Page 14 



BETTER FRUIT 



Scpicuihcv 



BETTER FRUIT 



HOOD RIVER, OREGON 



Oftidal Organ of The Xurthwest Fruit Growers' A.ssooialioii 

 A Monthly Illustrated Magazine Published in the 

 Interest of Modern Fniit Growing and Marketing 



All Communications Should Be Addressed and Remittances 

 Made Payable to 



Better Fruit Publishing Company 



E. H. SIIEPAHD. Erliltir and riil.llsli.T 



STATE ASSOCIATE EDITORS 



OREGON 



C. I. Lems. Hort icultiirist CoiTallis 



WASHINGTON 



Pr. A. L. Melancler. Entomologist Pullman 



O. M. jrorris. Horticulturist '. Pullman 



W. S. Tliornber. Horticulturist Pullman 



COLORADO 



C. P. Gillette. Director and Entomoloffi5t Fort Collins 



E. B. House. Chief of Department of Civil and Inigation 



Entiiiieering. State Agricultural College Fort Collins 



E. P. Taylor. Horticulturist Grand Junction 



UTAH 



Dr. E. D. Ball. Director and Entomologist Logan 



MONTANA 



O. B. Whipple, Horticulturist Bozeman 



CALIFORNIA 



C. W. Woodworth. Entomologist Berkeley 



W. H Volck. Entomologist Watsonville 



Leon D. Batchelor, Horticulturist Riverside 



INDIANA 



H. S. Jackson, Pathologist Lafayette 



BRITISH COLUMBIA 

 R. M. Winslow. Provincial Horticulturist Victoria 



SUBSCRIPTION PRICE: 



In the United States, $1.00 per year in advance 



Canada and foreign, including postage, $1.50 



ADVERTISING RATES ON APPLICATION 



Entered as second-class matter Decemljer 27. Iiht6. at the 



PostofBce at Hood River. Oregon, under Act 



of Congress of March 3. 1S79. 



The Apple and Pear Price for 1916.— 

 The apple crop of the United States, 

 according to the .government reiiort, in 



1914 was 84,00(1,000 barrels; in 11)15, 

 76,000,000 barrels. The estimate at the 

 present time is 72.000,(100 barrels. How- 

 ever, no producing sections are re- 

 ported with bumper crops. A great 

 many districts are already reporting 

 poor quality. Although the crop of 



1915 was only 10 per cent less, accord- 

 ing to the government report, than 1914, 

 yet the Western apple grow-ers received 

 nearly double the price. Apparently 

 the price is not entirely a question of 

 quantity. The season is not far enough 

 advanced for fixing prices very defi- 

 nitely. It is too early to get scared. It 

 is too early to go crazy. The pear 

 situation indicates pretty definitely to 

 the fruit grower that the pear grower 

 of the Northwest was not onto his .job. 

 The pear market opened up on Bart- 

 letts at 95 cents. Many were sold at 

 this figure. Soon after, Bartletts ad- 

 vanced to $1.75 and $2 per box. The 

 canneries in California were paying 

 $80 per ton. It is not meant by this 

 that the fruit grower .should get foolish 

 and hold for exorbitant prices. We- 

 natchee started the ball rolling by sell- 

 ing some cars of Extra Fancy apples at 

 the following prices: Jonathan $1.15; 

 Black Ben $1.10; Arkansas Black $1.35; 

 Winesap $1.35, and Spitzenburgs $1.50. 

 All f.o.b. Wenatchee. The season looks 

 like a fair one for everyone to make 

 good money on apples, including the 

 grower and the .jobber, for the reason 

 that the crop of the United States is not 

 a bumper crop, for the reason that the 

 quality is poor in some districts, and 

 for the further reason that the business 

 condition of the country is much im- 

 proved over last year. However, this 

 does not mean the grower should be 

 luireasonable in his expectations or 

 hold for too fancy figures. The apple 

 grower will .show good .judgment if he 

 takes into consideration the fact that 



there are a lot of apples in the United 

 States and that in order to get the best 

 prices out of them consumption must 

 be started with the beginning of the 

 season, and the consuming public sup- 

 plied regularly each month throughout 

 the season at prices which will invite 

 buxing and create consumption, instead 

 of prices thai will repel buying and 

 prevent consumijtion. It is a case 

 where caution and good judgment 

 should rule in the beginning and pre- 

 vail Ihidughout the season. In other 

 words, ojiening prices should be such 

 that will start immediate consumption 

 and future prices should be governed 

 entirely upon market conditions and 

 how rapidly the apple crop moves. 



The Fruit Growers Agency and Apple 



Prices for 1910. — It is a well-known 

 fact that some districts or some selling 

 concerns can demoralize the apple 

 markets on Northwest box aiiples very 

 early, by going off half-shot and pre- 

 venting others from getting market 

 values. Such has happened in the past. 

