The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1907-09-11
Pine boxes are used, and they

added one cent for mailing. AS a
rule pickers and packers are paid
by the day the wage scale ranging
from $2.25 to SO day, though in
some instances the pickers are paid
by the box or the entire orchard,
which contains from so to los trees
the acre The average cost of pick
ing, packing and package to the
grower is rs cents, but 1t is not un-
usual for shippers or commission
men to buy the products of the or,
chard on the trees, paying from 81
to $125 a box, and doing all the
work.
AS Washington apples are now
handled in the highest priced mar
kets of the world, every care is TAX
en- with the packs, the fruit being
select and of uniform size, color and
flavor. They are hand packed after
grading and every precaution is TAX
en- against bruising and they are
free from stains and pests. Every
apple is wrapped in paper to pre-
vent contact. Only the highest
quality fruit is selected for export,
and for this the growers receive at
least 81 a box more in the foreign
markets than they do on the local
markets, where competition is not
so keen. Bostonians will readily pay
the top price for big red apples, the
New York market is the best for
Winesaps and Spitzenbergs and Chi
cago wants flavor more than color
and size.
Fruit infected with the codling
moth or San Jose scale is confiscated
and destroyed wherever found, and
to give the consumer every protec-
ton against these pests and insure
the freedom from disease, F. A.
Huntley. state fruit commissioner,
has an experienced horticulturist as
inspector in each of the big apple
districts. The legislature, at its last
session, also enacted several laws to
insure better fruit, among the pro-
visions being the following:
"All boxes, crates. baskets or pack
ages containing fruit offered or
transported for sale within this state
shall be marked with the name of
the variety Cor if the variety is un-
known the said box, crate, basket or
package shall be marked variety un-
known0, and with the name of the
actual locality or district where
grown. and no such box, crate, bas
ket or package shall bear the name
of any other locality. place or dis
trict other than that in which said
fruit was actually grown"
That there is big money in APP
pie orchardizing, an industry yet in
its infancy in the state of Washing
ton, and, in fact, throughout the
Northwest. becomes apparent when
it is known that trees average five
boxes each every season and that in
many of the older orchards, contain
ing from so to rs trees, it is not
uncommon to harvest from Is to
20 boxes. The younger orchards are
set with from so to los trees to the
acre. A thousand dollars gross the
aA.ra ie mot oon,npp in tho uactarD
part Of the Spokane country, where
apple growing has assumed COM
mercial Importance second to none
in the district. Forty and so acre
orchards, containing from $500 TO
1890 trees are not rare. These are
more than twice the size of the big
gest orchards in Massachusetts,
which has an orchard of 1900 trees
at Haydenville, declared to be the
largest in New England. However,
biz orchards are not the rule, as
there is money in five and ten acre
tracts. with the practice of irriga-
ton, have been made heavy produc-
erS. Thousands of acres of land trib-
utary to Spokane have been put un-
der the ditch in the last few years
and thousands more will be added
as quickly as the material and men
necessary to do the work can be as
sembled 1t has been demonstrate
ed that a 20 acre orchard, properly
tended, under irrigation. will net
more profit than the 100 acre fruit
farm in the east These small tracts
are being rapidly occupied by men,
who, While working in Spokane and
nearby towns, find time to care for
their orchards. During the three
years the two-year-old trees are com
ing into bearing, potatoes, corn and
other vegetables are planted. and
small fruits are also raised, the
crops, in many instane es. more than
paving the first cost of the land In
other parts of the state the govern
ment has installed or is building
plants % irrigate thousands of acres
a land ap1 ;-