^9^6 BETTER FRUIT 



Fruit Crop Estimate August 1, 1916 



[Office of Information, U. S. Department of Agriculture.] 



Page 19 



Apples — Apple prospects improved 

 more or less during July in the Atlantic 

 Coast states, also in the Pacific Coast 

 states, but declines in nearly all the 

 Central states, the decline being due 

 largely to the dry hot weather. The 

 August 1 forecast for the entire United 

 States is 71,r)(l(),(l(IO barrels, which com- 

 pares with an estimated production last 

 year of /(i, 7(10,0(10 barrels and in the 

 preceding five years a vearly average of 

 (id.OdO.OOO barrels. Thus the crop as a 

 whole will probably be smaller than 

 last year's big crop, but somewhat 

 larger than an average crop. Condi- 

 tions vary, however, in different sec- 

 tions. In the New England states 4,864,- 

 000 barrels are forecast, compared with 

 2,852,000 last year. Baldwins are re- 

 ported to be short, however. In New 

 York the forecast is 12,002,000 barrels, 

 compared with 8,528,000 last year, and 

 in Pennsylvania 6,562,000, compared 

 with 5,085,000 last year. It thus ap- 

 pears tliat the North Atlantic states will 

 have materially more apples than last 

 year; slightly more are also indicated 

 in Maryland, West Virginia and North 

 Carolina. In Virginia, however, the 

 forecast of 4,180,000 is slightly less than 

 last >ear's crop of 4,303,000 barrels. In 

 all the Central states except Michigan 

 the forecast is for smaller ^■ields than 

 last year; Ohio 4,028,000 barrels, com- 

 pared with 5,084,000; Indiana 1,867,000, 

 compared with 3,883,000; Illinois 1,921,- 

 000, compared with 4,71(),000; Iowa 

 1,71.5,000, compared with 3,225,000; Mis- 

 souri 3,520,000, compared with 6,287,- 

 000; Kentuckv 2,656,000, compared with 

 4,170,000; Arkansas 1,143,000, compared 

 with 1,183,000. In Michigan, however, 

 the forecast is an increase, being 4,810,- 

 000, compared with 3,150,000. Also in 

 the Pacific Northwest the forecast is 

 for larger yields than last year, except 

 in Idaho. 



Next month the Bureau of Crop Esti- 

 mates will forecast the production of 

 the more important varieties of apples 

 this year. 



Peaches — A short crop of peaches is 

 indicated by conditions on August 1, 

 the forecast of production being only 

 40.300,000 bushels, compared with an 

 estimated production of 63,500,000 bush- 

 els last year and 43,800,000, the average 

 of the preceding live years. The crop 

 is shorter than last year in every im- 

 portant producing state except Indiana 

 and Illinois. The shortage is relatively 

 greater in the Southern states than in 

 the Northern states. Thus the August 1 

 forecast and last year's estimated pro- 

 duction, respectively, in important 

 states, are: (ieorgia, 3,711,000 bushels 

 and 5,330,000 bushels; Alabaina, 1,365,- 

 000 and 2,640,000; North Carolina 1,081,- 

 000 and 1,!).55,0(I0; Tennessee. 1,330,000 

 and 2,160,000; Arkansas, 2,018.000 and 

 5.040.(100; Missouri, 1,320,000 and 3.300,- 

 000; Kentucky, 1,238,0(10 and 1,320,000; 

 Illinois. 1,132,000 and 871,000; Michigan, 

 2,0()5,(I00 and 2,.360,00(l; New York, 

 1,350,000 and 2,106,000. 



Grapes — Crops show a decline of 

 about 2 per cent to an August 1 condi- 

 tion of 80.8, being an improvement of 1 

 in New York, a decline of 3 in Penn- 

 sylvania, a decline of 10 down to 75 per 

 cent in Michigan, with condition still 

 lower in the commercial belt, and aver- 

 age declines of 5 to 10 in other North 

 Central states. The California condi- 

 tion declined from 83 to 82. The pres- 

 ent average for the United States is 

 80.8. 4 below the ten-year average and 

 4.5 below last year at this date. 



Pears — Pears show a condition of 59 

 on August 1, compared with 60.8 on 

 July 1, being now 2.2 below the ten- 

 year average, and 3 below last year's 

 condition on this date. The crop in 

 New York is the same. In the other 

 Central Atlantic states it is somewhat 

 lower. In the North Central group east 

 of the Mississippi conditions have fallen 

 off from an average of 63.4 to a present 

 condition of 56.6. In the .Southern states 

 they have slightly declined, while in 

 California a slight improvement is 

 recorded. 



Zerolene at ttie Front. 



The local Standard Oil agent recently 

 received from J. E. Balsley, district 

 sales manager of the Standard Oil 

 Company at Phoenix, a report on the 

 operation of the government automo- 

 biles and trucks along the Mexican 

 border. 



