Salt Lake Tribune | 1915-02-26 | Page 14 | Would Make Change in Arbor Day Date

WOULD IKE CUE Ii ARBORJIAY DATE State Horticultural Commis-! Commis-! sion Recommends April 1 as Proper Time. OBSERVANCE IS URGED Biennial Report Filed With Governor Declares Fruit Crop Is Improving. In its biennial report to the governor, filed yesterday, the state horticultural commission recommends that Arbor day be changed from April 3 3 to April 2, arguing that tbe present date ia entirely entire-ly too late for the planting of trees and obtaining the best results. Observance Observ-ance of Arbor day is important, it comments, com-ments, sin-- it promotes, as nothing else would, an increase in trees and foilage. The report remarks that the horticultural horticul-tural industry in Utah is now undergoing undergo-ing a rapid and radical readjustment aa a result of the depression of the past two years, brought on by a period of 'unwise and speculative planting. The readjustment will prove tenericial, it 1 declares, since it will have the effect of placing the industry on a business basii and improving the quality of commercial commer-cial fruit. .Many orchards that never could produce a profit because of their location, unfavorable soil and climatic conditions, have been eliminated and speculations in varieties of iruit are being be-ing corrected. Fruit Growing Better. ,On this subject the report says: Taken as a whole, fruit growing in Utah is on a better ba-.is than at any time .since KM"1, when tbe id'-a prevailed that it -was only necessary to plant au orchard iu order to secure wealth aud happiness. happi-ness. A careful canvass of the orchards of the state shows that there i.a? been an actual decrease in the total acreage devoted to fruit growing since the fall of 1012, when the area was -b'.otj acres. Sixty -one per cent of this area was in youui; orchards which had not yet come to hearing. It is ia tbeso very youn? nn'hards and the very obi ooes tha; the decrease has come. At rhe pres-enr pres-enr time there is not more Than .'i'i.000 arre of land in orchards iu the. sta'e, but it must be rem sobered so-bered that th-- acreage of orchards bearing fruit is increasing, and w-iH continue to do mj for the nest thee or I o ur years, eve n w i t h no additional addi-tional planting. Should Study Costs. Orchard ir g is a business propo-sition, propo-sition, and must be operated on the same bais a a uy ot Tier business, v'ost ot production mur-t be watched fud unprofitable trees, eliminated. Above ail. the tadard and quality must be raised. Take. fr instance, a year like li'l-!. It was n. year ot heavy production. There was a nuirket for ail the rirst quality fruit procured: it was the j.oor quality that lloo led the market and demoralized de-moralized p:i''o. The report shows that ".'.l'i "r;i t trees of n!i varieties were planted ri Vtah in the spring oi h'iU and ll'L"-iu ll'L"-iu the spring of -.. In the ps,T riye ears C.o7,),."iS fruit t'ecs. of ail varieties varie-ties were planted in the state. The heaviest crop in tho history ot tbe fiate was produced in U'M. hea tbe total comnierc:al prodncticu amounted to .wi carloads. A vitorois right agiiTst diseases thut nfrlict frtiil tre-s is being waged, according ac-cording to the report. In? pec '.on? to this end cost the state S1''0' in ll rnJ ;00! in liM 1.