The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1905-09-30

tablished to Handle Interior Fruit
The Bellingham Reveil, of last
Tuesday, which for nearly fifteen
years has been ore of the most con-
servative and reliable dailies in the
state and has exerted strong inf1u-
ence for good in the settlement and
development of northwestern WASH
ington, contains the following edito-
rial in reply to the editorial in the
ISLANDER of last week on the subject
OF fruit raising:
Without doubt the islander is
right in its position with regard to the
present difficulties of the horticulturalist
remote from a market. But it would
seem that our esteemed contemporary is
unnecessarily pessimistic. There is a
market for every pound of fruit raised in
San Juan county; as previously stated in
these columns, it only remains. to find it.
Fruit growers in other states and in other
sections of this state are having no trouble
in marketing their product. The secret
lies in the organization of the horticultur-
lists for the purpose of shipping to the
market in carload lots. The way to be
Independent of the fruit canner close at
home is to he in touch with market far
ther away. That is what has been accom-
plished by horticulturists elsewhere.
Tie installation of more fruit canneries.
too, will have tendency to raise the price
offered by them for fruit.
Let the ISLANDER agitate the matter OF
organization for the fruitgrowers of its
territory, and it will soon be able to talk
more hopefully of the outlook for the in
dustry. Tie market is bound to widen.
Alaska as d future customer is one of the
encouraging features of the situation. A.,
aska is not fruit country; never will be.
It is going to support constantly grow
ing population, owing to its wealth of
natural resources. Already it imports
large quantities Of fruits, prepared in vari-
Gus ways for shipment. twill use much
more. The San Juan islands and the
northwest are in the best position to serve
this vast territory with horticultural pro-
ducts. Organization, too, and the ship
ment of larger quantities to the markets,
will have salutary effect in the reduction
of freight rates and thus in making the
market more available. The ISLANDER
is right in its assumption that there is not
much encouragement for the future for
the fruitraiser working individually, ship
ping few boxes at a time to q market al
ready overstocked. The horticulturist
must reach out; he can do so better
through an organization such as is in ex-
istence in the Wenatchee country, in the
Puyallup valley and other sections of the
state.
1.-THE ISLANDER, with its known deter
minatior to advance the interests of San
Juan county, will doubtless recommend
to its constituents tie formation of an or
eanization for the purpose OF bringing the
island horticulturists in touch with mar
ket and thus adding to the prosperity OF
what should be leading industry in the
San Juan archipelago"
The ISLANDER cordially concurs in
the views expressed by the Reveille
as to the Importance Of organization
among fruit growers. This paper
has frequently preached the same
gospel, but unlike the city papers,
especially the leading dailies OF Seat
tie, it does not seek to conjure up, in
the minds Of the credulous, visions OF
wealth to be gained by engaging IN
1 fruit raising on logged off lands, or
any other lands, until market condi-
tious are vastly improved and organ
ization has brought some order out OF
the chaos which has reigned for some
wears in the fruit industry in most, II
not all, Of the Sound counties. The
| ad;tor is one Of the many hundreds
who were led to engage in fruit rais-
ing in the early nneties by the rose
ate tales published in the newspa-
pers, and having blown IN quite q
sum IN that branch Of agricultural
industry be feels that in his comments
|upon it be speaks as one having au-
thority and not as scribe.
]. 3. Riley, manager Of the Seat
Tile Stone Company, was IN toWn