The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1899-02-16
SAN JUAN APPLES EAST.
Large Shipments From Orcas Successfully
Marketed-Barrels Recommended.


Large Shipments From Orcas Successfully
Marketed-Barrels Recommended.
"John H. Hughes, manager of tn
Seattle Commission Company, ha
just returned from protracted trip il
the Middle East, where he went t.
dispose of thirty-five car loads of West
ern Washington apples" says the Post
Intelligencer of the 10th inst. "He
carefully inspected the markets in the
centers of trade of the Mississippi river
valley, and gathered lot of valuable
information relative to the status OF
the product there, and the best meth.
DDS of disposing of it"
'sThis is the best season for Washing
ton fruit that has ever been known in
the East for many years. Missouri
and Arkansas had the heaviest crops
of any of the Middle states this year;
New York had only two-thirds of a
yield, and the Michigan crop was only
fair. The result is that the Atlantic
states are using all the product of the
OOdt1ok DdAV VI VbC A0CAOh1 AlOOCOoAtcst
ing the latter drawing on the West for
it's local supply. Prices are good, rang
ing form 81 to So Is box for the pro-
duct Mr.. Hughes took with him."
1.-THE thirty-five car loads, or 22,75O
boxes, of apples taken by the commits
sion man were marketed in st. Paul,
Minneapolis, Omaha. Kansas City,
Sioux City, Galesburg, Wichita, Den
yer, Trinidad and Texas. The fruit was
secured mostly from the San Juan
islands, particularly near Orcas,: al
though considerable was bought at
points along the Northern Pacific and
Great Northern"
GOOD DEMAND EAST.
"There is a good demand for fine
apples in the EAST" said Mr.. Hughes,
"but to find successful market they
must be we'll packed and put on sale
in first-class condition. I never saw
better apples than secured from the
San Juan country. East Of the mOun-
tains there is fine fruit, but along the
Northern Pacific and the Great North
ern they should Gull out the cheap
varieties and get rid of their poor pack
ing methods.
"One particularly bad feature 1
noticed is that the growers of the San
Juan islands are still using boxes to
ship their fruit in. This all right along
transcontinental lines of railroad where
there is not much handling before the
apples reach the Eastern markets; but
when they have to be shipped first to
Seattle by boat and go through all the
carting and piling and handling in
other ways that is necessary before they
are finally put on the train, it is bound
to bruise them, destroying their first
class condition and making it difficult
to dispose of them.
Barrels should be used, the same as
in the East. The National Apple
Shippers Association that recently
met in convention IN New York adopt
ed barrel of $50 pounds net weight
the San Juan apples were packed in
barrels by the growers when they are
gathered, it would do away with all
the difficulty that obtains from the
poor boxing and resultant bruising.
FUTURE is UNQUEsTIONED.
"Once the growers realize the impOr-
lance of this feature, and also that they
should do away with many of the
varieties they are now raising, and
confine themselves to few of the best
kinds, there is no question of the
future of Washington's fruit in the
East or anywhere else. They should
also hold frequent meetings, where
the various phases of the culture are
discussed, the same as is the custom in
Southern California;
The fruit dealer said. that the great
packing establishments of Chicago,
Kansas City and elsewhere were caus-
ing CONSERVATION among. the commits
sion men Of South Water street by
taking up apples as one of the products
they were handling. They have
brought their cold storage into service
in this line, taking the fruit on cheap
rates and holding it until the owner
wishes to sell.