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BETTER FRUIT 



Page 9 



shape and the winter has been so mild 

 that there has been no damage whatever 

 apparent in the orchards. 



The high prices that prevailed last 

 year has encouraged the growers and 

 the interest in fruit growing is again 

 reviving. Many of the orchards that 

 have been neglected, more or less, for 

 the past few seasons are being taken 

 care of and put in shape for profitable 

 production. 



Orchard work at this time is pro- 

 gressing nicely. Much of the pruning 

 has already been done and the growers 

 are beginning to prepare for the appli- 

 cation of the dormant spray for blister- 

 mite and scale. 



If the crop is not injured by frosts 

 during the blooming season, Montana 

 should market this season between four 

 and five hundred cars of apples. The 

 fruit produced in the home orchards 

 and for the local markets will about 

 equal the amount of commercial fruit. 



Fruit other than apples is also look- 

 ing fine. The cherry and plum crop, 

 while not large, promises to be good. 



The Bitter Root valley, the Missoula 

 valley and the Flathead Lake region are 

 the most important commercial fruit- 

 producing regions in the state. There 

 is some planting of new orchards this 

 year, though none of the new plantings 

 are likely to be of large proportions. 

 A. L. STRAUSZ, 

 State Horticulturist. 



Washington Apple-Crop Prospects 



Olympia, March 20. 

 Better Fruit: 



1918 goes down into history as being 

 the most profitable year ever expe- 

 rienced by the fruit growers of Wash- 

 ington. 



The outlook for the coming crop of 

 Washington was never brighter than at 

 present. The 1918 crop was not abnor- 

 mal in any way. The stone fruits were 

 injured by spring frosts so that the 

 crop was short. These conditions, ac- 

 companied by favorable weather, per- 

 mitted the trees to develop a strong, 

 heavy setting of buds for the 1919 crop. 

 The trees went into the winter in an 

 ideal condition. The winter weather 

 thus far has been very favorable, and if 

 the blooming periods are not accom- 

 panied by frosts we have reason to 

 expect a bumper crop of all fruits in 

 1919. Never in the history of the 

 orchard development in the Northwest 

 has Washington fruit averaged the 

 prices that has been paid for the 1918 

 crop. 



The state output of apples was ap- 

 proximately 1800 cars, which brought 

 up to February 25 an average f.o.b. 

 price of: 



In Wenatchee— 



Extra Fancv $2.10 per box 



Fancy 1.83 



C Grade 1.53 



In Yakima — 



Extra Fancy $2.02 per box 



Fancv 1.80 



C Grade 1.58 



Including the four Northwest Stales — 



Extra Fancy $2.03 per box 



Fancy 1.86 



C Grade 1.51 



Since that time the average has been, 

 in Wenatchee, $3.09, $2.80 and $2.39; in 

 Yakima, .$2.91, $2.72 and $2.69; and to- 

 day offerings of $4 are being refused. 

 This has stimulated activities in the 

 sale of fruit lands and some valuable 

 transfers are being made in the leading 

 districts. This condition has encour- 

 aged the growers to the extent that 100 

 Bean power sprayers have been sold in 

 Yakima and more carloads ordered 

 which cannot be filled by the factory. 

 Other sections and other concerns are 

 reporting the same conditions. The 

 lack of thoroughness in the spraying 



operations of 1918 was an expensive 

 lesson, and the growers are exerting an 

 extra effort to get trees better pruned 

 so that they can do a thorough job of 

 spraying this spring, and reduce the 

 percentage of cull apples. 



M. L. DEAN, 

 State Horticultural Inspector. 



The cannery of the Gresham Fruit 

 Growers' Association at Gresham, Ore- 

 gon, has been leased for a term of four 

 years by A. Rupert & Co. The pack 

 will be principally berries, cherries, 

 pears and vegetables. 



Illustration Showing Bees m Connection willi Orcliarding. 



Value of Bees in Relation to Fruit Growing 



By Luke Powell, District Horticultural Inspector, Prosser, Washington 



A GREAT many of our valuable fruits 

 are sterile, or, in other words, non- 

 productive unless they are pollenized 

 by other fruits of the same variety. 

 Ninety-nine per cent of the pollen is 

 carried by the insects, and it is a safe 

 estimate that seventy-five per cent is 

 carried by the busy little honey bee. 

 Thus the value of the honey bee to the 

 fruit grower is beyond estimation, be- 

 cause without it many of your fruit 

 trees would not bear sufficient crop to 

 warrant the spraying and care of them. 

 Not only does the bee scatter the pollen 

 but it gathers the nectar that would 

 otherwise go to waste and makes it into 

 honey, which is a valuable farm pro- 

 duct; therefore, it has a distributive as 

 well as a productive value. 



Now for a fruit grower to be a suc- 

 cess in raising fruit he must understand 

 the growing and care of it. The same 

 applies to fruit growers who have bees 

 and expect to get results from them. 

 First study and learn all you can about 

 caring for them. Second, don't put your 

 bee stands out in the orchard under 

 the trees. Why? Because it is too cool 

 and damp for them. For bees to do 

 good work the temperature of the hive 

 on the inside should be about 90 de- 

 grees. The professional bee men keep 

 their bees out where they can get plenty 

 of good, warm, spring sunshine. The 

 trees where the hives are are never 



well sprayed. The bees object and the 

 man spraying naturally sustains the 

 objection. There are more scale and 

 worms on these trees than any of the 

 others in the orchard. 



Therefore, if you have your bees 

 around under the trees, move them out 

 at once, where they can do better work. 

 They will scatter more pollen and in- 

 crease their production of honey. 



UfontAfl I Horticulturist — one who 

 fflQlllvUi has had experience in 

 pruning, spraying, irrigation and pack- 

 ing fruit. Please state full experience in 

 first letter. 



Horticulturist, care Better Fruit 



The Old Reliable 



BELL & CO. 



Incorporatad 



WHOLESALE 



Fruits and Produce 



112-114 Front Street 

 PORTLAND, OREGON 



