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Leading Apple Regions in the United States
IDAHO
The following four fairly well defined, yet more or less isolated, apple sections are found in Idaho: Payette Valley, Boise Valley, Lewiston district and Twin Falls district. Idaho was somewhat behind Oregon and Washington in the time of the development of its fruit industry and probably has a greater proportion of young trees than either of the other two. The commercial production of Idaho exceeded 3,600 cars in 1919.
Payette District (Page 74-75)
The apple acreage of the Payette district is largely in the Payette Valley, with extensive plantings in the vicinity of Fruitland, Payette, Weiser and New Plymouth. This district represents the heaviest producing area in the state. Its production has exceeded 2,000 cars in a single season and an even greater output is promised on account of the new acreages just coming into bearing.
As in all of Idaho's plantings, the Jonathan grows to perfection and is the predominating variety. Other important varieties of the Payette are Rome Beauty, Gano, Ben Davis, and Winesap. The northwest box system of packing and general orchard management is used throughout this region, although there is not the intensity of cultural methods, nor quite the high state of specialization, as in the Yakima and Wenatchee districts. Severe frost injury has destroyed the crop in certain years and frost liability has somewhat deterred the development of the region. The Payette district was known as a hay and stock raising country long before an impetus was given to its apple industry. Although the orchards are small, considerable fertile land implanted to trees offers opportunity for diversification.
Boise Valley.
Much the same conditions obtain in the Boise Valley as in the Payette district, these two sections being only a few miles apart and having been developed under much the same conditions. Plantings in the Boise Valley are much more limited than in the Payette district .
Twin Falls.
In the extreme southern part of Idaho and in the vicinity of Twin Falls is an irrigated region which has intensive apple plantings, amounting to 4,000 or 5,000 acres, most of which have not attained full bearing and considerable of which have been taken out to provide for more general farming. The production in 1919 reached approximately 500 cars and the output of the region may be expected to increase. Varieties and general orchard conditions are much the same as in the Payette district.
IDAHO (Page 110)
Heaviest commercial apple plantings in Idaho are in the Payette and Boise valleys, tributary to such towns as Payette, Fruitland, Caldwell and Boise. The advantages of this region are:
1. Young acreage, very little of which has attained full bearing and most of which is relatively free from insects and diseases.
2. Quality of the fruit is excellent, particularly Jonathan, which is the leading variety.
3. Yields are good, but somewhat lower than in the Yakima and Wenatchee regions.
4. Orchard values are somewhat lower than in some of the other northwestern orchard sections. The region described is a very good general farming section, having a rich soil which responds well to irrigation, a universal practice.
Disadvantages.
1. Some unsuited land was developed and exploited with apple plantings.
2. Frost damage has almost entirely destroyed the crop of this region in certain years.
3. Distance from market is a severe handicap.
4. Some alkali trouble in the lower lands.
The Twin Falls irrigated region in the extreme southern part of the state is a very fertile general farming country, with considerable apple plantings, some of which have been pulled out in recent years. Apple-growing as a specialized industry is being supplanted by greater diversification.