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BETTER FRUIT 



An Illustrated Magazine Devoted to the Interests 



of Modern Fruit Ciiowing and Marketing. 



Published Monthly 



by 



Better Fruit Publishing Company 



T03 Oregonian Building 

 PORTLAND, OREGON 



The Apple Marketing Situation. 



The present condition of the apple 

 market, which is reported dull and with 

 much larger stocks in storage than was 

 the case at this time last year was not 

 altogether unanticipated. It is reported 

 that the cause for this condition is that 

 apple prices were started too high early 

 in the season; that considerable ton- 

 nage was held for still higher prices; 

 that the car shortage delayed the fruit 

 from the Northwest in getting into con- 

 sumption and that dealers on this ac- 

 count were unable to move the later 

 flood of box fruit except at falling 

 prices. The unexpected freeze also con- 

 tributed to the unsetteld condition of 

 the box apple market on account of the 

 .shipping of frosted fruit or having it 

 frozen enroute due to using unpro- 

 tected cars. The limited foreign mar- 

 ket also played an important part in 

 the situation — and one other point, 

 probably the most important of all — 

 lack of national advertising. 



In the June and September numbers 

 of Better Fruit attention was called to 

 the possibility of the present condition 

 of the apple market ensuing, with the 

 exception of the freeze, a contingency 

 so unusual in the Northwest that it can 

 be largely discounted. 



Of course alibis are now in order and 

 the next few months will be replete 

 with reports telling "how it happened." 

 What the grower and shipper is most 

 interested in, however, is not an alibi, 

 but a possible remedy and it looks now 

 as if a concerted movement would be 

 made to obviate as far as possible in 

 future the unfortunate conditions that 

 characterized the present apple ship- 

 ping season. More storage and more 

 cars will undoubtedly be provided and 

 it is only reasonable to expect that the 

 foreign market for box apples must ex- 

 pand. The matters of price fixing, hold- 

 ing in storage for unreasonable values, 

 flooding the market and stimulating 

 consumption are the questions that 

 require the most serious consideration. 



These problems have been solved by 

 the growers' marketing associations in 

 California and there is no reason why 

 the apple grower should not take a 

 lesson from their book. The price is 

 fixed before the fruit is sold on a basis 

 that will move the entire crop, distri- 

 bution controlled and consumption ex- 

 panded by bringing the products to the 

 attention of millions of people through 

 advertising. This season while prunes, 

 peaches, pears, raisins, oranges, wal- 

 nuts and other fruits were being fea- 

 tured to reach the eyes of millions of 

 readers the advertising for apples was 

 almost negligible, the result being that 

 in thousands of instances other fruits 

 were substituted. 



The Northwest apple grower must 

 get into the marketing game on the 



BETTER FRUIT 



same basis as the grower of other 

 fruits on the Pacific Coast to achieve 

 the desired results. While his experi- 

 ence this year has been far from disas- 

 trous it should serve to guide him into 

 other and belter channels in future. 



Commercial Fertilizers. 



Commercial fertilizers have become 

 recognized as one of the most valuable 

 aids to the fruit grower as well as those 

 engaged in other lines of agriculture. 

 By their use new life is put into soils 

 that are deficient in some crop produc- 

 ing constituent and heavier, and better 

 quality yields are the result. A new 

 angle is brought out in the use of com- 

 mercial fertilizers in an article in this 

 issue by Prof. Thornber in his state- 

 ment that they are labor savers by tak- 

 ing the place of intensive tillage in se- 

 curing the maximum production. In 

 making this statement Prof. Thornber 

 pre-supposes that the fertilizer will be 

 intelligently applied and used on soils 

 that have been heavily cropped. 



The value of commercial fertilizers 

 is in their being used at the right time 

 in the right quantities and with the 

 same care and discrimination that 

 would be taken in using stable manure 

 or any other soil enriching material. 

 The benefits of standard brands of fer- 

 tilizers are unquestioned, it is simply a 

 case of knowing the condition of your 

 soil and plant life. 



The Fruit Box Supply. 

 Fruit growers and shippers are being 

 warned by the big lumber companies on 

 the Coast that unless they want to be 

 caught without a supply of boxes this 

 year they should place their orders 

 early. The statement is forthcoming 

 that the demand for lumber of all kinds 

 is so great and prices so high that the 

 supply of box material will be short. 

