us,
but only recently have the culinary possibilities of the apple,
especially as a dessert fruit, been fully realized.
It is doubtless this realization of its great adaptability, together
with its long season, which have brought the apple into so great
demand of late. It is possible to have apples on the table in some
form the year round. The first summer apples are almost always with us
before the bottom of the Russet barrel is reached. Or, should the
fresh fruit be too expensive or for some reason fail altogether, the
housewife can fall back on the canned and dried fruit which are almost
as good.
The tendency in the price of this staple fruit has been constantly
upward during the last decade. Many people are greatly surprised when
the fact that apples cost more than oranges is called to their
attention. The increase in consumption, due to the greater variety of
ways of preparing the apple for use, has undoubtedly been an important
factor in this higher price. But at least an equally important factor
is the marked decrease in the supply of this fruit. To those who are
not familiar with the facts, the great falling off in production which
the figures show will be no less than startling.
PRODUCTION OF APPLES IN BARRELS IN THE UNITED STATES FROM 1896 TO 1910
1896 69,070,000
1897 41,530,000
1898 28,570,000
1899 37,460,000
1900 56,820,000
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Total crop for five years 233,450,000
Average crop for five years 46,690,000
1901 26,970,000
1902 46,625,000
1903 42,626,000
1904 45,360,000
1905 24,310,000
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Total crop for five years 185,891,000
Average crop for five years 37,178,200
1906 38,280,000
1907 29,540,000
1908 25,850,000
1909 25,415,000
1910 23,825,000
Total crop for five years 142,910,000
------------
Average crop for five years 28,582,000
Estimates of 1896, 1897, and 1898 from "Better Fruit," Vol. 5,
No. 5. All other years from the estimates of the "American
Agriculturist."
It will thus be seen that the apple crop of 1910 was 45,245,000
barrels less than that of 1896, and that during the whole period of
fifteen years the decline has been regular. The average annual crop of
the five year period ending with 1905 was 9,511,800 barrels less than
the average annual crop of the preceding five years ending with 1900,
and correspondingly the annual average crop of the last five years,
ending with 1910, was 8,596,200 barrels less than that of the second
five year period. Comparing the first and the last five year periods,
we find that the crop of the last was 18,108,000 barrels less than
that of the first. These facts alone are enough to explain the higher
price of this fruit during the last ten years.
HEAVY PLANTINGS.--Moreover, it should be further noted that this
falling off in the apple crop has been in the face of the heaviest
plantings ever known in this country. During the last ten years old
fruit growing regions like western New York have practically doubled
their orchard plantings. Careful figures gathered by the New York
State Agricultural College in an orchard survey of Monroe County show
that 4,972 more trees (21,289 in all) were planted in one
representative township during the five year period from 1904 to 1908
inclusive than were ever planted in any other equal period in its
history. New fruit regions like the Northwestern States and a large
part of the Shenandoah valley of Virginia have been developed by heavy
plantings. These three are all great commercial sections. To them we
might add thousands of orchards which are scattered all over the
Northern and Eastern States, from Michigan to Maine and from Maine to
north Georgia.
It is doubtful, however, if these scattered plantings have made good
the older trees which have died out. Scarcely a season passes that
hundreds of these old veteran trees are not blown down or badly
broken. Every wind takes its toll. After one of these windstorms in
Southern New York the writer estimated that at least twenty per cent
of all the standing old apple trees had been destroyed or badly
broken. In the commercial regions only a small part of the new
plantings have yet come to bearing and even here these probably do not
much more than make good the losses of old trees. So that on the
whole, heavy as our plantings have been, it is extremely doubtful if
they have very much more than made good the losses of the older trees
throughout the country. It is a fact worthy of note that this talk of
over-planting the apple has been going on for over thirty years, and
while the timid ones talked those who had faith in the business and
the courage of their convictions planted apples and reaped golden
harvests while their neighbors still talked of over-planting.
