The Washington Apple Volume 7: Orchards and the Development of Industrial Agriculture (The Environment in Modern North America)

In the nineteenth century, most American farms had a small orchard or at least a few fruit-bearing trees.People grew their own apple trees or purchased apples grown within a few hundred miles of their homes.Nowadays, in contrast, Americans buy mass-produced fruit in supermarkets, and roughly 70 percent of apples come from Washington State.So how did Washington become the leading producer of America’s most popular fruit?In this enlightening book, Amanda L. Van Lanen offers a comprehensive response to this question by tracing the origins, evolution, and environmental consequences of the state’s apple industry. Washington’s success in producing apples was not a happy accident of nature, according to Van Lanen.Apples are not native to Washington, any more than potatoes are to Idaho or peaches to Georgia.In fact, Washington apple farmers were late to the game, lagging their eastern competitors.The author outlines the numerous challenges early Washington entrepreneurs faced in such areas as