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►Apple
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trees, some of which average over 1,300 trees per acre, Mellen easily qualifies as the county’s largest pro* ducer.
Brothers Kevin and Mike share a strong family resemblance and an enormous enthusiasm for apple growing. They come by it naturally in that their father, Bill Melton, managed the orchard before them.
According Mike, in 1987 the whole design for Mellen Plantation was revamped. The older and larger apple trees were removed to make way for the Red Chief Campbell, a dwarf apple tree that is bred to produce in copious amounts.
The concept of the smaller tree, said Mike, originated in Europe where land is at a premium. The specific rootstock used by Mellen is called M26, chosen, said Kevin, because it is “extremely precocious and very early to bear.”
In 1987, the Meltons planted 25.000 trees, averaging about 400 per acre. Today, they are tending 100.000 trees at about 1,300 trees per acre. “The idea is to get your trees producing as fast as possible,” said Mike. “The longer it takes to grow the tree, the longer it takes to get your firuit.”
“If you are an apple grower, you are not in the business of growing apple trees,” added Mike with a laugh.
The small trees, which are care-, ftilly pruned to grow to only six or seven feet tall, are planted closely together, approximately 3Vi feet firom one another. Depending on how old the tree is when put in the ground, the Meltons said that it takes about three years to have a tree that is ftilly producing.
During that three-year period, the trees are pruned to “fill the space” in order to have the fullest and healthiest tree ready for bearing
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