Apples.

• Author: Macinko, George
• Position: FROM READERS - Letter to the editor

Mason Gaffney ("Underused Lands," From Readers, May/June 2009) claims that the national U.S. demand for apples could be met by "a few thousand acres of apple orchards." Domestic apple consumption is about 55 percent of total U.S. production. In 2006 some 377,490 acres were required to produce a commercial crop of 5,036 thousand tons. Fifty-five percent of 377,490 acres is 207,700 acres.

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Though Gaffney does not specify exactly what a "few thousand" acres is, let's assume it might be 5,000 acres. To satisfy domestic...