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BETTER FRUIT 



An Illustrated Magazine Devoted to the Interests 



of Modern Kruit Growing and Marketing. 



Published Monthly 



by 



Better Fruit Publishing Company 



•107 LumhtT Exchange 

 PORTLA>,'D, OHEGON 



Crop Estimates for 1918— The out- 

 look for tlie 1918 npi)Ie crop in the 

 United States, as reported July 1st by 

 the United States Depatment of Agri- 

 culture, Bureau of Crop Estimates, is 

 64.8, in comparison of a ten-year aver- 

 age of 68.2. The report shows a con- 

 siderable decrease over the June esti- 

 mate, hut this year's croi) promises to 

 be about l.'i per cent higher than last 

 year, which is due largely to a good 

 crop in New York. The apple crop in 

 the West will be considerably smaller, 

 estimated at about 5,000 cars less, which 

 is due to the fact that Idaho will prob- 

 ably not have over 700 cars as com- 

 pared to 3,500 cars last year. Idaho 

 suffered severely from frosts in May. 

 Washington normally produces more 

 than half of the Northwestern box 

 apples, and at the present lime their 

 output is estimated at 17,000 cars, com- 

 pared to 18,500 last year. Wenatchee 

 has prospects for a splendid crop of 

 apples. In Yakima the crop will be 

 somewhat less than last year, but in 

 both Wenatchee and Yakima the quality 

 is very fine. Estimates differ in Hood 

 River Valley from 1,200 to 1,500 cars. 

 A light crop is predicted for other parts 

 of Oregon. The crop in Montana is 

 estimated at about 60 per cent of a full 

 commercial crop. Last year the com- 

 mercial crop of apples in the Northwest 

 amounted to 23,000 cars. With a good 

 growing season for the next few weeks 

 the increased size of the apples will 

 in all probability increase the present 

 estimate. 



One of the most important bulletins 



recently published is Farmers' Bulletin 

 No. 984, "Farm and Home Drying of 

 Fruits and Vegetables." It explains 

 how to dry fruits and vegetables with 

 and without artificial heat, with illus- 

 trations of home-made cook - stove 

 driers, and also deals with community 

 drying plants. The drying of fruits and 

 vegetables is a very important means 

 of preventing a loss of perishable foods, 

 and every fruit grower should use these 

 means of conserving. Copies of this 

 bulletin can be obtained from the 

 Division of Publications, United States 

 Department of Agriculture, Washing- 

 ton, D. C. In writing for this be sure 

 to give the number and enclose two- 

 cent stamp. 



The International Apple Shippers' 

 Association will hold their twenty- 

 fourth annual convention in Philadel- 

 phia, August 14, 15 and 16. The attend- 

 ance promises to be very large, and the 

 sessions will be of unusual importance. 

 Because of the unsettled conditions 

 many important questions will come up 

 for consideration and every man con- 

 nected with the fruit industry should 

 plan to attend this meeting. 



BETTER FRUIT 



New Sugar Regulations. — Restrictions 



on the use ol sugar by manufacturers 

 are drawn niuch tighter by the new 

 I'ood Adminislration regulations which 

 became effeclive July 1. It is hoped 

 that through liicse measures a scarcity 

 of sugar foi- home consumption \\'\\\ be 

 avoided. In reducing the amount 

 allowed manufacturers the Food Ad- 

 ministration expects the nation as a 

 whole to go on a three-pound-per- 

 capita-monthly ration. The less essen- 

 tial manufactured products, since July 

 1st, are allowed but 50 per cent of the 

 normal sugar requirements. Because of 

 lack of shipping and a decrease in the 

 amount of sugar expected from Cuba a 

 shortage of sugar is hardly to be 

 avoided and everyone must conserve in 

 every way possible. Many housewives 

 are canning fruit without sugar, which 

 is proving very successful. Others are 

 using corn syrups for certain fruits. 

 Corn syrup will not do with all fruits, 

 but for some varieties it is found to be 

 an improvement over granulated sugar. 

 Many fruit growers keep bees, and 

 some most delicious preserves are made 

 with honey. By using substitutes for 

 sugar the housewife will be able to fill 

 her pantry shelf with many additional 

 bottles of preserves than if she depends 

 entirely on granulated sugar. 



Fourth Liberty Loan. — Mr. D. O. 



