1910. 
THE SECOND NATIONAL APPLE SHOW AT 
SPOKANE. 
Having just returned from the Northwest, where 
I have been since last June, engaged in judging the 
fruit exhibits at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition 
and other places, it may be of interest to some of the 
R. N.-Y. readers to hear about them. And having 
read with much interest about the New England 
Apple Show held at Boston this Fall, I regret that it 
'TH EC RURAL NEW-YORKER 
of pack” also have much to do with the market value 
of the fruit, for a neat looking package and a style or 
manner of placing the apples in the box so as to 
be full and look full is what is needed. All the far 
western apples are packed in regular tiers, and the 
exact number of specimens in each box is definitely 
known and is usually marked, as should be done. 
The square pack was at first used but experience has 
proved the diagonal or alternate style with its varia- 
was not possible to see the eastern and western ap¬ 
ples together, or at least to have seen them at their 
best in both places the same season. 
As there was a space of over four weeks between the 
closing of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition and 
the opening of the apple show at Spokane, Washing¬ 
ton, which I had agreed to take the leading part in 
judging, there was time to look over some of the 
famous orchard sections of the far Northwest and 
likewise some other regions that may become famous 
for the production of fine fruit in the future. This 
I did to some extent, but was interrupted by urgent 
invitations to judge the exhibits at the Hood River, 
Oregon, apple show, and another at Missoula, Mon¬ 
tana. 
But the great apple show at Spokane, Washington, 
which was held from the 15th to 20th of November, 
was the most extensive thing of the kind that has 
ever yet been held. That of last year was great, but 
this second efifort was far greater. There were 14 
exhibits in the carload entries, and several more car¬ 
loads in the minor exhibits, had they been shown in 
the same way. Had the apples been spread out one 
deep they would have covered over five acres. To 
assist in the judging I chose Mr. George J. Kellogg of 
Wisconsin, Mr. H. M. Dunlap of Illi¬ 
nois, Prof. W. J. Green of Ohio and 
Mr. A. P. Bateham of Oregon. As all 
of these gentlemen are experienced in 
this work and peculiarly adapted to the 
several Branches or peculiar phases of 
the subject we divided the work to suit, 
sometimes acting singly and sometimes 
jointly, as the various exhibits required. 
A score card had been adopted, which 
was based on commercial valuation of 
the exhibits, mostly. The ratings for 
quality as given by the American Pom- 
ological Society were used to determine 
the values of the several varieties in this 
particular, although, in our judgment, 
some of them were not quite according 
to our opinions, and need slight modifi¬ 
cations. 
The score card is here given, Fig. 
9, that it may be clearly under¬ 
stood. It will be seen that quality, 
color, condition and pack are the 
leading characteristics, and are given 
20 points each, while size and uni¬ 
formity only have 10 points each. The 
quality is surely a matter of first 
consideration, for the eating of an 
apple is the final and crucial test. Any variety 
that is not really good does not deserve a high rat¬ 
ing, even on a commercial basis, for if the consumer 
condemns the fruit, it deserves condemnation by all, 
from the planter down. And we so considered it in 
the scoring. Color, which enters very largely into the 
attractiveness of apples when exposed for sale, had 
its proper rating in the score. Condition included 
blemishes of all kinds, such as insect and fungus 
marks, bruises and loss of stems, stage of maturity 
not being so essential as that the fruit be perfect. The 
pack, by which is meant the manner in which the 
apples are placed in the packages rather than the 
packages themselves, had its share of value, and the 
several details of the pack each had their allotment 
of points. As there were almost no apples shown in 
barrels there was little need of the scores for that 
style of package. But the proper styles and conform¬ 
ity to the accepted standards of box packing were 
most carefully noted. It is generally agreed among 
good packers that the apples should be flush with the 
ends of the box. and before the top is pressed on 
that they should rise gradually to the center of the 
) 0 x, where they should be one and a half inch higher 
than the side pieces, and when the top is pressed and 
nailed down at the ends the bulge should be three- 
quarters inch on either side. This holds the fruit 
firmly in place, and allows little chance for bruising 
in handling. The top and bottom pieces are only one- 
quarfcer inch thick, which admits of abundant spring 
1 '* meet this requirement. The sides are of three- 
eighths stuff and do not spring outward, nor do the 
ends, which are three-quarters inch thick. The “align¬ 
ment” of the rows and tiers should be perfect, which 
■ pends largely upon the careful grading as to size of 
! c specimens and the evenness of packing, and 
to be far better. Instead of the apples lying one 
on top of another, as in the square style of packing, 
so that they are bruised from top to bottom by the 
pressure in fastening down the lid, one apple fits in 
between three others, and very little damage is done 
by the pressure. In our judging we scored down one 
point on every square-packed box, because of the in¬ 
ferior style. 1 he “jumble” pack, which is in use in 
Colorado, is not even thought of by the more progres¬ 
sive growers of the Northwest, and any style of pack¬ 
ing by which the apples are poured into the box is 
bad very bad. It does not look neat nor bring the 
price that good apples deserve. 
