The Rural Voice, 1983-11, Page 7of fertilizer per acre is applied but this
rate varies with the size of the tree.
Hartman has a number of large 25
foot apple trees which produce
twenty bushels of apples per tree, but
he prefers the semi -dwarf trees.
Although a semi -dwarf only yields
four to six bushels per tree when it
reaches maturity -usually within six to
eight years -an acre of land will
support 200 semi-dwarts compared to
only 40 large trees.
There are other advantages to the
semi -dwarfs as well. There are spaces
between large trees which cause a
chemical waste when spraying the
orchard, whereas semi -dwarf trees
grow close together, avoiding waste.
"I prefer semi -dwarfs because of the
labour savings," Hartman says,
adding that "the cost of picking the
semi -dwarf is cheaper because you
don't have to use very tall ladders."
Mice present a real problem to
apple producers, chewing away the
outside bark of the tree, often killing
it. Guards around the base of the tree
serve as protection, but often a heavy
snow fall in winter allows the mice to
climb over the guard and chew the
bark. Cracked corn treated with zinc
phosphate is put out under the trees
in the fall to poison the mice.
A few of Hartman's trees die each
year, either because of mice or
natural causes and are replaced with
new plantings from the nursery stock
in April. Also in April, rootstock is
planted in the nursery. Different
rootstocks produce different tree
sizes so that an apple producer can
determine the size of the tree that he
wants by choosing a specific
rootstock. Different apple varieties
are grafted on the rootstock in late
July and the producer can choose the
right combination of tree variety and
tree size. Hartman sells his rootstock
throughout Ontario as well as in
Eastern Canada and employs four
full-time workers in his nursery.
May is apple blossom time and in
order to ensure a good pollination of
the trees, Hartman has ten hives of
bees brought into the orchard by a
local beekeeper in the first part of
May. They are left in one location to
cover a large area for approximately
two weeks. Different varieties of
apple trees do pollinate each other,
but the bees act as an insurance
policy, particularly if there may not
be enough wind to spread the pollen.
Also in May, trees are sprayed for
fungicide, an operation that occurs
twelve times during the growing
season. A herbicide is also sprayed
under the trees to kill grass and
control mice. The fertilizer can then
help the trees to grow instead of the
grass.
Chemical thinning of apple
varieties takes place in June for the
trees that have a larger crop then they
can handle. Weak apples fall off,
leaving an ideal two apples per cluster
for McIntosh and one per cluster for
Northern Spy and Red Delicious.
"You have to spray the apple at the
right time when it is the right size,"
Hartman says. "Experience
throughout the years is essential to
know when to apply it."
Summer pruning starts in July
least once before it gets to the
consumer and for this reason, labour
costs are the greatest expense in
growing apples. "An apple grower's
income depends on six weeks of
picking," Hartman says, and "he
must have reliable workers." All
local labour from the farm labour
pool is used at harvest time but
"we're not located in an urban area
where we can draw people" he added.
For this reason, growers also use
workers from the off -shore labour
program to supplement the local
labour. In all, 3,000 individuals are
brought in to help harvest the crop.
As the growing and harvest season
winds down for the producer, things
Peter Hartman, president of the Southern Georgian Bay Fruit Growers
Association: "An apple grower's income depends on six weeks of picking."
when suckers are removed from the
trees to let more light in, thereby
colouring up the apples.
Summer apples (Quinte,
Wellington, Jersey Mac) are
harvested in mid-August but the main
apple harvest gets into full swing in
September and lasts through to the
first week in November. Because each
McIntosh apple has to have at least 30
per cent colour if it is being sold as
fresh fruit, and a minimum 21/4 inch
diameter "you can't walk up to a tree
and clean it; it's done in two
pickings," Hartman says. "We go
over everything once, then go over it
again."
A hand has to touch each apple at
also get back to normal for Ken
Wilson who is the Horticultural Crop
Advisor for the Plant Industry
Branch of the Ontario Ministry of
Agriculture and Food. Wilson's
office is located in Clarksburg and his
91/2 year involvement in the apple
industry has given him a strong
insight into growing conditions and
problems unique to the Georgian Bay
area.
Wilson works on a first hand basis
with apple growers, visiting orchards
and offering advice. As well, he
provides an "orchard hotline"
whereby growers can call in and listen
to a three minute tape concerning
insect and disease control. Wilson
THE RURAL VOICE, NOVEMBER 1983 PG. 5