Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 2 · column 2 of 8 · from the scan, no model involved
Va. Apple Trees ‘
Decline Less than 2 c f
a Apple tree numbers in Vir- i ginia have declined less than 2 percent since 1963, the Vir- 1 ginia Department of Agriculture and Commerce announced ( Friday. Based on the results ' of a survey just completed by the Virginia Crop Reporting Service (CRS), the rapid decline in tree numbers, which has taken place since 1937, has about ended.
The CRS pointed out that the state’s apple trees declined 20 per cent during the period 1956-63 -- an average of about 3 per, cent a year -- whereas the average for the period 1963-67 was less than 1/2 of 1 per cent per year.
The survey revealed that apple trees not of bearing age (those under 8 years) continued to show a higher ratio to the number ef total trees with each successive survey, climbing from 14 per cent in 1949 to 31 per cent this year. This trend brings out the important fact that a larger proportion of apple production in Virginia is coming from younger trees than in the past.
The survey also showed that [ the trend towards fewer, larger orchards is continuing. In 1963 there were 885 orchards in Virginia, while the 1967 sur vey showed only 814.
The five leading varieties of! apple trees in Virginia, which j account for 86 per cent of the state’s total, are:
Red Delicious ... 32 percent'
York . ./».2Q per cent) Golden Delicious .. 15 per cent j Stayman.10 per cent| Winesap.9 per tj
85.7%