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BETTER FRUIT 



October, igip 



BETTER FRUIT 



An Illustrated MaRazine Devoted to the Interests 



of Modern Fruit Growing and Marketing. 



Published Monthly 



by 



Better Fruit Publishing Company 



703 Oregonian Building 

 PORTLAND, OREGON 



Restrictions on Storing Apples. 



The restrictions tlint tiie Department 

 of Justice is reported to be contemplat- 

 ing on the storing of apjjles are not only 

 unwarranted, but unjust in view of the 

 fact that apples are distinctly a perish- 

 able product. Even in the best of stor- 

 age they will not keep only for a short 

 period compared to other food products. 



The statement attributed to the De- 

 partment of Justice is to the effect that 

 it "will permit the storage of apples 

 where it is shown that the same is in 

 line with normal business, or according 

 to the practice of previous years," but 

 that "it will be considered as unfair 

 practice if it is shown that apples are 

 stored with the idea in mind of holding 

 for higher prices." 



This ruling has called forth a protest 

 from Eastern growers who say that if it 

 means that apples cannot be sold out of 

 storage at prices higher than the aver- 

 age out-of-orchard prices great injus- 

 tice will be done the growers as well as 

 the storage plants. With the latter in- 

 terpretation of the ruling in effect it is 

 feared that a glut in the market would 

 ensue early in the season which would 

 be disastrous to both grower and buyer. 



With so many flagrant instances of 

 the hoarding of foods that arc not of the 

 perishable nature of fruits, it would 

 seem that the Department of Justice 

 could utilize its authority and energies 

 to better advantage than in attempting 

 to hurt an industry that largely depends 

 for its success on proper storage meth- 

 ods. In fact, fruit is one of the products 

 In which there has been little juggling 

 to obtain high prices through cold stor- 

 age methods. With a much larger ton- 

 nage arriving at the distributing points 

 than the demand called for it has been 

 imperative to place apples and other 

 fruits in storage until such time as the 

 market was ready for them. 



Therefore, if the regulations in re- 

 gard to storing apples are so designed so 

 as to interfere with this practice they 

 should be modified. 



Shipping Export Apples Direct. 



Now that shipping is resuming to 

 some extent its normal tone the ques- 

 tion of shipping Northwest apples for 

 the export trade direct via the Panama 

 Canal is again coming to the fore. The 

 matter at the present time is being taken 

 up by English apple importers who look 

 upon this method as being the ideal way 

 to ship fruit from the Pacific Coast to 

 Europe; and it is the ideal way. With 

 sufTicient tonnage to keep a number of 

 refrigerator ships engaged in this trade 

 during the shipping season the fruit 

 .should be transported more quickly, 

 more cheaply and arrive at its Euro- 

 pean destination in better condition. 



To secure this result, however, it will 



be necessary for the entire Northwest 

 ai)ple growing sections to combine in a 

 concerte<l movement. One or several 

 districts do not furnish enough export 

 apples to make the venture pay. All of 

 the districts do furnish or will furnish 

 enough tonnage in a year or two and 

 the time to commence the movement 

 and bring it to a successful conclusion 

 is now. 



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Maintaining Soil Fertility. 



The time is fast approaching when 

 America will adopt the methods of 

 maintaining soil fertility that have been 

 practiced by agriculturists in Europe 

 for many yeais — that is putting back 

 into the soil as much substance as is 

 yearly drawn from it. Quite a long 

 step in this direction is already being 

 made in this country, but a still longer 

 and faster one must be made to catch up 

 with impending conditions. For many 

 years the rich virgin soils in many parts 

 of the United States have withstood an- 

 nual or semi-annual cropping. This 

 condition, however, is waning and from 

 all sections of the country where crops 

 are grown come reports of the need of 

 re-fertilization. 



The encouraging fact in this situation 

 is that this need is being realized by in- 

 telligent farmers and orchardists and 

 that they are taking up systematic meth- 

 ods to take care of a possible soil ex- 

 haustion. As has been well said, the 

 latter day agriculturist is now farming 

 with his head as well as his hands and 

 is getting better and more stable results. 