As to the size, we decided that all apples packing 
over three and a half tiers to the box should be 
severely scored for being too large, and those smaller 
than four and a half tiers for being too small. The 
best sizes for market range between these, two, and 
count from about 88 to 128 to the box. All above or 
below sell at inferior prices, and are to be avoided 
by the grower and dealer so far as is possible. 
The result of the scoring by the rules laid down 
was,that the highest awards went to the apples of 
best quality. The big $1,000 prize for the carload that 
attained the highest scoring went to a carload of 
Esopus Spitzenburg from Medford, Oregon, and the 
3-18 INOCULATED SOIL ; 4-16 NITRO CULTURE. Fig. 10. 
second prize to a car 
Valley of Washington. 
1 - — niueavori 
t >es the compactness. The “attractiveness and style infection. 
of Grimes from the Yakima 
The same principle held good 
throughout the five and 10-box lots, for the Spitzen¬ 
burg took most of the prizes, because of the very high 
rating it has in the Pomological Society, being 10 on 
the scale. Rome Beauty and the better-flavored Wine- 
sap, Jonathan and other good varieties did not get 
many awards because of their lower rating than those 
of the highest quality competing with them. 
There were some apples from New York, Virginia 
and a very few other Eastern States. They came in 
barrels, and of course did not look very well in 
comparison with the boxed apples, for the barrels do 
not show the fruit to good advantage. But worse 
than that was the inferior color and blemishes on the 
apples. Certainly these were not the best apples that 
could have been sent. I have seen much better ones 
in many of the Eastern States. The worst were from 
Maine, and of the variety that is there considered one 
of their best, commonly called Nodhead but more 
properly Jewett. The apples were of fair size and 
color for the variety, but when I came to examine 
them closely they were badly affected with the worst 
of all the enemies of the apple, the Pomella or Apple 
ma SS’ot. When cut open about half the specimens 
examined were found to be riddled with holes through 
the flesh, and some had the maggots nearly ready for 
the pupal stage. The inspector was called at once 
and the apples, barrel and all, were cremated. This 
was a menace to the apple industry of the whole 
Northwest. I here is no doubt of the prevalence of 
this terrible pest in Maine and other sections of the 
Northeast, but to send into a new region apples in¬ 
fested. l>v it, is a grave offense, and might have done 
unlimited injury. The Pacific coast has rightly en¬ 
acted drastic legislation against orchard pests, and is 
23 
WHEN SHALL GARDENERS APPLY MANURE? 
When I was a boy how often I have heard this 
same question argued by my father and the neighbor¬ 
ing farmers, and how well do I remember the tests 
and experiments that were made in years long ago. 