Whether or not it is true that we have over-planted the apple, it must
be admitted that at the present time the demand is so much greater
than the supply that the poorer of our people cannot afford to use
apples commonly, and that no class of farmer in the Northeastern
States is more prosperous than the fruit growers. The new plantings
must of necessity begin to bear and become factors in the market very
slowly. Meanwhile the great opportunity of the present lies in making
the most possible out of the older orchards which are already in
bearing. Practically all of these old farm orchards which can present
a fairly clean bill of health, and in which the varieties are
desirable, can with a small amount of well directed effort be put to
work at once and during the next ten years or more of their life time,
they may be made to add a substantial income to that of the general
farm. Now is a time of opportunity for the owner of the small farm
apple orchard.
FUTURE OF APPLE GROWING.--In the writer's opinion the future of apple
growing in the United States is likely to shape itself largely in the
great commercial regions. As these become more and more developed and
as the industry becomes more specialized the farmer who is merely
growing apples as a side line, except where he is delivering directly
to a special or a local market, will be crowded out. Here as elsewhere
it will be a case of the survival of the fittest. In the production of
apples commercially those growers who can produce the best article the
most cheaply are bound to win out in the end.
It would, therefore, seem to be advisable for the general farmer to
plant apples only under two conditions; first, when he has a very
favorable location and site and plants heavily enough to make it worth
while to have the equipment and skilled labor necessary to make the
enterprise a success, and second, when he can market his fruit
directly in a local market. It would appear that the immediate future
of apple growing in the United States lies in the small farm orchard
as well as in the commercial orchards, but that the more distant
future lies in the commercial orchard except where special conditions
surround the farm.
CHAPTER II
PLANNING FOR THE ORCHARD
LOCATION.--Having decided that under certain conditions the planting
of an apple orchard will prove a profitable venture, and having
ascertained that those conditions prevail on your farm, the next step
will be to determine the best location on the farm for the orchard. In
choosing this location it will be well to keep in mind the relative
importance of the orchard in the scheme of farm management. If the
orchard is merely a source of home supply, naturally it will not
require as important a position on the farm as will be the case if it
is expected to yield a larger share of the farm income. If the
relatively large net income per acre which it is possible to obtain
from an apple orchard is to be secured, the best possible location is
demanded.
Contrary to the common ideas and practice of the past, the orchard
should not be put upon the poorest soil on the farm. The best
orchards occupy the best soils, although fairly good results are often
obtained on poor or medium soils. The relative importance which is
attached to the orchard enterprise must also govern the choice of
soil. If apples are to be a prominent crop they should be given the
preference as to soil; if not, they may be given a place in accordance
with what is expected of them.
SOILS.--In general, the apple prefers a rather strong soil, neither
very heavy nor very light. Subsoil is rather more important than
surface soil, although the latter should be friable and easily worked.
The apple follows good timber successfully. Heavy clay soils are apt
to be too cold, compact, and wet; light sandy soils too loose and dry.
A medium clay loam or a gravelly clay loam, underlaid by a somewhat
heavier but fairly open clay subsoil is thought to be the best soil
for apples. Broadly considered, medium loams are best. The lighter the
soil the better will be the color of the fruit as a rule, and so,
also, the heavier the soil and the more nitrogen and moisture it holds
the greater the tendency to poorly colored fruit. In the same way
light soils give poorer wood and foliage growth as compared with the
large rank leaves and wood of trees on heavy, rich soils.
VARIETAL SOIL PREFERENCES are beginning to be recognized. We cannot go
into these in detail in this brief discussion. A few suggestions
regarding standard varieties must suffice. Medium to light loams or
heavy sandy loams, underlaid by slightly heavier loams or clay loams,
are preferred by the Baldwin, which has a wider soil adaptation than
practically any other variety. Baldwin soils should dry quickly after
a rain. Rhode Island Greening requires a rather rich, moist, but well
drained soil, containing an abundance of organic matter. A light to
heavy silty loam, underlaid by a silty clay loam, is considered best.
