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BETTER FRUIT 



April 



BETTER FRUIT 



HOOD RIVER, OREGON 



Official Organ of The Northwest Fruit Growers' Association 

 A :Monthly Illustrated Magazine Published in the 

 Interest of Modem Fruit Growing and Marketing 



All Communications Should Be Addressed and Remittances 

 Made Payable to 



Better Fruit Publishing Company 



E. H. SHEPARD. Editor and Publisher 



STATE ASSOCIATE EDITORS 



OREGON 



C. I. Lewis, Horticulturist Corrallis 



WASHINGTON 



Dr. A. L. Melander, Entomologist Pullman 



O. M.. Morris. Horticultitrist Pullman 



W. S. Thomber, Horticulturist Pullman 



COLORADO 



C. P. Gillette. Director and Entomologist Fort Collins 



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



Engineering. State Agricultural College Fort Collins 



ARIZONA 



E. P. Taylor, Horticulturist Tucson 



WISCONSIN 



Dr. E. D. Ball, Director and Entomologist Madison 



MONTANA 



0. 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 COLUjmiA 

 R. M. Winslow, Provincial Horticulturist Victoria 



SL'BSCRIPTION 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 December 27. 1906. at the 



Postoflice at Hood River. Oregon, under Act 



of Congress of March 3, 1S79. 



The 1916 Apple Prices and Factors 



Connected Therewith. — In previous edi- 

 tions of "Better Fruit" the Editor has 

 repeatedly stated that in his opinion 

 the apple crop of the Northwest must 

 be sold in an intelligent, businesslike 

 way, with proper control, in order that 

 the fruit grower may get the market 

 value of his apple crop. Information 

 is being picked up from a number of 

 growers and indiscriminate shippers 

 who disposed of their fruit without any 

 control, which is very significant. One 

 grower .shipped two cars of apples, 

 stating he received about 13 cents per 

 box. Another grower is reported to 

 have stated he shipped two cars of 

 apples, receiving for the two cars 821. 

 It ought to be evident that apples going 

 to anyone and returning to the grower 

 such ridiculously low prices can be sold 

 by the handler at very low prices, un- 

 less they were rotten or frozen, and 

 still make a big margin of profit. The 

 sale of low priced apples prevents other 

 reliable marketing concerns from get- 

 ting satisfactory prices. A man usually 

 buys where he can buy the cheapest, 

 providing he can get satisfactory ser- 

 vice and quality. There are other 

 important factors connected with the 

 average prices being low last year, 

 which fruit growers should overcome 

 during the coming year. While prices 

 on Extra Fancy 4-tier have been fairly 

 good in many instances, the prices 

 obtained on C grade and S-tier pulled 

 down the average. The quantity of W2 

 and 5-tier and the quantity of C grade 

 frequently will mean a loss or profit to 

 the grower. It is surprising to note this 

 year that all districts show an average 

 of approximately 25 per cent C grade, 

 selling at 65 cents per box, frequently 

 less. It is equally surprising to note 

 that even in the best district 25 per cent 

 of the crop was 5-tier, and in .some dis- 

 tricts and on some varieties 60 per cent 

 going to 4% and 5-tier. There is no 



question about it being a fact that at 

 least 25 per cent of the crop was 5-tier 

 and 25 per cent of it was C grade. That 

 means half of the crop was sold at bot- 

 tom prices, iiulling down the average 

 like blazes. This should be overcome 

 and to a large extent can be overcome. 

 Methods of doing this will be given 

 under separate headings, following this 

 editorial. 



Spraying. — Codling moth, scab, aphis 

 and other insect pests are all factors 

 which make Extra Fancy apples C 

 grade. This can be overcome by intel- 

 ligent spraying, done properly and 



thoroughly. 



• * « 



Color. — Sunlight, as every fruit grow- 

 er knows, is a big factor in color. More 

 color can be produced by properly 

 pruning the tree so that the sunlight 

 can reach the interior of the tree as 

 well as the outside branches. 



Pruning. — Pruning is not only a fac- 

 tor in letting in sunlight to give more 

 color to the apples, but also a factor in 

 reducing the bearing area of the tree, 



which if too large means small apples. 



* * » 



Thinning. — Thinning is an important 

 factor in size, as every fruit grower 

 knows, by proper thinning, reducing 

 the crop from three, four and five in a 

 cluster generally to one, occasionally 

 to two, which seems to be the limit, is 



a big factor in giving size. 