It was the prevailing custom in those days to save and 
compost all manures and apply them in the Spring at 
time of planting. I am cultivating some of those same 
fields to-day that my father worked years ago by this 
method, and I know I am receiving better returns 
by using manure in Winter, simply broadcasting and 
plowing down in Spring. In the Fall of 1908 we had 
a fine stand of Crimson clover about two acres in 
extent. It had grown very large, and was as thick 
as it could stand. About the first of November an 
Italian milk dealer discovered it. He harassed me 
continually to sell him the green clover for his cows, he 
to cut it as the cows could use it in a green state. 
The clover was planted for a cover crop, and I told 
him I would not sell it and rob the soil. He then 
offered to cut the clover and replace it with manure 
ficsh from the yard. I his looked like a good propo¬ 
sition, and also a chance to test the relative merits 
of the clover and manure for soil improvers, so I 
agreed to allow him to cut the clover and replace 
it at once by covering it with manure. One 
quarter of the piece was so cut and covered with 
long fresh manure and there remained all Winter. 
The remainder of the piece carried a heavy covering 
of the clover until Spring. It was then broadcast with 
stable manure to the extent of 10 tons to the acre, 
and the whole piece plowed down alike at the same 
time and planted with lettuce. I was a little surprised 
to find that the ground where the clover was cut and 
covered with the manure early in the Fall produced a 
heavier growth of lettuce, and several 
days earlier, than that which was ma¬ 
nured in the Spring with the addition 
of the clover plowed under with it. In 
August the ground was planted to celery 
with the same perceptible results. 
Again the best strawberry bed I ever 
grew was one planted on a piece of raw 
ground, that received a mid-winter cov¬ 
ering of long manure from the hogpen. 
Great frozen chunks lay on the ground 
all VV inter. In the Spring, when the 
frost came out of the ground, they all 
dissolved and crumbled to pieces; run¬ 
ning the harrow over these before plow¬ 
ing gave quite an equal distribution. 
Strawberries were set in rows five feet 
apart. These formed matted rows by 
Fall four feet wide, and the following 
June the yield was enormous, exceeding 
10,000 quarts per acre. These are only 
two of many experiences I have had 
by applying manure in the Fall and 
Winter, and from my past observa¬ 
tions I am fully convinced that such 
cold-natured crops as strawberries, 
cabbage, lettuce, peas, oats or grass 
meadows are better when manure is 
applied to the ground as a Winter protection. In¬ 
stead of composting the manure at considerable ex¬ 
pense and keeping it piled in heaps, allow the elements 
to do this, or in other words, the water, earth and 
air. But for crops that mature their products late in 
Summer and require a warm soil and hot weather, like 
the tomato, melons of all kinds, Lima beans and 
corn, etc., I would advise composted manure applied 
at time of planting. Again, if one has a piece of 
ground that he desires to bring to a high state of cul¬ 
tivation without loss of time and intends to engage 
in intensive market gardening, broadcast manure heav¬ 
ily in the Fall, plow down at once, and in Spring 
apply another coat before planting. This method 
repeated for a few years will give a mechanical ac¬ 
tivity to the soil that can be accomplished in no other 
way, and the last load applied always pays the best. 
If you have plenty of manure never be afraid of 
losing it by putting in the ground if you expect to 
cultivate the soil; it will prove the stepping stone 
to successful gardening. t. m. white. 
Monmouth Co., N. J. 
so endeavoring 
to keep out every source of possible 
II. E. VAN DEMAN. 
As a mine of horticultural information, the tree 
agent often develops some wonderful veins of ore. 
Here is one: 
A tree agent from the western part of our State tells 
us If we keep on spraying with lime and sulphur we shall 
kill the trees by smothering them, not giving the bark 
chance to breathe. Is this a fake idea, or has there 
been actual damage done? H . n 
You may put this down as a “fake idea.” Most 
likely this man claimed that his trees had some 
special arrangements for breathing, so the wash 
would not hurt them. There may be greater non¬ 
sense told by tree agents, but you will not hear it 
often. 
