Page i8 



BETTER FRUIT 



October 



BETTER FRUIT 



HOOD RIVER, OREGON 



Official Organ of The Northwest Fruit Growers' Association 

 A Monthly Illustrated Magazine Published in tlie 

 Interest of Modern Fruit Growing and Marketing 



All Communications Should Be Addressed and Remittances 

 Made Payable to 



Better Fruit Publishing Company 



E. H. SHEPARD, Editor and Publisher 

 H. E. VAN DEMAN, Contributing Editor 



STATE ASSOCIATE EDITORS 

 OREGON 



C. I. Lewis. Horticulturist CorvalllB 



H. S. Jackson. Pathologist CorvalUi 



H. F. Wilson, Entomologist Corvallia 



WASHINGTON 



A. L. Melander, Entomologist Pullman 



O. M. Morris, 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 



E. P. Taylor. Horticulturist Grand Junction 



IDAHO 



W. H. Wickfl. Horticulturist Moscow 



W. S. Thomber, Horticulturist Lewiston 



UTAH 



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



Leon D. Batchelor, Horticulturist Logan 



MONTANA 



O. B. Whipple, Horticulturist Bozeman 



CALIFORNIA 



C. W. Woodworth, Entomologist Berkeley 



W. H. Volck. Entomologist Watsonvllle 



BRITISH COLUMBIA 

 R. M. Winslow. Provincial Horticulturist Victoria 



SUBSCRIPTION PRICE: 



III the United States, Jl.OO per year in advance 



Canada and foreign, including postage. $1.50 



ADVERTI.SING RATES ON APPLICATION 



Entered as second-class matter December 27. 1906, at the 



Postofflce at Hood River. Oregon, under Act 



of Congress of .Miirch 3. 1879. 



The War. — During the first sixty days 

 of the war much uncertainty prevailed 

 in busines.s. Our inijjort.s have de- 

 creased; our export.s have decreased. 

 It is generally more or less believed 

 that this is teiiiporai'v. It is hoped in 

 the near future business conditions will 

 become normal. .\t present the condi- 

 tion is such as to require deliberate 

 juilgment and conservative methods in 

 all lines of business. The crops in 

 America this year are large. If these 

 crops can be handled in an intelligent 

 business wav and if transportation on 

 the sea continues open and sullicient 

 transpoitation facilities ai-e secured the 

 crops of the United States can be moved 

 to good advantage with a fair profit to 

 all. We, as fruit growers, at the present 

 time are directly interested in how the 

 war will affect the market price of 

 apples during the coming winter. Few 

 assume to be very definite in their ex- 

 pressions of prices. The prices obtained 

 this year will in a large measure de- 

 pend upon the judgment and ability 

 with which the apple crop is handled. 

 It seems wise to suggest to the growers, 

 first, that every expense connected with 

 harvesting and marketing the apple 

 crop should be done at a minimum. 

 Economy in every feature of the busi- 

 ness should be our watchword. Second, 

 extreme care should be exercised not 

 only by the grower but by the packer 

 and shipper in seeing that the apples 

 are packed and graded strictly in ac- 

 cordance with the rules. It is a year 

 when only good stuff should be packed, 

 a year when everything in the nature 

 of a cull should without a single excep- 

 tion be sent to the vinegar factory. 

 Third, it seems wise to call the growers' 

 attention to the fact that the best re- 

 sults will be achieved by able, intelli- 



gent and wise marketing. Fourth, it is 

 a year when every grower should select 

 for his marketing concern one that has 

 ability; one that is absolutely straight- 

 forward in business; one that has his 

 confidence and is entitled to it to the 

 fullest extent. If the grower will care- 

 fully follow these suggestions and act 

 in good business judgment, then he can 

 reasonably expect a fair price, which 

 will pay a reasonable profit on the in- 

 vestment and for his year's work. Only 

 the best results can be secured by such 

 procedure and by such procedure there 

 is a reasonable certainty, but by hap- 

 hazard methods the onh' thing certain 

 would be uncertainty. 



Mr. H. C. Sampson. — It is announced 



that Mr. H. (;. Sampson, secretary of the 

 North Pacific Fruit Distributors, has 

 resigned his position to engage in busi- 

 ness for himself. Mr. Sampson was 

 one of those w^ho took an exceedingly 

 active interest in the organization of 

 the North Pacific Fruit Distributors and 

 it may be truthfully said that no one 

 connected with the association has 

 worked harder or more earnestly for 

 its success. He is certainly entitled to 

 his share of credit for the organizing 

 of the North Pacific l'"ruit Distributors. 