 The soil is like anything else, if you 

 keep taking from it and giving nothing 

 back you will eventually have nothing 

 left. Give to your soil and give will- 

 ingly and it will, with proper care, 

 yield rich returns. 



The Increasing Consumption of Fruit 

 It is said by authorities on the matter 

 that the consumption of fruits and nuts 

 in the United States is greatly on the 

 increase. The reason assigned for this 

 is that the American housewife no 

 longer regard fruits and nuts as a lux- 

 ury, but as a necessity to be used in the 

 daily diet if possible, on account of their 

 health-making qualities. The truth of 

 the latter statement is borne out by the 

 advice of the medical fraternity who 

 have long and diligently urged an .Amer- 

 ican diet that would include more fruit 

 and vegetables and less meat and pastry. 

 There are other things, however, that 

 have had their influence in increasing 

 the demand for fruit, two of which 

 were the canning campaign waged by 

 the government during the war and 

 which taught thousands of housewives 

 who had never canned before how to 

 can and the educational campaigns that 

 have been carried on by the large fruit- 

 growing and fruit handling concerns 

 showing the healthfulness of fruit and 

 how to cook and serve it. Due to these 

 facts the fruit tree in the back yard that 

 was formerly looked upon as an inci- 

 dent is now regarded as a distinct asset 

 to be carefully taken care of, and the 

 city matron is as active during the can- 

 ning season as her country-bred sister. 



To Patrons]^of Better Fruit: 



Owing to increased cost of produc- 

 tion and the continued high postal 

 rates the management of Better Fruit 

 finds It necessary to raise the subscrip- 

 tion price of this magazine to $-'.U0 

 after December 1, 1911). Until then 

 subscriptions will be taken at the old 

 rates, viz: 



In United States and possessions— 



1 year $1.00 



3 years 2.00 



In Canada — 



1 year $1 50 



In Foreign Countries — 

 lyear $1.50 



By renewing your subscription now or be- 

 coming a new subscriber you will get the ben- 

 efit of the present rate. 



A return blank allowing you to take advant- 

 age of this special offer will be found on page 1 

 this issue. 



Better Fruit Publishing Co. 



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Editorial Comment. 

 From all indications an automobile, a 

 motor truck and a tractor is the pro- 

 gram soon to be adopted by the success- 

 ful orchardist. 



Cull apples are really worth while 

 this year. Both the "drys" and the 

 "wets" want them. The former for dry- 

 ing and the latter for cider. 



Orchards in Berkeley county, West 

 Virginia, recently sold at values of .«1000 

 to $400 per acre. West Virginia is evi- 

 dently getting into the Northwest class 

 when it comes to raising apples on a 

 commercial basis. 



The September apple crop report of 

 the Bureau of Crop Estimates shows a 

 slight improvement in apple crop condi- 

 tions in some of the Eastern states, 

 while conditions in the Northwest are 

 shown to be fully up to early forecasts 

 — the largest of any one section in the 

 United States. 



As an illustration of the need for ad- 

 vertising as a factor in the exploitation 

 of a given food product, Mr. Dunlap of 

 the California Prune and Apricot Grow- 

 ers, Inc., cited the following liumorous 

 story at the Riverside Convention: A 

 grower sent his wife's sister in Texas a 

 2,^-pound box of prunes and received 

 the following acknowledgment: "The 

 prunes arrived in fine shape and are 

 mighty nice to eat, but they don't fry 

 very well." This recalls the sailor lad- 

 die in the old wooden-ship days, who 

 sent his mother in Bedford a chest of 

 tea from a China port. She cooked the 

 tea with bacon and, calling in her 

 friends, served it as "greens." All of 

 which causes the remark that judicious 

 advertising is the red blood of industry. 



Salem is to be made the dehydration center 

 of the United States and an advertising ap- 

 propriation of .?2.50,000 has been made to tell 

 the world about it. It is already the great and 

 only loganberry juice center, and its fruit 

 cannery oiUput is not exceeded on the Coast, 

 while the organization of fruit growers, re- 

 cently perfected, will make it the greatest 

 prune market in this country. .\11 of which 

 indicates that the Capital City of Oregon is 

 gelling ready to go some in the near fulurc. — 

 Ihiilij Capital Journal. 