• • • 



Cultivation. — Every fruit grower who 

 has been in the business for any length 

 of time is aware of the fact that proper 

 moisture condition must be conserved 

 to keep the apple crop continually 

 growing during the entire season, to 

 get size. This can be done by thorough 

 and proper cultivation to a large extent 

 in districts where irrigation is not re- 

 quired. 



* • • 



Irrigation. — In some districts, like 

 Yakima and Wenatchee, fruit growers 

 seem to realize the importance of 

 proper irrigation, while other districts 

 do not realize its value in making good 

 sizes. However, it must be borne in 

 mind that 1916 was an exceedingly cool 

 year throughout and undoubtedly the 

 fruit grower ditl suffer in size, no mat- 

 ter how well his cultivation and irriga- 

 tion was done. But, nevertheless, it 

 seems wise that everybody should en- 

 deavor to do irrigation and cultivation 

 most thoroughly this year in order to 

 obtain the maximum average size and 

 avoid excessive 4% and 5-tier stock. 



Advertising the Apple. — The different 



districts and selling concerns which 

 have carried on advertising campaigns 

 for Northwestern apples in various sec- 

 tions of the country during the past 

 season feel convinced that the adver- 

 tising has been a factor in creating a 

 demand for Northwestern apples, con- 

 sequently bringing the grower addi- 

 tional money, because a good demand 

 always means firm prices and fre- 

 quently better prices. Not only will all 

 the concerns who carried on advertis- 

 ing campaigns during the past season 



continue to do so during 1917, but other 

 selling concerns are also sufficiently 

 convinced that advertising the North- 

 western apple is not only a necessity, 

 but a paying proposition. And so the 

 year 1917 ought to see a much more 

 general campaign carried on than ever 

 before, covering a greater territory. 

 This naturally will be so, inasmuch as 

 more concerns will advertise the North- 

 western apple in 1917 than during any 

 past season. 



Scab. — A very interesting article ap- 

 pears in this edition on the percentage 

 of scab at various heights in the tree. 

 It is an original article, along original 

 lines of investigation, conducted by 

 Leroy Childs of the Hood Biver Exper- 

 iment Station, and presents some data 

 in the way of actual evidence obtained 

 by actual counts, which will be very 

 significant and of great value to the 

 fruit grower in connection with spray- 

 ing for scab. There is no question but 

 what wormy apples are excessive in the 

 tops of the trees, for the same reason 

 that scab is excessive, for the reason 

 that in very tall trees the spray men 

 have not sprayed them thoroughly in 

 the top branches. Along with this it 

 seems wise to suggest heading back 

 trees to a reasonable height. Where the 

 orchard is too old to do this in a very 

 satisfactory way the grower should re- 

 sort to towers on his tank, so that the 

 tops of the trees can be sprayed as 

 thoroughly as the middle and lower 

 branches. 



Buying. — The trend of prices, as 



everybody knows, has been upward for 

 the past year. Prices on nearly all 

 commodities are still advancing. At the 

 present time there is no reason to 

 assume that prices on anything will be 

 any lower. On the other hand, it is 

 quite probable that prices will continue 

 to advance. It is also pretty generally 

 known that many supplies are short, 

 materials costly and hard to get; conse- 

 quently it would seem wise for the fruit 

 growers for these reasons to purchase 

 their requirements as early as possible, 

 and also wise to lay in adequate sup- 

 plies for the season. 



RliJJLBARB 



Plant Wagner's Improved Now 



Yields $1,000 per acre annually. Splendid 

 results in six months. Special prices for 

 immediate planting. (Also Berries, Small 

 Fruit, etc.) Write to 

 J. B.WAGNER, Rhubarb and Berry Specialist 



PASADENA. CALIFORNIA 



ORCHARD YARN 



Listen, Orchardists: Now is the time 

 to tie your fruit trees. All limbs can be 

 readily seen; the spurs are less easily 

 broken off than later; the saving of time 

 is considerable and yam is probably as 

 cheap as it will be this season. Orchard 

 Yarn is the correct method of supporting 

 trees and the saving of a few trees is 

 worth the cost of the yam for an entire 

 orchard. 



Sold by all dealers. If they cannot supply 

 you, please order direct from 



The Portland Cordage Company 



Portland, Oregon Seattle, Washington 



WHEN WRITINC ADVERTISERS MENTION BETTER FRUIT 



