The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1906-06-01
COM MISSION ROW

a well-known Commission Row dealer
last week. who is one of those rare men
who do not like to be quoted in the
newspapers.
81 have never seen market conditions
generally more promising" he said
"Of course, this does not mean that
fruit-growers will receive big prices
for all lines of fruit like that received
last year for apples. In fact, 1 don't
believe that apples will bring as good
a price as they did last year, but they
will bring a good liberal figure, which
will allow the rancher to make fine
profit on his years operations, and the
same is true of every other fruit. Gen
orally speaking, the market conditions
are better than they were last year.
"While there is a greatly increased
production this year, owing to the
large amount of new acreage which
has come under cultivation in the last
two years, yet the markets OF the north
west have also increased in a like
measure, the city population increas-
ing in as great, if not greater proper
ton than that of the fruit-raising dis
tricts which are adding the increased
produce. The urban population of the
cities has been increasing very rapidly,
and it is from the cities, of course,
that the largest demand for the ranch
ers' fruit crop comes. We find the
demand from Seattle this year much
larger than usual, almost astonishing
ly so; and we learn that the same is
true of Tacoma, Bellingham, Spokane,
Portland and other large cities OF the
Northwest. This, of course, means
prosperity for the farmer. If the de-
mand is in excess of the supply, which
is often the case regarding northwest
ern fruit, then the farmer gets big
prices, and ends up the season with
large bank account.
"And that seems to be one of the
prospects during the coming season
as regards a number of different kinds
of fruit. Take strawberries, for in
stance. We are beginning to get in
local strawberries; in fact, we have
been receiving them for week or
two. They have come in fair guam
titles, for an early supply, and yet the
price remains very high, owing to the
demand Last week they were retail
ing for twenty-five cents quart. 1t
hurts the ordinary housewife to have
to pay as high a price as this for
strawberries in this land of plenty,
but she is doing it nevertheless, and
the strawberries are going fast. Later
on, when the berries begin to come in
in larger numbers, the prices will
be lower, but they will still be high
enough to allow the berry grower to
realize a mighty good profit as the re-
suit of his labOrs and investment. And
this is the way we expect it to go with
all grades of fruit this year. We ex-
pect the fruit crop to be fairly good,
but not unusual, and this being the
case, in view of the increased state
of the northwestern markets, we be-
lieve that prices will rule fairly high
throughout the season on all lines OF
produce.
mot only has the northwestern mar
ket been increasing-owing mostly to
the increased population of this Sec
ton of the country-but the eastern
markets are constantly demanding an
ever-increasing amount of northwest
ern fruit. We imagine that this is
owing to the fact that many of the
fruit-growing regions in the east are
becoming exhausted to some extent
and cannot keep up with the eastern
demand. 1t is owing also to the i'm
proved facilities for shipping fruit long
distances and having it reach remote
markets in fairly good condition at
an expense so nominal that the fruit
at the market of destination is within
the reach OF all.
eve believe that fruit-growers can
look forward this year to as prosperous
season as they have ever had, and
this is certainly an encouraging fea-
ture in the face of the largely in
creased production of fruit in the
northwest. 1t shows the vitality Of
the country, which, no matter how fast