Lively, Director of the Agricultural 

 Division of the Twelth Federal Reserve 

 District, is sending out an appeal re- 

 questing everyone to save for the 

 Fourth Liberty Loan. From all indi- 

 cations the Fourth Liberty Loan, which 

 comes in October, will be the largest; 

 the amount we are asked to make up is 

 56,000,000,000, which is double any pre- 

 vious Liberty Loan. We are not asked 

 to give this money — we simply loan it 

 at a good rate of interest, and every 

 dollar invested in Liberty Loans is a 

 help toward winning the war. Every 

 appeal made for funds has been over- 

 subscribed, and with abundant crops 

 and splendid prices the fruit growers 

 and farmers are urged to put aside as 

 much as they can possibly spare to 

 swell the subscriptions to the Fourth 

 Liberty Loan. 



Box Strapping. — Every year the 

 Northwest fruit industry suffers a 

 serious loss from broken packages, and 

 it seems something should be done to 

 avoid this loss. Box strapping has been 

 used in some districts with wonderful 

 success, and there is no question that 

 if the growers of the Northwest will 

 use it more that considerable fruit will 

 be saved. Box strapping is being used 

 very extensively for many other com- 

 modities, and saving the shippers heavy 

 losses. 



Fear is expressed that fruit growers 

 will suffer a serious shortage of boxes 

 this year. Growers are urged to use 

 baskets wherever it is possible, and 

 while they are perhaps not so easy for 

 storing, if the bushel baskets with the 

 cover are used they will be found very 

 satisfactory and save the boxes for the 

 higher grades, r 



August 



Spraying for Codling Moth. — In this 



issue appears elsewhere an article by 

 Professor Childs on "The Codling Moth 

 Situation." This is particularly timely 

 at this time of year. During the months 

 of August and September fruit growers 

 in many districts will be spraying for 

 codling moth. Evey grower must study 

 his conditions and decide how many 

 applications of arsenate of lead it is 

 necessary to apply. Codling-moth dam- 

 age has been very severe in some dis- 

 tricts this year and growers should give 

 this matter jirompt attention, sparing 

 no reasonable expense to produce a 

 clean crop. 



Value of Nitrate of Soda. — There are 



many fruit growers who do not fully 

 appreciate the value of nitrate of soda. 

 Used excessively it is injurious, but if 

 a fruit grower is in doubt as to the 

 amount to use it will be well to consult 

 the Expeiment Station or someone of 

 authority. Nitrate of soda contains 

 about 15% per cent of nitrogen in the 

 nitrate form, which plants take up very 

 quickly. 



New Flour-Milling Regulations 

 With the end of the milling year on 

 July 1, the Food Administration re- 

 views conditions which have prevailed 

 in the flour-milling industry and also 

 announces new regulations to be put 

 in effect. Under the original regula- 

 tions, the millers were allowed a maxi- 

 mum gross profit of 25 cents per barrel, 

 based on their annual business. The 

 business is recognized to be a seasonal 

 one and cannot be judged on profits 

 determined upon a few months' opera- 

 tions, nor can annual profits always be 

 accurately forecast at the beginning. 

 Millers finding themselves at the end of 

 the fiscal year with an amount in excess 

 of 25 cents a barrel profit have been 

 notified that they release themselves 

 from the difficulty by selling a sufficient 

 amount of flour at a nominal price to 

 the Food Administration to liquidate 

 any such surplus profit. Millers' ac- 

 counts are audited by representatives 

 of the Enforcement Division of the 

 Food Administration. Under the new 

 plan of mill regulation now being or- 

 ganized trade will be free but profits 

 closely limited. Speculation will not be 

 permitted, but no limitations are placed 

 upon the freedom of flour mills or 

 traders to buy or sell in any market. 

 The mills are, however, under restric- 

 tions to reflect the Government price 

 within the profit limitations upon flour. 

 The whole plan has been approved by 

 the Agricultural Advisory Committee, 

 the board of 24 members which confers 

 with the Food Administration on mat- 

 ters affecting producers. 



Our men in the trenches and in the 

 submarine chasers are doing their part. 

 Are you doing your part? Buy War 

 Savings Stamps to your utmost capacity. 



The Sebastapol Apple Growers' Union 

 shipped their first car of Gravensteins 

 the 15th day of July. 



