218 Appendix. 



greatest trouble we have with grapes is that they come in wet. The fruit is 

 fine, large and of good flavor, but they seem to be wet all tlirough the crates 

 :ind baskets. We have talked with a number of the different shippers about 

 it, and suggested that they dry them out. They have tried that, but it does 

 not seem to be of any avail. I have talked with other growers, and they rsay 

 that the proper thing to do is to ship them when they are absolutely dry. If 

 it is rainy or wet they are apt to go to pieces before they reach the market. 

 One shipper shipped us a large quantity last fall ; we had had complaint before 

 of the quality, and he followed this shipment in, and along in the middle of 

 the day he came in and we were very glad to see him, and said. "We have 

 just received some of your grapes," and he said. '"Yes ; the boy shipped the 

 balance cf them. How are they?" and I said, "We have not looked at them 

 yet, let's go and see them," and, much to his surprise, all through the center 

 of the baskets they had commenced to grow whiskers and were in bad shape, 

 just from the moisture they had accumulated, or which was tliere before they 

 were shipped. lie did not make any excuse about it, said he had not seen 

 them, but that he was much surprised. It was quite an object lesson to him. 

 All the letters we could have written that man could not have convinced him 

 of the conditions his grapes were in when received. 



On the apple business ; tnat is the principal crop, and I have already 

 spoken of apples and do not think it necessary to say anything further. 



As to canneries. That is the salvation of the fruit industry in Oregon. 

 We have not enough, and should have a great many more. Canneries will take 

 the surplus fruit and will strengthen the market. (Jrowers do not have to 

 throw their fruit away, or give it away, but can dispose of it to the canneries 

 at a good price. That has been illustrated by the strawberries grown here 

 locally. It is less than ten years ago that the growers here could not realize 

 much more tlian one cent a pound for their strawberries. Many of the growers 

 plowed up their patches and used the ground for something else. They could 

 not afford to pick, crate and send them to the market and not realize anything 

 for them, but since then two canneries have started here and are ready to 

 take all the strawberries brought to them and pay four cents a pound, and 

 return the crates. With such a stimulus as that the growers can ijroduce lots 

 of strawoerries, and profitably : they are not dependent upon the home con- 

 sumption. And the same thing applies to all kinds of fruit, peaches, plums, 

 cherries, pears and even apples, and I would be only too glad, and I know all 

 commission men here would, to see canneries all through the field to take the 

 surplus fruit, over-ripe fruit, fruit that is not perfect in appearance, etc. The 

 growers will realize much better prices for their fruit with canneries situated 

 all through the field. 



Now, while Mr. Dosch is to speak about prunes this afternoon, I want to 

 say just one word. Our firm dabbles in prunes just a little bit, just enough 

 to keep in touch with the conditions. You know how the papers have said prices 

 were going to pieces ; that the Willamette Association had accused the pack- 

 ers of cutting the prices, and all that sort of thing, but the whole thing is 

 summed up in one sentence, and that is : it is regulated liy the law of supply 

 and demand. It is nothing else, and it does not make any difference how 

 many prunes we liave, or how bare the market is. you cannot make people 

 buy more than they will of a product. It does not cut any figure what the 

 market is, or anything of that sort. Illustrating the theory between the 

 imaginary and actual price, I saw a little squib in one of our magazines the 

 other day. A fisherman had an old boat on the beach ; he threw a bucket of 

 water in it to see if it would hold water, but it all ran out. and he said. 

 "That is a mighty good l)oat to go to sea in because the water will all run out." 

 than in these valleys. A paper was recently read at a Farmers' Institute held 

 cause of the superior quality of the prunes raised in Oregon and the shortage 

 elsewhere that we should get a good, high price does not hold at all. The 

 (.'alifornia prune is much better known than ours, and for some reason it sells 



