The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-09-11
THEHOP HARVESTERS
Growers Who Sprayed Are OBJ
tanning Satisfactory Yield.
THE PRICE NOT YET FIXED.
Sellers Should Publish tho Figures-A
Smallpox Story Circulated to
Scare Pickers.

otAAItf, cep. Io.-lSpecial. I'm sep
TENDER 2. George Rose received eleven
bales OF the new crop, which Is the first
received in Puyallup and probably the
hrst in the state. Il. Meeker shipped on
the 9th instant, ten bales of Oregon hops
to Fox d Searles, of New York, and ten or
hfteen bales from the same source are ex-
pected daily. which will be re-shipped to
London. No transfers are yet reported,
the market in New York being % cents.
which makes hops here worth about Is
cents. This is all number of buyers are
willing to give at the present time. but
they can find no takers, as growers all be-
heve they will receive much better offers
than that. Many who made five-year con-
tracts will finish them this year. and prob
ably would not again enter such a con-
tract. If all hop growers would take
James Harris advice, printed in the
Posr-IETELLIGEYcER, in regard to the
publication of their sales, it would be
OF much advantage to the growers at large,
as the policy of many hop growers is to
have nothing published at all in regard to
prices, and some times they do their best
TO suppress publication, when one buyer
has offered cent more or transaction
has been made at an advanced price. 1t is
hard at all times to get authoritative and
current reports from most of the buyers,
because 1t is to their interest to
Keep the growers in ignorance, but
1t is almost equally hard to get
reports from the growers, owing
probably, in degree to indifference as to
what the growers selling later should get
and the fear that they have not made the
best Of bargains. It does not tend to in.
crease mans opinion of his own shrewd-
ness when another grower sell his hops
south OF the track at 20 cents when he had
sold his at the same time north of the
track at IS cents. One grower is
still wondering where the / cent
went several years ago when he
sold his hops to an agent
here for sc cents, and at the same time
there was a telegram coming to pay him
81 cents, from the buyer in the East to his
agent here. OF course the grower got only
his SO cents. Such transactions make the
growers very ditfident about publishing
their business, as they are very sensitive
of being held up to ridicule. The smartest
man, they think, is he who succeeds in
getting the highest price for his hops,
no matter if it were S. per pound. In the
where the price is SO huctuating and runs
so many times so far above the cost of pro-
duction, there is a tendency to greed and
feeling of dissatisfaction If the highest
price paid is not gotten by ones self.
If all growers would sell when they got
ready, and then publish the transaction,
it would benefit all the growers having
hops unsold and also help in the upbuid-
frD of h. I'D, -
would help all this part of the country. A
few of the buyers have the good of the
grower and country at heart, part of them
being residents, but others are non-resi-
dents and do not care for the well-being of
the grower and country except that they
wish to make all the money out of them
in the shortest time possible, and if the
crop fails here they can pack their carpet
bag and go elsewhere and get their per-
centage just the same.
1t is very easy to discover 3 hop-buyer's
agent. He usually has little desk in
little office, with hop sample on it. but
ofttimes with not a scent of hops. When
he walks the streets he looks sleek, well
dressed and we'll fed, and he rides about
the country visiting the hop-grower in a
fine turnout. On the other hand, the
grower is very modest. 1t is very hard to
distinguish him from a common farmer.
and what he does with his 5000 to
SIS, 600 which he receives every year or
two is more than any one knows. In these
later years many growers are spending
some of their money in travelling and in
erecting comfortable homes.
Some hops are turning ont very light.
Gardella picked only 200 boxes from nine
acres. Another grower only got eight
bales from five acres. The Whitsell Bros,
of Orting, succeeded in getting only 100
bales where they had anticipated $50 bales.
On the other hand. many are doing better
than was anticipated. NJ. b. Kelley got
four and one-haif tons from five acres, but
if the vines had been properly and Clearly
picked he would have gotten full ton to
the acre of average quality. Ross Bros.
who have leased the Junction yard in con-
nection with their own, are now running
$50 pickers and picking 300 boxes per day.
The yield will be 500 pounds to the acre,
and C.. Ii. Ross says he can turn out a fine
sample. which pieases him very much. rs
a month ago the situation looked rather
dubious. ]. p. Stewart has already twelve
tons harvested Of strictly choice hops.
The yield has been 800 pounds to the
acre. three-quarters crop. He expects to
finish picking about the 18th or 18th. Mr..
Stewart is thoroughly convinced of the
efficacy of the spraying with whale oil
soap and quassia. so much SO that he has
already ordered from Brazil, via London,
seventy-fve tons Of quassia wood for next
years use. He thinks now that spraying
thoroughly is the only thing that will in
sure or preserve the hop crop Of Washing
ton.
Mr.. Stewart is a thorough Republican,
and here is an object lesson for the party.
He saws this nuassia wood cannot be i'm
ported direct from Brazil to this country,
either to New York city, San Francisco or
the Sound, but must first go to England,
when it is reshipped by sailing vessel di-
rect to Tacoma. This would be to the
point of Mr.. Blaine's last letter in regard
to the Republicans policy in substituting
shipping.
A. St. George Hsmersley, Of Vancou-
yer. b. c., was in town last week for few
hours, Mr.. Hamersley has thirteen acres
of hops which he put out last year, 50 this
il the first years picking. lie anticipates
a Weld of coo to ] 200 pounds per acre.
Mr.. Hamersley has purchased all of his
hop supplies-sulphur, baling cloth,
presses, stoves, etc.-by order from Puyal-
Inn. all of which arrived all right, with
the exception of the stove. and. he being
in haste for il. came down 20 see about il
personally. A heavy tariff is required on
all these goods. but we sell them TO many
growers in British Columbia. Puyailnp.
though an inland town, seems to be get
ting very materially interested in politics,
Ala e ritf both On hon annnlies and hons