Northern Spy is very exacting in its soil requirements. A medium loam,
underlaid by a heavy loam or a light clay loam, is excellent. Heavy
soils give the Spy a greasy skin. Light soils cause the tree to grow
upright and to bear fruit of poor flavor. The King likes a soil
slightly lighter than the best Greening soils, but retentive of
moisture. Hubbardson will utilize the sandiest soil of any northern
variety, preferring rich, fine, sandy loams.
The particular location of the apple orchard is largely a matter of
convenience. It should be remembered, however, that the apple requires
much and constant attention, therefore the orchard should be
convenient of access. The product is rather bulky, so that the haul to
the highway should be as short as possible. Other conditions being
equally good there, the common location near the buildings and highway
is best.
THE SITE OF THE ORCHARD is a more important matter. Two essentials
should be kept in mind, good air drainage and a considerable
elevation. Although it is not so apparent and therefore less thought
about, cold air runs down hill the same as water. Being heavier, it
falls to the surface of the land, flowing out through the water
channels and settling in pockets and depressions. Warm air, being
lighter, rises. It is desirable to avoid conditions of stagnant air or
cold air pockets where frost and fogs are liable to occur. A free
movement of air, especially a draining away of cold air, is best
secured by an elevation. Fifty to one hundred feet, or sometimes less,
is usually sufficient, especially where there is good outlet below.
Frosts occur in still, clear air and these conditions occur most
frequently in the lower areas.
Aspect or slope requires less attention. Southern exposures are warm
and hasten bud development and opening in spring. Northern exposures
are cold and retard the blossoming period. It is usually advisable to
plant the apple on the colder slopes which hold it back in spring
until all danger of late frosts is past. Northeast exposures are best
as a general rule. Choose a slope away from the prevailing wind if
possible. If this is impracticable it is often advisable to plant a
wind break of pine, spruce, or a quick, thick growing native tree to
protect the orchard from heavy winds.
A large body of water is an important modifier of climate. Warming up
more slowly in the spring, it retards vegetation by slowly giving up
its cold. Vice versa, cooling more slowly in the fall giving up its
heat wards off the early frosts. It is therefore desirable to locate
near such bodies of water if possible. Their influence varies
according to their size and depth, and the distance of the orchard
from them. Good examples of this influence are the Chautauqua Grape
Belt on the eastern shore of Lake Erie and the Western New York Apple
Belt on the south shore of Lake Ontario.
Professor Brackett has well summed up the whole question: "The
selection of the soil and site for the apple orchard is not governed
by any arbitrary rule," he says. "All farms do not afford the best
soils or exposures for orchards. The owners of such as do not are
unfortunate, yet they should not feel discouraged to the extent of not
planting trees and caring for them afterward." There are a number of
factors which influence not only a person who wishes to locate, but
one already located, either favorably or unfavorably. About these even
the most intelligent orchardists often differ. We have only laid down
general principles and given opinions. Here as elsewhere application
is a matter of judgment.
VARIETIES.--A proper soil and a good location and site having been
selected, the next important question to be decided is the varieties
to be planted. So much and so variable advice is given on this
question that many persons are at a loss as to what to plant and too
often decide the matter by planting the wrong varieties. Rightly
viewed, the question of varieties is a comparatively simple one.
Personal preference, tempered by careful study of certain factors and
good judgment, are all that are required. Beginners, especially, are
too apt to rely entirely on another's opinion. The only safe way is to
learn the facts and then decide for yourself.
We have already indicated that soil is a determinant in the choice of
varieties. This should be absolute. It is very unwise to try to grow
any variety on a soil where experience has shown that it does not do
well. The experience of your neighbors is the best guide in this
respect.
The limitations of climate should also be carefully heeded. An apple
may be at its best in one latitude or one situation and at its worst
in another. Find out from experienced growers in your region, or from
your State Experiment Station what varieties are best adapted
climatically to the place where you live. It is an excellent rule
never to plant a variety that you cannot grow at least as well as any
one else, or still better, to plant a variety that you can grow better
than anyone else. Grow something that not everyone can grow. Do not
try to produce more of a variety of which there is already an over
supply.
