11 EC KM BE It 22, 1906.
THE INDIANA FARMER.
THE
COMMERCIAL  VALUE   OF
THE   APPLE.
Psper resd before the Indlsns Stste Horticultural
■Society  Dec.   6.   by  Prof.   H.  8.  Chamberlain.
In this period of our national history, it
is a significant fact that the number of
ptople living in the cities far exceeds the
number in the rural district. The latter
* lass comprises about 40 per cent of our
entire population* and to this class the
< (ber GO per cent must turn for the production of their food and clothing materials. Naturally, the farmers are the producers in our country, while the others are
the consumers. In  order  to  meet  the
heavy demands for the products of the
soil the farmer is necessarily a very busy
man as well as an important figure in
national  prosperity.
As our population continues to increase,
greater will be the demands for the products of the farm and hence a corresponding increase in prices for them.
In many sections of our country, particularly, in the Northeastern and North-
Central states the farmer is slowly blinking away from the set method of raising
■ single staple cereal crop. He finds
Hint by adopting system he can readily develop that important branch of agriculture
known as fruit growing or horticulture
and  erivo  considerable    profit    therfrom.
One of the most promising phases of
horticulture, as far as financial returns
:*rc concerned, is apple growing. Within the past decade remarkable and encouraging advances have lleen made in the
growth and development of this universally satisfactory fruit. A new interest in
pomology has been created and as a result
apple growing is becoming a very important accessory to practical agriculture. The
successes achieved in this direction have
warranted further progress in the way of
securing quality as well as an increase in
quantity in  production.
There is no fruit in the United States
that permits of so wide a range of territory in its culture or attains such popularity as the apple. It is easily the king
of fruits raised in the temperate zones. In
the hardier varieties (for deductions must
justly be made from these as standards)
it withstands the natural deterioration of
ordinary fmits and docs not need to be
harvested in an immature condition. Its
physical make-up and chemical composition adapt it to a greater variety of uses
as a food than any other known fruit. It
easily ranks first as a prominent constituent of many a palatable dish on the modern table; but its chief value in the commercial world lies in its use as a food in
its natural or uncooked form and in its
long keeping  qualities.
Other fruits must be either preserved,
canned or evaporated to have a future
market value, and even then, the original
flavor is generally lost or so changed as to
be unnatural.
To be sure other fruits like the peach,
pear and plum may have their natural
state prolonged in cold storage; but even
here the least hardy apple has the advantage again, because it is less readily despoiled by the process.
It is somewhat rare to find canned apples in the market; but it is true that there
are few market days in the year in which
well preserved apples in natural condition
cannot be 'bought. These factors of the
apple unite to establish its commercial
standing far beyond that of any known
fruit in  our  latitude.
The food content of apples naturally
enchanocs their value in the markets.
There is no more health giving and wholesome food to be found than the apple in
either its cooked or natural state.
The fruit, while giving sustenance to the
body by stimulating digestion with its mineral salts and malic acid, also acts as a
sort of natural tonic to the entire human
system, thereby serving a double purpose
of food and digester. All these facts
contribute to the general utility of the
apple, and in turn, make the demand for
it all the greater among the peoples of the
world. Within recent years the demand
fer the apple has been increasing, and at
present, it is still on the increase. This
is a result of a recognition of its value by
the consumer, and farmers and horticulturists awakening to the golden opportunities offered in growing the apple have set
out to supply the demands. Not only have
our home people increased their demands
for this popular fruit but calls for it across
the Atlantic are growing stronger every
day. Europe has tasted our apples and
clamors for more and it is up to us to meet
the demand.
I/Ogically, the increased demand for this
royal fruit in the home and foreign markets has stimulated apple growers to better efforts in producing and supplying a
higher grade product than formerly. They
aro alive to the possibilities of substantial
profits accruing from the work, if carefully and scientifically carried forward.
Recognizing that if they are to compete
successfully with other apple growers, and
especially those of Canada, tliey must
gradually master the science of the business. They must be conversant with all
features of apple production, from the essential constituents of the soil, thru the
botanical principles of growth to the very
composition of the mature apple itself.