 At first glance this statement gives the 

 inference that the lumber companies 

 are preparing to gouge the grower, but 

 investigation shows that such is not the 

 case. A report from the Federal Re- 

 serve Bank in this district shows that 

 the car shortage, labor shortage and un- 

 filled orders for lumber is of such a 

 magnitude that the box output is a sec- 

 ondary consideration. The lumber com- 

 panies have stated that they will do 

 everything in their power to meet the 

 needs of the fruit grower and canning 

 industry, but in order to do so must be 

 given estimates for boxes early in the 

 season. As boxes are a vital need 

 to both the fruit grower and the can- 

 nery, it will be the part of wisdom to 

 heed the warning. 



TTie Western Fruit Jobbers are pre- 

 paring a publicity campaign to inform 

 the public that they are not a bunch of 

 crooks and that their business is car- 

 ried on on a legitimate basis. The fruit 

 jobbers, like those engaged in other 

 branches of business have suf- 

 fered from the odium of the few who 

 have been unscrupulous. There is a 

 concerted movement both in the East 

 and the West to drive this character of 

 dealer out of the business and his going 

 will be highly appreciated. 



March, ig20 



According to Frank T. Swett of the 

 California Pear Grower.s' Association, 

 the grower gets the dime from a can of 

 pears that sells for 60 cents and the- 

 canner, jobber and retailer gets the 

 other four-bits and yet none of the 

 handlers of this product receives an 

 inordinate profit. The question is how 

 long will consumption be maintained 

 at the already high and increasing 

 figures? 



A lesson is learned from the Okano- 

 gan fruit growers who quickly con- 

 structed a warehouse of baled hay to 

 save their apple crop from freezing. 

 Growers in other districts who may not 

 have baled hay, may have something 

 else which will serve the purpose in 

 case of an emergency. 



What the Newspapers Interested in 

 Fruit Are Saying. 



A recent bill introduced in Congress pro- 

 vides for standard hampers, splint baskets and 

 apple boxes. Thus the campaign for standard 

 containers goes on. In the course of time it is 

 probable that the dozens of different sizes and 

 styles of containers seen on any market will 

 be replaced by a few of standard size and 

 style. — The Packer. 



The tree doctor is again abroad in the land. 

 Reports are coming in from various sections 

 that men are going about the country doctor- 

 ing trees in various ways. These ways are 

 generally secret. Operations are performed on 

 trees, money collected for the cure that is sure 

 to follow and the doctor goes on his way, leav- 

 ing a hopeful but sure to be disappointed 

 owner in his wake. — Southern Ruralist. 



The light tractor is making good in our On- 

 tario orchards. It is only a couple of years 

 since the light tractor was first introduced into 

 Ontario as an experiment, but the past year 

 has seen a tremendous increase in the number 

 of these machines used on Ontario fruit farms. 

 Shortage of help with its attendant necessity 

 for greater accomplishments by the man power 

 available has paved the way for the tractor 

 and the low-down fast-working orchard imple- 

 ment. — Canadian Horticulturist. 



With proper care and attention, there is no 

 reason why budded and grafted trees will not 

 be as long-lived as old time varieties. The 

 earliest definite history of a grafted tree is a 

 Summer Boncreiien, from Europe, planted by 

 Governor Stuyvesant at New Amsterdam in 

 1647. The trunk of this tree remained standing 

 in New York City on the corner of Third Ave- 

 nue and Thirteenth Street until 1866, when it 

 was broken down by a dray running over it. 

 Here we had a grafted tree standing at the 

 ripe old age of 219 years. This seems to us 

 to prove that the longevity of a tree is not nec- 

 essarily determined by whether it is grafted or 

 or seedling. — British Columbia Farmer. 



Farmers' institutes provide a contact be- 

 tween men who are giving their lives to scien- 

 tific experiment, and the ordinary farmer, who 

 can not afford to take time and to give up land 

 for such purposes. The experiment station 

 may make a dozen unsuccessful trials, for one 

 that will work. But the one successful expe- 

 riment may show results which would raise 

 the production of some staple far above exist- 

 ing standards. It will pay the farmers to sac- 

 rifice some valuable time to attend these meet- 

 ings. Information is contstantly being given 

 out that will raise agriculture to a more pro- 

 fitable level. — Toppenish (Wash.) Tribune. 



TO OUR READERS 



If you have a short story or 

 have had an experience that you 

 think will be of practical interest 

 or value to the fruitgrower, send 

 it to Better Fruit. If you have a 

 photograph to illustrate your idea 

 or story send that too. 



