Appendix. 193 



altitudes, from the valleys nestling among the mountains, which insures 

 mild temperature and equable climate, allowing the apple to mature on 

 the tree, giving it size, coloring, crispness and flavor. 



The commercial apple orchards of Oregon are conducted along strictly 

 business lines. They are pruned each season, plowed and cultivated as 

 required, thoroughly sprayed with proper compounds, several times each 

 year, to combat and overcome fungus disease and insect pests, and in 

 consequence the loss in some orchards from infested or diseased fruit is 

 very slight, frequently as low as five ner cent. The laws concerning in- 

 fected fruit are very stringent in most foreign ports, and much care is 

 exercised to pack and ship only such fruit as is entirely free from scale. 



Quick transportation, the telegram, the cablegram, enable the grower 

 to practically market his own product. In this connection it may be 

 noted that the watchfulness and accommodation of the railroad companj' 

 officials in promptly furnishing us with refrigerator cars, the reasonable 

 carload rates from Oregon to New York, enabling us to place our apples 

 on dock at New York for one dollar per hundred weight, or fifty cents 

 per box, are important factors. 



The picking and storing is carefully looked after, and in the packing 

 house the fruit is graded, any of irregular size or quality is laid aside for 

 other purposes than export. The packing is done by experienced girl 

 packers. Each apple is wrapped in paper, and placed in a box which has 

 previously been lined with paper. Between each tier of apples a layer 

 of cardboard is placed, and each box is inspected by the overseer. When 

 finished, the boxes present a very attractive appearance, the top and 

 bottom having a heavy swell when nailed. The name and grade are 

 stamped on box at top of brand. The boxes are carefully packed in the 

 car, car strips being placed between each tier of boxes to insure proper 

 and sufficient ventilation, and great care is taken to so brace the car that 

 any shifting or moving of the mass in transit is impossible. Thus the 

 long journey to New York is safely made, the apples arriving in prime 

 condition. In fact, the fruit carries so well when properly packed and 

 loaded, that a five-mile ride in wagon over average country roads would 

 be more detrimental to it than the entire journey to Europe. 



In the markets the apples are sold at auction to the highest bidder. 

 Our fruit sterns to have succeeded in making a demand wherever intro- 

 duced, and constant inquiries arrive in regard to good fruit. '}rown and 

 packed as it should be, we need have no year of over-production, for 

 with the splendid keeping qualities of our apples, we will always have a 

 market for them. The pack and quality of our fruit meet with such favov 

 abroad that strictly fancy four-tier Yellow Newtown apples from the 

 Rogue river vailey have realized $3.48 per box. This was considered the 

 record breaker for the season. At the time sale was made of this par- 

 ticular lot, the markets abroad were loaded with apples from California 

 points selling on a basis of from seven to ten shillings per box, or an 

 average of but little more than half of price of best Oregon product. 



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