Page 28 



BETTER FRUIT 



I 



April 



The Fruit Industry of the Pacific Northwest 



By C. I. Lewis, Chief, Division of Horticulture, Oregorx Agricultural College 



THE fruit industry of the Pacific 

 Northwest is just entering a new era 

 of prosperity, a new era of planting. 

 Not for ten years have we planted as 

 we have the past year, or contemplate 

 planting the coming year. It is true 

 that this planting is of a new type. Ten 

 or fifteen years ago we were all plant- 

 ing apples, almost apples exclusively. 

 Today, our planting is very diversified. 

 Italian prunes, Bartlett years, fall 

 pears, berries of all kinds such as 

 strawberries, red raspberries, black 

 caps, evergreen blackberries, logan- 

 berries, English walnuts and filberts 

 are being planted in very large quanti- 

 ties. Occasionally also there is an 



apple plantation and a limited planting 

 of such fruits as the cherry and peach. 

 The horticultural products plants 

 have been passing through a phe- 

 nomenal development. In fact, they 

 had developed up to the point where 

 the great crying need of our canneries, 

 evaporators and other plants is for 

 more tonnage — in fact, some of these 

 plants must have more tonnage and 

 more local support or they will have to 

 go out of business. It is encouraging 

 to note that the people as a whole are 

 showing more interest in the possibili- 

 ties of growing products for our can- 

 neries and similar plants. This spring 

 large acreage is being contracted on the 

 basis of one to ten years, which would 



hasn't forgotten- 



No need to tie a string 'round /its finger 

 to remind him of Ghirardelli's Ground 

 Chocolate — for that's one good thing he 

 never forgets. 



Nothing more delicious or more nutri- 

 tious! And nothing quite so handy! A 

 hundred uses in every can — always keep 

 a can on hand! 



Ask for Ghirardelli's by name — and see 

 that you get it. In '/z lb., i lb. and 3 lb. cans 

 — wherever you do your trading. 



Say ^^Gear-ar-deiiy 



Since 1852 



D. GHIRARDELLI CO. 



Francisco 



Ghirardelli 's 



Ground Chocolate 



auWUB 



seem to indicate a rather permanent 

 and healthy situation. 



Of course, one cannot talk about the 

 fruit industry of the Pacific Northwest 

 without mentioning the apple, which is 

 our biggest horticultural asset at the 

 present time. It is true that the apple 

 acreage has shrunk considerably, but 

 we must bear in mind that a large per- 

 centage of this acreage was of such a 

 character that it never should have 

 been planted in the first place. Acreage 

 which was on poor soil, continued 

 wrong varieties, was neglected from 

 the start, etc., which never would have 

 figured commercially. Although this 

 had a discouraging influence on the 

 industry during the dark days, 1911 to 

 1915, the Northwest has built an inter- 

 national reputation with certain varie- 

 ties. This market is established and 

 will continue to demand these varieties 

 which we can grow as no others can 

 produce them. The apple industry is 

 well on its feet. What it needs now is 

 good facilities for growing and handling 

 and avoidance on the part of the grow- 

 ers of agitation or innovations which 

 may question the future of the industry. 



The price outlook is good, although 

 no one can predict what may happen in 

 the next few years. It is well to note, 

 though, that without the European mar- 

 ket the past few years we have done 

 wonderfully well. European acreage 

 has been greatly reduced and we will 

 certainly find a market in Europe for a 

 large percentage of our tonnage. Many 

 new markets have been developed here 

 at home. All these signs are good and 

 augur well for the future. 



As I see it, the Pacific Northwest hor- 

 ticulture has several distinct horticul- 

 tural problems at the present time. 

 The first one I would state would be to 

 support in a better way the horticul- 

 tural products plants which we have 

 established. Second, the establishment 

 of a good, generous advertising fund to 

 advertise the fruit and fruit products 

 of the Pacific Northwest. It is true that 

 we have done something along such 

 lines as the "Skookum," "Rosy Apple," 

 "Y Brand," "Loju," "Phez," etc., but 

 these after all are mere drops in the 

 bucket to what the Pacific Northwest 

 should do. We can take a profitable 

 page of experience from California 

 along these lines. Third, we need a 

 campaign of education to bring to the 

 people the real realization of the value 

 of fruit as a food. Not a mere tonic, 

 not something which "take today will 

 keep the doctor away," but we should 

 educate the people up to the real value 

 of our products as food. This we have 

 neglected to do. The fourth problem as 

 I see it at this time, is a co-operative 

 movement to establish steamship lines 

 operated from Pacific Coast points to 

 European and other markets. Thus we 

 would be taking advantage of the 

 Panama Canal, would save expenses in 

 placing our products in foreign mar- 

 kets, and would be able to handle our 

 products to better advantage. This 

 movement must be the result of co- 

 operation between the various lines of 

 horticultural endeavor such as the 