'1 "hen the enemies of the apple must be
dealt with, for continual battle must be
waged with    the    curculio.    codlin    moth.
ducer.
As higher grade apples come before the
people it follows that better prices are asked and received. Thus larger profits are
realized by the producer and better satisfaction is guaranteed  to the consumer.
Apple growers have also learned that orchard soils need constant fertilization to
insure good crops and that proper pruning
of trees and judicious thinning out of fruit
all make for better results in quality.
The essential qualities of I standard apple which contribute to its commercial suc-
ire according to one authority as follows:
(1) A bright color; (2) a good shape;
(3) a moderate and uniform size; (4) a
richness: (51 a spicy flavor; (C) a smooth.
thin skin; (71 a firm, melting flesh; (8)
a small core and few seeds; (9) good
tooking qualities, and (10) good keeping
qualities.
Bod apples sell ibetter in any market
than those highly colored. The form of
apple most desired is the round or globu-
Shredding Corn Fodder on the Farm of .1. H.    Biddle
Benton Cou uty Indiana.
& Son     near    Remington,
I see many articles in the agricultural
papers about shredded fodder. Many
farmers think that tliey get about as
much use out of thc feed not to shred, as
to shred it. It makes me want to chime
in on the shredder side of the question.
Here in Benton county we make a business of feeding our horses, as well as the
rest of our stock, on cheaper feed than
hay, during the winter; usually feeding
oats straw to our horses altogether. But
some seasons, such as the present, we do
not have enough straw or hay to carry us
through the season. What shall we do?
Pay $12 to $14 per ton for hay, or shred
our fodder, when it would almost all go
to waste if fed the usual way? The
most of the farmers here have corn binders which make the fodder much nicer
to handle than by the old way of hand
cutting.
Four of us have a company shredder,
of the large size, 12 rolls, made by the
Safety Company, which greatly reduces
the cost of our feed; all we have to hire
is an engine and engineer.
We usually shred when wc are husking
our corn; when we havc from 1 to 3 men
apiece which insures us plenty of help.
Thc method we have of doing the work
is to have G teams, 2 men to scoop ear corn
and 2 feeders. We do not use any men in
the field to help load; every man loads his
own load from the ground, on low wheeled
wagons, thereby not climbing on the fodder to break it, and make it hard to handle. Wc drive up to the machine always with the butts of the fodder next
to the machine and commence unloading
from the end of the load, taking it clean,
so as to avoid getting on top and breaking
the fodder*, each man cutting his own
bands.
The feeders have time by the use of a
large barley fork to keep cleaned up
around the machine; backing a wagon behind the machine making a handy place to
scoop up the shelled corn.
Our machine has a blower and needs
very little attention. By this method of
doing the work we find we can shred from
400 to 600 bushels per day and everybody
is busy. H. E. H.
Benton Co.
San Jose scale, fungus and scab diseases
and several kinds of caterpillars destroying the leaves. Not only does the successful apple grower know these facts and
how to act accordingly; but he veritably
acts along these lines. In consequence
he has brought out some of the best and
hardiest varieties thc world has ever
known. The insect pests, and especially the San Jose scale, altho very pernicious
if not rigorously dealt with, has really
proven a blessing in disguise; because in
dealing with it by means of lime sulfur
wash, whale oil solution, caustic potash solution or fumigation, not alone has the
depredations of this little rascal been
checked but also other pests have succumbed under this treatment and as a result better nnd more perfect fruit has appeared in the markets. Thus the San
Jose scale, while a dangerous pest has.
thru the spraying and fumigation methods,
been an indirect benefit to the apple pro-
lar. This admits of close packing and
renders them less liable to damage by
bruising iu shipment.
The best varieties of applies are always in demand and always bring a good
price. The varieties, that have won
a favorable place in the markets of this
country and of foreign shores include the
Baldwin, Jonathan, Northern Spy, Rhode
Island Greening. Ben Davis. Roxbury.
