Show ruIa r-i- r a MAKE 0 OLD LD APPLE ORCHARDS PROFITABLE J I nS n- n S I rv I s 4 S. S l t i pj 4 4 I 4 Spraying Is Is' Absolutely Essential in Growing Marketable Fruit Apple orchards can be made to pay paya a a. profit The principal factor lacking at present is the me men mei who are willing willingto to o make a business venure ven yen ture ure and to give it the attention that they would any business that they expect expect ex ex- to make a success It was a common theory among the farmers as well as among fruit growers growers grow grow- ers and others that the climate in a certain county in Iowa was not adapted adapt adapt- I ed to the growing of fruit Late spring frost rost was the principal factor cited as asa asa asa a reason for this belief bellet Nevertheless it t is a well known fact that the danger of late spring frost and freezes which damage the fruit crops crop's crops diminishes from rom south to north the reason being that the plants bloom later the thearther farther arther north we go and are therefore held back till after atter the danger of frost frosts is s past Iowa can grow late winter apples over a large portion of the state and the nearer the northern limit of ot late winter apple production we go the less danger there is of late frost injury The results secured by the use of manures in orchards are indicative of the he necessity of giving more attention to o the plant food in the orchard soil Manures if it they can be secured at a reasonable price are the best fertilizers I ers for orchard use I The r results of pruning and spraying I orchards are also indicative of the value of these two important orchard operations Neither can be entirely neglected and success be assured Spraying is absolutely essential in the rowing growing of marketable fruit Apple orchards where well cared for have paid and are paying eX lent ent profits on the money invested They produced profitable crops with less ess care in an early day At that time timeS there were few If any destructive insects insects in in- sects and diseases to lower the tho profits of ot the tho grower Lar Large Larye e plantings made between 1880 and 1900 as a are are- re result re- re suIt sult of ot these easy profits These came into bearing after the introduction of ot the pests referred to and ami those men who did not care to properly protect their trees against the pests and against drought found that their orchards orchards orchards or or- were not profitable This has been the hist history of practically all the older growing fruit-growing regions and was the expected result The question of overproduction of apples is often discussed by fruit growers in the state and various opinions opinions opinions ions are held There is but little doubt that the home market will consume consume con con- sume a large lare part of ot the fruit grown in the state if It that market is developed developed developed devel devel- by proper methods of grading and advertising The greatest difficulty culty in the marketing of the fruit willbe will willbe willbe be that not enough fr fruit it will be produced produced produced pro pro- to attract the larger buyers to the local community By organization of the growers and a careful study of the markets this difficulty can be over over- come cone Insects will in reality prove a blessing blessing bless bless- ing in disguise to the man who will properly care for his fruit By rendering rendering render render- ing what little lIttie fruit the neglected orchard orchard or or- chard will produce unfit for market they will leave the market entirely open to the better fruit produced by bythe bythe bythe the careful Such conditions conditions condi condi- are to the advantage of the man who will care for the old run down orchard and plant new trees to replace the old when th they have passed the ag agot age of ot profitable production S For the m mn n who do not care to tomake tomake tomake make ding orcha-ding a prominent part of their business on the farm it will be better to remove all but a few trees for the the- home supply and put the remainder remainder remainder re re- re- re of the tho ground now in orchard to some crop that will be properly cared for Iowa Iowa Experiment Station Bulletin w |