著者

岡本 啓志

出版者

一般社団法人 人文地理学会

雑誌

人文地理 (ISSN:00187216)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.18, no.6, pp.565-581, 1966

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The history of apple-growing in Kagawa Prefecture, in the Shikoku region, is an old one beginning first in the middle period of the Meiji era. But the area under cultivation for this crops in this prefecture has decreased gradually since 1953, when it was most extensively cultivated, having partly been replaced by some other crops such as tangerine orange. However, the situation is quite different in Tokushima prefecture, Kagawa's neighbor, where the area under cultivation for apples showed a sudden, remarkable increase since 1953 to 54, with a gradual declining only in recent years. These facts tell that apple cultivation in these two prefectures, in spite of the similarities in their natural and climatic conditions, has undergone a quite different transition. In this paper, the author has tried to clarify the various reasons why in Tokushima prefecture, which is relatively warm and apparently not a suitable area for apples, apple growing really flourished even for a short period, and especially why it has fallen into decay. What sort of difficulties and problems caused this sudden decline are also the important point of disussion here.<br>Thanks to the untiring efforts of Mr. Kenji Tada, who as a grower as well an investigator, valiantly recommended apples as the most profitable crop, and that of the authorities concerned, apple farms spread extensively in Mima and Miyoshi counties, whose location is along the Yoshino River in the western part of this prefecture. However, apple production began to decrease, though in the up-stream area of the Yoshino River it is less affected. Some of the reasons for this may be listed as follows:<br>1) Small amount of profit from apple production. This is the result of the tied-up market price of apples, and small quantity of the crop in this particular area. Ill or inadequate management of farms has been connected with these reasons and caused a vicious circle.<br>2) Damage by blight and insects.<br>3) Concurrence and consequent competition with other crops in respect of labor.<br>4) Bad influence of spray on mulberry farms; damage caused by typhoons and other reasons.<br>The above-mentioned may be grouped as direct reasons which caused declining in apple-production, while some other indirect causes might be pointed out as is shown below.<br>i) Lack of experience on the part of growers. Consequently, want of necessary information and technical know-how was unavoidable.<br>ii) Small-scale management and scattered and isolated location of the farms.<br>iii) Insufficient guidance and dvice. These problems might have been, more or less, solved if farmers had deen properlhy directed. When a new kind of crop is to be introduced, especially in the case of fruit-culture, which needs a consideralbe amount capital and high level technical know-how, proper guidance and direction after its introduction are of the utmost importance, to say nothing of the sufficient information and understanding before it is planted.