Grime's Golden, Tompkin's King. Wine-
sap. York Imperial nnd Yellow Newtown.
Of course there arc other varieties almost
up to the same plane of popularity as
these, but they cannot begin to compare
with them in flavor and hardiness. These
standard apples have contributed to the
reputation of the American orchnrdist
both at home and abroad. Altho great
quantities of apples leave this country, it
is a noteworthy fact that a very small percentage of our entire apple crop is exported.        In 1904-05    from    a crop esti
mated at 45,3GO,000 Ibarrels only 1,500,000
barrels or 3.3 per cent were given to the
export trade. This indicates two conditions: The American apple is a popular food product at home and that in order to supply the demand at home and
abroad we will have to plant more orchards ami grow more of this fruit. The
countries concerned principally in our export apple trade are: England, Germany,
Canada, Cuba, Australia, Mexico and
France.
Steamship companies are alive to the
growing importance of this foreign trade
in apples and one line has even gone so
far as to build a boat designed especially
for carrying this fruit to foreign lands.
The export trade is not confined to the apple growing districts in close proximity to
the seaports, for the fruit is gathered from
the principal states north of Mason nnd
Dixon's line and its prolongation with the
exception of Missouri, and sent by rail to
r*l for transoceanic shipment.
Oue thing insuring growth in our foreign apple trade is the fact that by means
of our admirable methods of cold storage
we can materially prolong the export season, by shipping earlier in summer and
later  in   the  spring.
The United Stales and Canada vie with
* Mih other In supplying Europe with apples of the same varieties. In the past
li\o .\ears our country supplied G3.9 per
cent and Canada 'Ml per cent of this
trans-Atlantic business in apples. This
year the pen-outage for each country are
respectively 50.3 per cent nnd 40.0 per
tint: a falling oft for the United States
niiil a goin for Canada. At present, the
general consumption of apples is heavy
and exporters are buying freely to keep
even with their foreign orders. So much
for the national export trade in apples, but
what nt-out Indiana and her home supply?
Recent statistics show that during the season just past that Indiana produced 4,-
708300 bushels of apples or nearly four
limes the crop of the preceding year.   Of
this quantity Green eounty produced 290,-
200 bushels.
Despite this good yield in the apple crop
of our state it is entirely inadequate to
supply the demand for the fruit within our
own   borders. Indianapolis wholesale
fruit dealers state that the apple trade in
this city alone is easily estimated at from
200,000 to 350,000 barrels annually, at
prices averaging about $2 per barrel, and
that thoy are unable to obtain a sufficient
supply of home grown apples to meet the
demands of local trade. They are obliged to import apples from New York.
Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Illinois to
(ill in the deficit in the home supply. This
is the straw which tells from what quarter
the wind blows. Indiana is unable to supply her people with home grown apples.
And the reason for this is not that there
is a lack of proper soil and climatic conditions or lack of transportation and market facilities but because our farmers and
some of our horticulturists have not realized what possibilities of substantial profits there are in the intelligent culture of
apples. The farmers of Indiana can
well pattern after their brethern in New
York which is doubtless the leading apple growing state. There, the commercial value has long Ibcen recognized, and
ns a result, remarkably developments have
been  made  in  practical  pomology.
The orchards of our state are in many
instances neglected and allowed to care for
themselves because the farmers have
tlioir time occupied with other duties, considered more important than caring for
the apple trees. If they can be made
to see thnt the apple crop is just as pi-ri-
fitablc ns the wheat and corn crop, then
will apple culture take a new lease on life
ir. Iniliann. Indiana is fully able to produce all the apples needed by her people
nnd have a large export trade besides. In
some of the states apple growers have
wisely formed nssociations, not only to
develop the quality of their crops but also
to arrange for the packing, shipping and
selling nt a good round profit. In this
way the business is promoted and encouraged to the lasting benefit of the men interested. Indiana growers might well
profit by adopting this same plan.
It is hoped that more of
the horticulturists nnd farmers of
our State will take a deeper interest in this nil important subject of apple
growing and that before another decade
ends we will be aWe to at least supply our
J home markets.