 Mr. Sampson in his ollicial capacity has 

 visited and addressed the fruit growers 

 of practically every fruit growing sec- 

 tion in the Northwestern territory. 

 Wherever he has gone he has invariably 

 created a splendid impression. Mr. 

 Sampson commands the good will and 

 confidence of the growers throughout 

 the Northwest, and we honestly believe 

 all those who are associated with the 

 Distributors will sincerely regret his 

 retirement, Mr. Sampson enters his 

 new field of work with the best wishes 

 of all connected with the fruit industry 

 of the Northwest. 



The European War. — War means loss 

 of life, loss of propei'ty, loss of business 

 and devastation, in accordance with the 

 magnitude, the number of people en- 

 gaged in the war and its duration. 

 Every nation engaged in the war suffers 

 severely in every one of the particulars 

 above referred to. The feeling in the 

 United States over this war is one of 

 sincere regret. America is universal in 

 the hope that this war will be quickly 

 and decisively settled, for the all-im- 

 portant i-eason that the (|uicker the war 

 is over the less the loss will be in every 

 respect. The present Kuroiiean war is 

 so extensive that already the nations 

 engaged have several million men 

 actively engaged in warfare. It is to be 

 regretted, nevertheless it is a fact, that 

 the producing cai)acity of each one of 

 these nations will be largely i-educed, 

 both in foodstuffs and other commodi- 

 ties, consetpienlly fhei-e is a duty which 

 the United States should assume, and 

 that duty is to bend its energies to 

 produce all of the necessities of life, so 

 as to be in a iiosition to furnish these 

 nations, which will become depleted, 

 with necessary supplies. In aildition 

 the United States lias another role to 

 Iilay, which is ec|ually important, if not 



more so. It is the only one of the big 

 powers not engaged in the present war, 

 therefore the United States should fol- 

 low the wise suggestion made by Presi- 

 dent Wilson in remaining neutral, not 

 only in action, but in expression of 

 public opinion, always holding itself in 

 readiness so that at the earliest oppor- 

 tunity it will be in position to extend 

 its services as peace-maker to be ac- 

 ceptable as such to the nations engaged 

 in war. The United States must remain 

 mentally free from prejudice and keep 

 itself in a frame of mind to render jus- 

 tice in its advice to all nations engaged. 



1914 Apple Crop Estimates. — It seems 

 to be an invariable custom with every- 

 one connected with the apple business 

 to furnish estimates each year during 

 the blooming season. The judgment of 

 this is being cpiestioned by many on 

 account of the false impression which 

 it invariably creates. It is a well known 

 fact that an apple orchard may blossom 

 profusely and still produce very little 

 fruit. It is a fact that only one or two 

 apples at the most in a cluster of eight 

 or ten blossoms will make marketable 

 apples. Every blossoming season is 

 usually followed by a very heavy shed- 

 ding, and even after this comes a drop- 

 ping after the apples are formed. 



This year the estimate went out un- 

 usually heavy and many are still main- 

 taining that the crop will eipial the 

 blossom estimate. In other words, it is 

 always extremely dillicult to correct the 

 first impression, even though it be erro- 

 neous. Early in the season the esti- 

 mates from the Northwest in carloads 

 were placed by some as high as 25,(10(1 

 cars. Later they were reduced to about 

 15,000 cars, and at present it is claimed 

 by some of those ctmnecfed with the 

 lar.ge organizations that the Northwest 

 will not ship more than nine or ten 

 thousand cars. A very recent estimate 

 published in the newspapers gave Colo- 

 rado something like 7,000 cars. On good 

 authority we understand Colorado does 

 not expect over 1,500 cars. A recent 

 estimate put Oregon down for about 

 5,500 cars. The writer, who is very 

 conversant with Oregon conditions, 

 does not believe the crop of marketable 

 apples in Oregon will exceed 2,500 cars 

 for the year 1914. Without question the 

 unsettled marketing conditions existing 

 at the present time will result in high 

 class grading rules being ailhered to 

 very strictly, which will mean Ihat only 

 the best <|uality will be packed and 

 shipped to niaiket, the balance going to 

 the canneries, evaporators and viiie.gar 

 Iilanfs, This will be a lai'ge factor in 

 reducing the tpiantlty to go on the 

 market. 



The Woolly Aphid of the Apple 



The woolh- iiijliid is one of the most 

 insidious and dangeidus of apple pests. 

 It occuis on the roots and above ground, 

 also on the branches. The branch foiin 

 can be easily conti-olled by contact in- 

 secticides, but it is practically imjiossi- 

 ble to stamp out the aphids on the loots. 

 Winter weather of l^astern Washington 

 is usually severe enough to destroy 



