The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1904-09-08
APPLE CROP
LIKELY Big


F. Nowhall &. Sons OF Chicago give
out the following report on the apple
crop from buyers standpoint:
Regarding apple prospects, it's a
rather hard situation to size up. Be-
tween the claims of the growers that the
total crop OF the country is not much II
any larger than last year and the claims
of many dealers that there are twice as
many as last year, ii is hard to decide.
Without much doubt the correct estl-
mate il somewhere between the two.
'HThe trade OF 1904 starts in very dif-
ferently from that OF either OF the two
preceding years. In both 1902 and 1908
@ large proportion, OF the crop had been
contracted for by this date, but thisyear
practically no buying has yet been done.
The problem must soon be faced, how
ever, and the question is, what is a fair
price to pay for apples to store? There
Is no use going into ancient history for
statistics; conditions have changed too
much for that. The last two years will
do az basis to figure from.
"Stating the situation roughly, IN 1902
apples went into storage on the basis OF
over q per barrel at shipping points, or
over 81 plnsireight; In 1908, a little un-
der So and freight.
SIN 1902 the trade lost, say, 90 cents
per barrel, or on what they stored, s2,-
100000. In 1908 the loss was about %
cents per barrel, or only 81 ,60O,O 900. AZ
this rate we should come out even this
year. In 1902 New York and New Eng
land had two-thirds of o full crop OF ap-
pies; Canada. Nova Scotia and the cen
tral West had one.thrd Of crop, and
the far West q full crop. perhaps one
half OF full crop. for the country.
"I1 1903 New York and New England
had half crop, Nova Scotia and the
Virginias heavy crop, Canada q me.
dium crop, the central West one-lourth
OF crop, and the farWest fair crop,
or total for the country not far from
that OF the year before. This year, COM
pairing the outlook at this time with
that at this time last year, and consid-
ering the final result last year, also taxi
ing into consideration the latest pub.
lished reports Of the best agricultural
papers, also the report OF the National
Apple Shippers association, II would
seem that total somewhere between 10
and 80 per cent above the last years to-
tai is indicated at this time, the final
result depending largely on weathercon-
ditions from now to harvest time.
"Supposing that 25 per cent excess
above last year would be about the cor
rect figure, we should have on December
] next an excess in storage over last
year OF about l,000, 600 barrels. This,oi
course, is without any consideration OF
the foreign demand, which last year
took about 1900, 600 barrele up to De-
cember |. There is no doubt that Eu-
rope will take some apples from America
this year, but whether she can with her
own admitted heavy crop take more
than the oropsOf Nova Scotia, and Can
ada (which must go abroad) is q ques-
tion. II 10 not likely unless our prices
at the seaboard are very low that they
can use any considerable portion from
the United States. II this is the case,
II would give us another million and a
half or 1900, 900 barrels to take care OF
in this country, either through storage
or local fall use. If this reasoning is
correct, 1t would give us 2,500, 900 to 81
600, 900 barrels in excess OF last year to
provide for ON December l.
"As to probable prices, we can only
guees. Last year at this time we all
thoughts sl.60f a barrel I. o. b. cars for
good'Ne York Baldwitis and Greetings
was about right. The final result show
ed that 1t would have been about right
and would have made us fair living
pFnfit and none too much either. some
OF the growers are now talking $l.6O I.
o. b. for this year as about right. flour
business is 10 work for the grower and
our bank accounts will stand another
1902, el.60 will be about right, but II we
are in the business TO make fair profit,
II will not do by anymeans. This re-
iers to barrels, but the b x apple busi-
ness Ii going 10 cut quite figure.
"There are at least 90 per cent more
apples Ia the box apple district than in
any former year. II these were all OF
the fine quality which Is generally sup
posed to belong to the box trade, they
might all be used at fair price, but
they are not by any means, The irri-
gated sections have had several years Of
prominence in the matter of quality, but
in the last two years this superiority
has been more fRncied than real. The
trade is now commencing to realize the
fact that putting an ordinary quality Of
apple in q bushel box does not make a
superior apple OF it, and the box is com
mencing to take Its proper place. In
1908 this fact was especially plain.
Great quantities of the ordinary
quality irrigated apples were sent into
the markets at an average cost of nearly
81 per box, or at the rate of % per bar
rel I. o. b. shipping points. This price,
with high freight rate, meant equal to
$3.50 per barrel at storing stations
against about ~ to $2.25 at storing sta
tons for Eastern fruit, often of better
quality.
"There could be only one result; The
great bulk Of the bex fruit WAS abso-
lutely neglected. Where it did not sell
at low prices in the fall, ID dragged along
in storage, Roenmulating charges until
finally ii was taken out OF storage usu-
allyat lower prices than when 1t went
in, with heavy shrinkage at that.
~ predict that the trade will never
again be so hoodwinked at the supposed
superiority OF the box fruit as last sea-
son and that from now on we shall buy
boxes on the same basis as we do bar
rela and at the same price per bushel
with slight excess to cover increased
cost OF packing and no more.
1T will probably result that the more
ordinary kinds like the Ben Davis, ,Gano,
Missouri Pippin, York Imperial, Arkan.
sas Black and the like, will have to be
consumed in the West near the or
chards, and that only two or three of
the fancy table varieties and only the
selections Of them can come east OF Ne.
braska at the farthest."
nrN Ganann Was lnod En, ErnIA