Page 24 



BETTER FRUIT 



March 



BETTER FRUIT 



An IlUislratod Magnzinc r)cv<it('<l to the Interests 



of Modern Fruit (irowing and Marketing. 



Publislied Monthly 



by 



Better Fruit Publishing Company 



407 Lumhcr Exchange 

 PORTLAND, OREGON 



The Outlook for 1919.— Already some 

 fruit growers nre becoming agitated 

 over the bumper crop that is predicted 

 for 1919. The 1918 crop brought high 

 prices — in fact higher tlian for several 

 years in the past, and the industry is in 

 a most stimulated condition. Fruit 

 growers were never so ijrosperous, and 

 never before was the outlook so rosy. 

 The fruit industry has been through the 

 fire and many growers have suffered 

 severe losses, but good crops and high 

 prices for the past two years has 

 shown the growers what a wonderful 

 future there is in store. The fruit 

 grower will spare no expense to pro- 

 duce a clean crop of apples. But there 

 are some who are pessimistic and are 

 taking into consideration the fact that 

 many orchards planted just before the 

 slump are now coming into bearing, 

 and with this increase the demand for 

 apples will not be so keen and prices 

 will be low. It will be remembered 

 several years ago statistics were com- 

 piled by some men connected with the 

 railroads showing the number of acres 

 planted to apples. They figured the last 

 year of heavy planting was in 1912 — 

 this would mean that practically all of 

 the commercial orchards in the North- 

 west would reach bearing age in 1920. 

 A conservative number of boxes was 

 allowed per acre, and their statistics 

 showed that in 1920 there would be 

 shipped from the Northwest about 

 1.50,000 cars of apples. 



1912 was the first year of low prices, 

 and we all know the result. Many grow- 

 ers who had young orchards left their 

 places and the orchards were neglected 

 and later dug up. Many promotion 

 companies who had planted large tracts 

 were forced to give up their plans. 

 Many orchards were planted in districts 

 entirely unsuitable for apples and the 

 result is the tonnage in 1918 was not 

 as large as 1917 by a few thousand cars, 

 which is evidence that the increasing 

 acreage coming into bearing has not in- 

 creased the production of apples. From 

 Europe comes the cry for more apples, 

 and many districts are reporting their 

 crop entirely sold, of which probably 

 90 per cent has been consumed in the 

 United States. The demand for Ameri- 

 can apples in Europe will be very 

 strong for the next few years. Many of 

 their orchards have been entirely de- 

 stroyed — others have been neglected 

 because of lack of spray material and 

 labor to do the work, so that the bear- 

 ing acreage in Europe is very much 

 depleted. There Is no reason why fruit 

 growers of the Northwest should cross 

 a bridge before they come to it. 



It is the opinion of Better Fruit that 

 no estimate should be given out until 

 after the June drop. Many districts give 

 out estimates at blossoming time. A 

 few years ago the writer remembers 



very heavy rains occuring during blos- 

 soming lime, which materially injured 

 the set. Some orchards show a splen- 

 did 'set before liie June drop, and have 

 produced only .'JO per cent of a crop. 

 And even after the June drop it is im- 

 possible to estimate the commercial 

 apples that will be shipped, due to the 

 fact that heavy losses may occur after 

 that time from scab and codling moth, 

 which during some years has meant a 

 loss of 30 per cent of the commercial 

 fruit. So it is our advice to go slow on 

 giving out estimates of the crop of the 

 Northwest until the apples are half 

 grown, and it is not a case of guess 

 work. Tile writer does not mean that 

 we should not be fully prepared to take 

 care of a bumper crop should it come, 

 but judgment should be used about 

 giving any figure on estimates too early 

 in the year. 



HE'S TAKIN' "BETTER FRUIT" 



Summer's comin' and insects, too, and codlin 



moth to boot ; 

 But say, I ain't \\orryin' none, for I'm takin' 



Better Fhuit. 



Last year them bugs was awful bad, but now 



they've had to scoot; 

 I'm wised up now — know what to do — been 



readin' Better Fruit. 



I uster think this sprayin' talk — like many 



ernother galoot. 

 Was mostly wind; but say, it ain't; found out 



in Better Fruit. 



See them trees; don't they look fine, from tip- 

 top branch to root? 



You bet they do; no bugs nor scale; sprayed 

 by rules of Better Fruit. 