 There is no reason why it should hap- 

 pen this year. In fact, there is every 

 reason why prices .should not be un- 

 necessarily low or high this year. 

 Most of the important fruit selling con- 

 cerns of the Northwest are alliliated 

 with The Fruit (irowers Agency. It is 

 the duty of each concern to send sales- 

 men or representatives to attend the 

 conferences, which should be held as 

 frequently as the situation .justifies, for 

 the purpose of discussing with and get- 

 ting the benefit of each other's opinion 

 and knowledge as to market values. 

 Every selling concern can secure a lot 

 of information on values and the opin- 

 ions of others by attending these con- 

 ferences, which will be a big help in 

 determining apple values. It looks as 

 though The Fruit Growers Agency has 

 provided a ])ossible means for the apple 

 growers of the Northwest to obtain 

 market values for box apples, which is 

 all they can ever get or all they can 

 expect. 



The Ninth National Apple Shovs^. — 



Si)okane is always wide awake and 

 original, with a bunch of business men 

 willing to put up money for any prop- 

 osition that will benefit the farming 

 community and fruit growers of the 

 surrounding territory. Spokane was 

 the first city to realize fully the impor- 

 tance of the fruit industry to the North- 

 west, and to Spokane belongs the honor 

 of originating and holding the first 

 apple show that was ever held any- 

 where in the world. A great many 

 states in the I'nion have imitated Spo- 

 kane by holding apple shows, and even 

 the apple growers in Tasmania grew 

 enthusiastic and held a wonderful apple 

 show in 191(i, somewhat similar to the 

 apple shows in Spokane. Spokane real- 

 izes that many millions of dollars are 

 invested in the apple industry of Ihe 

 Northwest. Spokane knows that the 

 Northwest has climate and soil to grow 

 the finest apples in the world, Spokane 

 knows that the induslrv has been suf- 

 fering from a deiiression lai-gely due to 

 the fad thai we did not fully under- 



stand the methods of distribution, in- 

 creasing consumption, advertising the 

 apple and salesmanship. Spokane in- 

 tends to do her part by holding the 

 Ninth National Apple Show, not only 

 for the purpose of encouraging the in- 

 dustry, but for the furtlier purpose of 

 giving the growers from all sections of 

 the Northwest an opportunity to attend 

 the show and hear able .'■peakers upon 

 many important subjects, partaking 

 afterwards in the discussion, with a 

 view to solving some of the problems, 

 including marketing, that are interfer- 

 ing with the success to which the apple 

 growers are entitled. It is believed 

 these problems can be solved. It is a 

 sure thing that the conferences at the 

 Spokane Apple Show will be a big fac- 

 tor in helping to solve them. The most 

 progressive business men of Spokane 

 are back of this show financially; 

 therefore it is assured it will be a suc- 

 cess in every way. It is certainly 

 entitled to the support of every fruit 

 grower, and every fruit grower who 

 can |)ossibly make an exhibit should do 

 so. The railroads will make rates so 

 low that no one can atftird not to attend 

 the Ninth National Apple Show. 



The Washington State Fair. — The 

 Washington State Fair will be held 

 September 18 to 23 in North Yakima, in 

 the center of one of the greatest farm- 

 ing coiiinuinities of the world. It is 

 stated that Yakima shi])ped 35,000 cars 

 of farm products last year; about 5,000 

 of this was fruit. The fair being held 

 in the miilst of this wonderful district 

 is sullicient assurance for its success. 

 The grounds are magnificent. The pa- 

 vilion, with an immense floor space for 

 exhibits, is a wonderful building. Ar- 

 rangements are made for the stock 

 exhibits, for the reason that an im- 

 mense amount of stock is raised in 

 Yakima. Every fair ever held in North 

 Yakima has been a wonderful success, 

 both in exhibits and attendance. Every 

 fruit grower and farmer should attend 

 this fair, for two reasons: because all 

 of these wonderful exhibits are of great 

 educational value, and because there is 

 an opportunity of meeting fruit grow- 

 ers and farmers from all over the coun- 

 try, from whom they can obtain a lot 

 of valuable information, learn of their 

 personal experiences, ways and meth- 

 ods of doing things. All of which is a 

 great help. In addition to this everyone 

 can be assured of a splendid time. The 

 city of North Yakima is noted for its 

 big-liearted, successful business men, so 

 everyone can depend on a hospitable 

 reception. 



The Oregon State Fair.— The Oregon 

 State Fair will be held at Salem Sep- 

 temjjer 25 to 30. This fair for many 

 years has been recognized as one of the 

 i)ig factors in the development and pro- 

 motion of the farming and fruit indus- 

 try of the State of Oregon, Ivvery show 

 held at Salem has been a success. The 

 Oregon State I'^air is particularly strong 

 in stock exhibits, being located in one 

 of Ihe oldest and best farming sections 

 of the Northwest, which means there is 

 always a splendid exhibit of farm pro- 