A few examples may make this more clear. Western New York is the home
of the Baldwin, the Twenty Ounce and the King. Albemarle Pippins grown
on the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge are famous. The Spitzenburg
appears at its best in the Northwest. The Northern Spy, the McIntosh,
and the Fameuse are not to be excelled as they are grown in the
Champlain Valley, in Vermont, or in Maine. To attempt to compete with
these sections in the growing of these varieties, except under equally
favorable conditions, would be foolish. Your section probably grows
some varieties to perfection. Find out what these varieties are and
plant them.
All these are general factors to be observed which cannot be
specifically settled without knowing the soil and particular locality.
Certain other factors governing the choice of varieties can be more
definitely outlined. If the prospective orchardist will get these
factors thoroughly in mind and apply them with judgment mistakes in
planting should be much more rare. The more important ones are: The
purpose for which the fruit is intended to be used, whether for the
general market, a dessert or fancy trade, or for culinary and general
table use; whether the trees are to be permanent and long lived, or
temporary and used as fillers; whether the earliest possible income is
desired or whether this is to be secondary to the future development
of the orchard; whether the stock of the particular variety is strong
or weak growing; whether the variety is high, medium, or low as to
quality; and whether the market is to be local, distant, or export.
The following tables were originally compiled by Professor C.S. Wilson
of Cornell University. They have been slightly revised and modified
for our purpose. We believe that they are essentially correct and that
they will be a safe guide for the reader to follow in his selection of
varieties:
GENERAL MARKET APPLES DESSERT OR FANCY TRADE
COMMERCIAL BOX WELL
Baldwin McIntosh
Ben Davis Northern Spy
Hubbardson Fameuse
Northern Spy Wagener
King Grimes Golden
Rome Beauty Yellow Newton
Oldenburg Red Canada
Alexander King
Twenty Ounce Sutton
Winesap Hubbardson
York Imperial Esopus Spitzenburg
CULINARY AND GENERAL TABLE USE
Rhode Island Greening Grimes Golden
Gravenstein Twenty Ounce
Newtown Yellow Bellflower
Alexander Oldenburg
Tolman Sweet Sweet Winesap
GOOD PERMANENT GOOD TEMPORARY
TREES TREES--FILLERS
Baldwin McIntosh
Rhode Island Greening Wealthy
Northern Spy Wagener
McIntosh Rome Beauty
*King Oldenburg
*Twenty Ounce Jonathan
*Hubbardson Alexander
Alexander Twenty Ounce
Rome Beauty Hubbardson
* When this variety is set as a permanent tree it should be top
worked on a hardier stock, such as Northern Spy.
Age at which variety may be expected to begin to fruit. (Add two years
for a paying crop).
FIVE YEARS OR UNDER EIGHT YEARS AND UP
Rome Beauty Esopus Spitzenburg
Oldenburg Fall Pippin
Maiden Blush Golden Russet
Wagener Northern Spy
Yellow Newton Baldwin
McIntosh Gravenstein
Fameuse Tolman Sweet
King
Rhode Island Gr.
Twenty Ounce
Winesap
ESPECIALLY HARDY STOCKS POOR RATHER WEAK GROWERS*
Northern Spy King
Tolman Sweet Twenty Ounce
Ben Davis Esopus Spitzenburg
Baldwin Hubbardson
Fameuse Grimes Golden
Winter Banana Sutton
Canada Red
* Other varieties are medium.
HIGH IN QUALITY LOCAL OR PEDDLER'S VARIETIES
McIntosh Rhode Island Greening
Esopus Spitzenburg Wealthy
Northern Spy McIntosh
Newtown Fameuse
Gravenstein Tolman Sweet
Red Canada Grimes Golden
Fameuse Jonathan
Grimes Golden
Hubbardson GOOD GENERAL MARKET VARIETIES
Rhode Island Greening
Baldwin
MEDIUM TO POOR QUALITY Rhode Island
King
Ben Davis Twenty Ounce
Oldenburg McIntosh
Rome Beauty Hubbardson
Roxbury Russet Northern Spy
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