This magazine is helpin' me; its horn I plumb 



must toot, 

 For things is comin' my way now on account 



of Better Fruit. 



My crop 'II pay me well this year — in fact, I'll 

 have the loot. 



No use to explain — you know the rest — Sub- 

 scribe TO Better Fruit. 



W. H. Walton. 



THE OUTLOOK 



The fruit outlook for 1919 in the 

 Pacific Northwest is indeed bright. 

 Last season was a banner year for 

 prices and good average sales were ob- 

 tained from both large and small fruits. 

 As a result, this year finds a greater in- 

 terest being taken in fruit production 

 than has been seen for many years. 

 By-product factories are being estab- 

 lished in dilTerent fruit sections. New 

 canneries are in course of construction 

 in many sections and the industry, as a 

 whole, is coming to the front on a 

 sound basis. 



The returns from fruit districts of 

 the Northwest last year ran into many 

 millions of dollars, with profitable 

 returns to the growers. We cannot help 

 commenting at this time on the fact 

 that those fruit growers who carried 

 on their work intelligently through 

 those trying years of the past have 

 won out. Many of these men have made 

 apples, pears, prunes or nuts their 

 leaders, others small fruit, but the suc- 

 cessful ones have looked for leaders 

 and made that business pay good divi- 

 dends, taken one year with another. 



The market problem is an important 

 one, but it is not the only one to be 

 considered. Successful fruit growing 

 means a combination of all of the 

 factors in the business — just as the war 



was won, not by any one factor, but by 

 all working together. To build a mar- 

 ket, tliere must first l)e a first-class 

 article offered. Good fruit, properly 

 graded, will top the market just as first- 

 class animals top the live-stock market, 

 and so good cultivation, spraying, good 

 varieties, proper grading, standard 

 icing of cars, good packages, all con- 

 triinite to the profit in the business. 



Bi;tter Fruit in the past set the 

 standard for a guaranteed pack and 

 established a reputation for Northwest 

 fruit products that must be maintained 

 in the years to follow. By communities 

 co-operating together for better fruit, 

 better grades and better markets, the 

 outlook for the 1919 crop in the North- 

 west is flattering. We want to help our 

 readers in every way possible, and we 

 can only do this by all pulling together 

 in the solution of those problems in 

 which all are vitally concerned. 



Reduction of Apple Rates on Export 

 Shipments. — A reduction in freight 

 rates to Great Britain has been made by 

 the North Atlantic Conference Lines of 

 66 per cent. This will mean that the 

 freight to European markets on a bar- 

 rel of apples is reduced from .$5 to $3, 

 and on a box of apples from $1.25 to 85 

 cents. The demand for apples is very 

 keen on the English markets and buy- 

 ers are finding it impossible to meet the 

 demand. It is expected the export trade 

 will assume enormous proportions dur- 

 ing the coming season. 



An old pear tree was recently cut 

 down for firewood in Virginia, having 

 passed the bearing age, that was known 

 to be more than two hundred years old. 

 A few years ago thirty bushels of pears 

 of excellent quality were gathered from 

 this tree, but it began to show the de- 

 bilitating effects of old age, and would 

 probably soon have fallen. 



Several bearing orchards in the We- 

 natcbee district have recently been dis- 

 posed of at a figure around $1,000 per 

 acre. 



About $16,000 will be spent for new 

 warehouses this season in Yakima, 

 Selah and Henrybro by the Growers' 

 Service Company, which is ready to 

 start work on the addition to its local 

 warehouse as soon as arrangements 

 with the O.-W. R. & N. Company, from 

 which it leases the land, are completed. 

 The improvements here will double the 

 capacity of the present warehouse, 

 which is about 200 carloads, at a cost 

 of $4,000 to $5,000. 



A deal is now pending for the sale of 

 the present Selah warehouse and plans 

 are completed for building a new ware- 

 house of treble the 150-carload capacity 

 of the old one. Bids on the work are 

 now being awaited and work will start 

 as soon as they are awarded. The build- 

 ing will be of frame construction, in- 

 sulated with mill .shavings. At Henry- 

 bro an addition to the present frame 

 warehouse will be built to double its 

 present capacity of 100 carloads, giving 

 the company total storage space foi' 

 1,050 carloads of fruit. 