"A great many of these machines," 

 writes Mr. Balsley, "are being lubri- 

 cated with Zerolene oil. The intense 

 heat and great amount of low gear 

 work necessary in the sand make per- 

 haps the best test possible of a motor 

 oil. I am glad to report that Zerolene 

 is doing the work in fine shape. Due 

 to its asphalt-base origin, it keeps its 

 lubricating value under the most trying 

 heat conditions, and none of the ma- 

 chines have been at all bothered with 

 carbon deposits in the cylinders." 



Watson-viilf., July 11, 191fi. 

 Editor Th'tter Fiiiil: 



While in Hood River recently I discussed 

 with you the question of the restriction of the 

 shipment of flisease-infested fi-uit to tlie mar- 

 kets of California. You told uie, if you re- 

 member, that you woulti be s'ad to assist as 

 far as possible, esijccinlly in the matter of a 

 bitterness of feeling -which I encoimtered in 

 certain sections. 



This feelinff of resentment is, no doubt, due 

 to a nnsunderstanding of the real attitude of 

 the (lalifoi-nia growers. It seems to be the 

 general impression in some places that we are 

 attempting to exclude all grades of apples. 

 This is not the ease. CaliffU'uia is a splendid 

 market for the belter fiualily of fruit from the 

 Noi'thwest and there is n<^ intention rtr liesiie 

 to interfere in any way with this legitimate 

 business, but we (lo object, and iighl>'. to the 

 dumping of a certain grade of apples which 

 were shipped in last season under various 

 names to disguise the real one — culls. These 

 came here in all sorts of containers, crates, 

 sacks, and. I regret to say, in many instances 

 in standard boxes, with disastrous results not 

 only lo the orrhardists here but lo your own 

 as well. 



11 should nf)l retpiii-e a great deal of argu- 

 ment lo convince the shippers of Oregon and 

 Washinglon of Ihe lolly <if a repetition of last 

 yeai-'s shipnuMit of infei-i<n- fruit. 



I'rom a financial standpoint it was certainly 

 not a success. Tbc prices received for a great 

 deal of it wrtuld not pay the cost of handling. 



No Chicken Mites or Lice 



ONLY USE MY DEVICE 



Plans 50c 



WILLIS BRADLEY, Hood River, Oregon 



PORTLAND WHOLESALE NURSERY COMPANY 



RoomB 6 & 7, I22'2 Grand Ave., Portland. Oregron 



"Wholesalers of Nursery Stock and Nursery Supplies 



A very complete line of 



Fruit and Ornamental Trees, Shrubs, Vines. Etc. 



SPECIALTIES 



Clean Coast Grown Seedlinpe 



Oregon Champion Gooseberriea and 



Write Now Perfection Currants Write Now 



Things We Are 

 Agents for 



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Buffum & Pendleton 



311 Morrison Street 

 PORTLAND, OREGON 



and, ill most instances, as far as rotiirns are 

 concerned, the srower had ninch belter have 

 thrown his culls in the river. The average 

 price of cull apples from the Northwest, I am 

 creditably informed, ^vas 70 cents to the re- 

 tailer here. Deduct cost of packing, commis- 

 sions, freight, etc., and what could the grower 

 receive? 



Every car of culls took the place of a car of 

 good apples from which some profit might 

 have been derived, and tlie mere fact of the 

 offering of large quantities of inferior slock at 

 ridiculously low figures had a great tendency 

 to cause a slump in the prices obtainable for 

 the better grades. 



Aside from the above, there is another rea- 

 son why our most progi-essive fruit men object 

 to the shipment of inferior apples. California 

 is, as you know, endeavoring to standardize 

 the packing of all fruit, but we cannot ask our 

 own people to refrain from marketing infested 

 grades as long as we permit tlie orchardists of 

 other sections to send them here and sell, we 

 might say, at their very doors. 



The reputation nf the pack, which your lead- 

 ing sliippers have worked so liard to establish, 

 was certainly not enhanced by the action of 

 some of them last season. 



With these fads before you I trust you will 

 see your way clear to making editorial com- 

 ment upon the situation, to the end that we 

 may secure Ihe active co-operation of the 

 growers and shippers of Oregon and Washing- 

 ton in our effort to maintain the standard of 

 our local markets. 



With kindest personal regards, 



Very respectfully, 

 A. W. Tate, Jr., Chief Inspector. 



Portland, Oregon, July 3. 1916. 

 Editor Tivllcr Fruit: 



In the June issue of "Better Fruit," on pages 

 2') an<i '2{'u you Iiave an article entitled. "Where 

 Ihe Names Come l''roni." and 1 want to draw 

 your atti-ntion t<i a few nnstakes regarding the 

 names of sonu- of (lie fruits originating in 

 Germany. 



Gooseberries - Wc have in Germany red and 

 yellow gooseberries, and they arc called rothe 

 niul gelbe stacheibeeren. They are not called 

 Johainiisbecren; in fact, they are currants. 



Curiants--Wc have red and black currants 

 calle<l rolhe und sihwar/e Joliannisbeeren. 



Haspbcrries- We have in Germany red and 

 yellow raspberries called rolhe und gelbe Him- 

 i)eeren. also Beerc der Ilindin. 



Trusting this may be of interest to you, I am. 

 Yours respectfully. 



C. R. Greisen. 



