-5- 



The next objective of our trip was the Experiment Station at Summerland, B.C. 

 This station is located in the Okanagan Valley where the annual rainfall is about 

 10 inches. It was a common sight in this area to see 'orchards surrounded by sage- 

 brush. It is impossible to produce fruit here without irrigation. Some of the 

 older orchards are irrigated by a series of ditches, but in many a sprinkler system 

 is used. 



At the Summerland Experiment Station breeding of new fruits is a major project. 

 Also, considerable work is being done on the handling and storage of fruits and 

 fruit products. I was particularly interested in the work that is being done here 

 in the identification of fruit varieties try vegetative characters. The objective of 

 this iifork is to provide to British Columbia nurseries and fruit growers a similar 

 type of service as is now provided in the United States by the Massachusetts True- 

 ness-to-name Inspection Service. 



¥e stopped in the town of Oliver, B. C. to observe the manufacture of a new 

 picking machine. This machine is built with a platform on the end of a crane where 

 an apple picker can stand with an apple box on each side of him. Then, by a system 

 of foot pedals controlling the mechanism he can hoist himself into any part of a 

 tree that he desires. Ylith one of these machines a man could easily pick apples 

 from the top of a 22 foot tree and do it much faster than from a ladder. This same 

 machine is designed for pruning and thinning as well as picking. It seemed to have 

 much to commend it. 



Returning to the United States we travelled down the Oganogan Valley with apple 

 orchards dotting the landscape as far as one could see. The T/ord "dotting" is used 

 advisedly because the orchards, consisting of few to many acres are scattered over 

 the hillsides vdth their location being determined by the availability of irrigation 

 water. As in British Columbia these orchards are surrounded by arid land covered 

 with sagebrush. Almost without exception, fruit production in the Northwest is^ 

 dependent on irrigation water since the normal rainfall in the area is only 10 inches 

 and most of this comes in the form of snow. 



At the southern end of the Okanogan Valley we arrived at Chelan which is noted 

 not only as an apple producing area but also for the fact that it is located at the 

 foot of beautiful Lake Chelan. 



In a chain store in Chelan Mcintosh apples were selling for 3 lbs. for 2^^ and 

 Jonathans for 100 per lb. In general, apples in the stores in the West suffer the 

 same abuse from rough handling as apples in stores in the East. Because of the 

 severe bruises and occasional decay spots, apples are frequently the Heast attrac- 

 tive item on the fruit and vegetable counters. Could this possibly be one reason 

 why apples don't sell more readily? Aside from the bruises, apples in western 

 stores have fewer blemishes than those in the East because scab, curculio, apple 

 maggot, red banded leaf roller, and bud moth are no problem here. Y^th codling moth 

 under control in well managed orchards, the problem of pest control is less diffi- 

 cult for the western than the eastern grower. In fact, I have seen many apples from 

 unsprayed trees that were practically free from blemishes. This is truly a revela- 

 tion to one who is familiar v^ith the kind of apples an unsprayed tree in Massachu- 

 setts would produce. 



After leaving Chelan our next stop was at YiTenatchee which is noted as one of 

 the most concentrated apple producing areas in the United States. Probably, no area 

 is more apple minded than Vfenatchee. The motor court where we stayed was called 

 Apple Lane Motor Court. Across the street a gasoline filling station was named 

 "Appleway," and similarly many commercial enterprises incorporated the word "Apple" 

 in the name of the firm. 



