Page 10 



BETTER FRUIT 



September 



Make This Year's Apple Crop Fit the Market 



Third Article in Growers' Campaign to Meet the Apple Situation 



UNCLE SAM takes the keenest inter- 

 est in this year's apple crop. For 

 the fruit must be used to help save 

 wheat and meats for our allies. The 

 Food Administration is planning a con- 

 sumer campaign of publicity through- 

 out the country. 



This year's apple crop calls for intel- 

 ligent handling. The latest government 

 reports indicate a crop of about 190,- 

 000,000 bushels. That is a little below 

 normal. Good prices are assured for 

 all honestly packed first quality apples 

 and also for honestly packed selected 

 second grades, which government ex- 

 perts say can be put into storage. When 

 the crop is big it does not pay to store 

 second grades, but this year, despite the 

 fact that we cannot ship our usual 

 2,000,000 barrels of apples abroad, be- 

 cause shipping space is precious, we 

 should be able to get fair prices for all 

 good apples at home. 



Careless packing of poor quality fruit 

 has always been one of the chief causes 

 of market instability and unsatisfactory 

 prices to the growers. This year the 

 whole apple industry is co-operating to 

 remove this market handicap. There 



has never been an apple year such as 

 this one is going to be. Growers have 

 never been able to get together and 

 engage and finance a national educa- 

 tional campaign among consumers to 

 increase apple consumption. This year 

 the situation makes it necessary for the 

 United States government, through the 

 Food Administration, to conduct a con- 

 sumer's campaign of publicity on behalf 

 of the apple. This campaign will begin 

 while the crop is being sent to market 

 and will probably continue till the last 

 apple is eaten up late next spring. So 

 the grower has three great incentives for 

 grading, packing and storing this crop 

 with especial care. (1) It is a good crop 

 and calls for care. (2) The government 

 will encourage apple eating and apple 

 storage and will discourage apple spec- 

 ulation that raises the price abnormally. 

 (3) We must eat up at home more than 

 two million barrels of apples which 

 would ordinarily be exported. 



To get the best of the crop to the 

 market in prime condition it must be 

 picked carefully at the time of maturity 

 and promptly cooled in temporary stor- 

 age, and then skillfully graded and 



packed. Second grade fruit should not 

 go into barrels or boxes. If it cannot 

 be marketed in bulk in nearby consum- 

 ing centers, then it should be worked 

 up into by-products along with the 

 culls. 



There has been a gratifying improve- 

 ment in apple marketing the past two 

 or three years, Western apples are 

 boxed to strictly honest standards by 

 the great co-operative growers' organi- 

 zations in Washington, Oregon, Cali- 

 fornia, Idaho and Colorado. The East- 

 ern barrel apple has also been wonder- 

 fully improved in New York and other 

 states. Because apples are honestly 

 packed and give the best possible value 

 for the money, there is an increase in 

 the consumer demand. Retail merchants 

 who were formerly almost afraid to 

 buy apples in barrels, because they 

 were not sure of getting marketable 

 values for their money, are now buying 

 freely and in confidence. This good 

 work makes it possible for the gov- 

 ernment to go further and encourage 

 the use of apples as a war-time food 

 measure. 



Because the bulk of the crop will be 

 picked by volunteer workers this year, 

 and put into common storage until the 

 grower can find time to grade and pack, 

 there will be an opportunity to give 

 closer personal attention to the grading 

 and packing than might be the case if 

 the crop were handled as in peace 

 times. For the grower who desires in- 

 structions in apple packing the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture at Washington has 

 information in bulletin form. These 

 bulletins can be secured free by writing 

 to the department. Growers will do 

 well to obtain a few copies for their 

 pickers and packers. 



GLASS 



When you are ready 

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 and has nothing what- 

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 water. 



Ask your deafer 

 = show you a MYERS 



PUMP with Cog Gear .Handle and Non Corrosive 

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 pumps 33V'3% easier than (he ordinary kind, and 

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 and last longer than others. He will be 

 glad to tell you about these and the ^f 



many other Myers fea- ^^ 



tures that make Myers 

 Pumps better. 



Ask him, or write us. 

 Attractive booklets on 

 request. 



F.E.MYERS &BRO. 



ASHLAND 

 OHIO 



i2Q ORANGE ST 



WHEN WRITING ADVERTISERS MENTION BETTER FRUIT 



