APPLE CROP LOOKS GREAT IN ILLINOIS, OK IN MISSOURI

Apples are bigger, tastier and better in quality, but they might be fewer this fall.

"We have a good crop of apples," said David Diebold, of Diebold Orchards in Benton. "It's not a bumper crop, but a good one."

LaDonia Beggs, of Pioneer Apple Orchard at Jackson, and Bill Hartline of Alto Pass, Ill., agree.

"The sugar seems to be up. Apples are sweeter this year," Hartline said.

"The apples seem be to running larger," Beggs said.

Overall, the three orchardists agree, the 1995 apple looks good.

But statewide, reports vary.

The Missouri Agricultural Statistics Services predicts an apple crop of 32 million pounds, down from 56 million pounds in 1993.

Cold, wet weather during the spring bloom period inhibited pollination of the apple blossoms by keeping bees inside their hives instead of about their business, said Patrick Byers, fruit grower adviser with the Department of Fruit Science at Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield.

"Without bees, there are no apples," said Byers.

The bee population in Missouri also was affected by an infestation of mites, tiny parasitic creatures, according to the Missouri State Beekeepers Association.

The state's beekeepers began noticing a die-off of bees weakened by the mites.

Sharon Gibbons, vice president of the beekeepers group, told the Associated Press that beekeepers reported up to 50 percent mortality in hives before they began treating their bees with pesticides.

Most large orchards routinely bring in manmade, or managed hives, to pollinate their trees. Smaller operators, however, often rely on wild bees for pollination.

Just across the Mississippi River, the forecast is just the opposite.

It could be a great crop year, said fruit specialist Mosbah Kushad at the University of Illinois.

The U.S. Agriculture Department predicts that Illinois growers expect to produce 2 million bushels of apples this year, about double the 1994 harvest, despite some stretches of extreme heat and dry conditions.

That translates into about 85 million pounds of apples. Illinois orchardists produced less than 50 million pounds in 1994.

"We certainly have a nice crop here," said Hartline. "And following the extreme dry weather, cool weather has moved in to bring great color to the apples."

Hartline specializes in three varieties of apples -- red delicious, golden delicious and Jonathans.

"We'll be picking these varieties through most of October," said Hartline.

Although orchards can be found throughout Illinois, the state's major apple growers are in Union and Jackson counties in Southern Illinois.

Southern Illinois orchards are as large as 400 acres, and apples from that region are shipped throughout the nation.

This year's apple crop is either "short," "spotty" or "good," depending on where you are in Missouri.

"We've been picking Jonathans, red and golden delicious the past week," said Diebold. "Overall, we have a wonderful crop."

Diebold said that with the extreme heat of recent weeks, a number of apples have "left the trees." But, this allowed apples which remained on trees to grow.

Diebold is looking to some new varieties this year -- "Jonalicious" and "Jona Gold."

"These are new, but good varieties," said Diebold.

The Jona Gold was developed in Europe, and U.S. growers have to purchase a special European license to grow them.

"Overall, the 1995 crop is certainly better for us than last year," Diebold said. Diebold sells the majority of his apples to local markets.

Beggs agrees that the 1995 crops is better than a year ago.

"The goldens are gold and pretty, and they're all tasty," she said, adding that Pioneer Orchard was hit three times by hail this year, but "we still have a better crop than in 1994."

Pioneer Orchard sells through local markets, commercial markets and conducts a "pick-your-own" program.

Farther north, orchard people have a shorter supply of apples.

Apples are fewer, but bigger and tastier than normal, at Eckert Orchard in Bonne Terre.

"Our crop size is a little down, from previous years, but it's still adequate," said orchard manager Mike Stroot, adding that the quality of the fruit is excellent."