Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1907-09-19
PICkERS OF FRUIT HAVING TIME
OF THEIR LIVES.
Go ALL OVER THE WORLD
Export Trade Embraces European
Countries, Australia and the Orient
Great Care Exercised in Packing
and Keeping Fruit Free From
Pests and Injury.

SPOKANE, Wash, Sept. 16.-Apple
pickers in Washington orchards are
having the time of their lives. The
total acreage is near the 100000 mark
and the trees are heavily laden and
wages bigger than ever before in the
history of the industry The crop is
estimated by growers and inspectors
to be worth from 50 100000 to s1O-
100000 this season, and of this more
than s5,000000 will be paid for fruit
packed for export The bulk of the
crop is made up of .Spitzenburg, New
town pippins, Winesap, Jonathan and
other winter varieties, which can be
shipped anywhere, the chief districts
being the Yakima, Wenatchee. Spo-
kane and Prosser valleys in the order
named.
Much of this fruit will be sent to
Atlantic coasts markets, and England
France, Germany, Australia and the
orient New York, Boston and Chi
cago are the chief distributing points
east of the Rocky mountains and from
these the jobbers and dealers in va
rlous parts of the west, east and
south are supplied. The big red apple
Is the favorite of Americans and
Australians, while the Englishmen
are fond of the various varieties of
pippins, which also have regulations
in Denmark and Sweden and other
parts of Europe.
Millions of Boxes.
Stated commercially, the crop in
Washington this year is a matter of
ooo,ooo boxes, each containing so
pounds of apples The fruit was
grown in 81 counties, those having
more than $4,000 trees being Yakima
1,24S.00O; Chelan, 100000; Spokane.
3l1, 100; Pierce, zee 600: Whitman.
100000; Cowlitz, 10000; Kinsap, 1874
600; Whatcom, 10000; Columbia, SO
600, and Thurston, $4,000. The crop
would fill 1888 cars of 10000 pounds
each, or make $50 trains of SO cars
each. Laid end to end the boxes. IS
sches in length and II inches high.
would stretch 1 APO miles, and if piled
up they would make a shaft CAT miles
high
Good Wages Paid.
Packers do not pack barrels in this
country. They are too unwieldly.
Pine boxes are used, and they reach
the growers and packers knocked
down. the price being 1917 cents
each, to which must be added one
cent for mailing. AS a rule pickers
and packers are paid by the day, the
wage scale ranging from 1925 to So
a day, though in some instances the
pickers are paid by the box or the en-
tire orchard, which contain from so to
los trees to the acre. The average cost
OF picking, packing and package to
the grower is 25 cents. but it is not
unusual for shippers or commission
men to buy the products of the or
chard on the trees, paying from 81 to
SIPS a box, and doing all the work.
Great Care in Packing.
As Washington apples are now
handled in the highest priced markets
OF the world. every care is taken with
the packs, the fruit being select and of
uniform size, color and flavor. They
are hand-packed after grading and ev-
cry precaution is taken against bruis-
ing and they are free from stains and
pests. Every apple is wrapped in
paper to prevent contact Only the
highest quality fruit is selected for ex.
pert, 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 Wine
saps and Spitzenburgs and Chicago
wants flavor more than color and size
Legislation for Better Fruit.
Fruit infected with the cooling moth
or San Jose scale is confiscated and
destroyed wherever found. and to give
the consumer every protection against
these pests and insure the freedom
IRON disease F. A. Huntley, state fruit
commissioner. has an experienced
horticulturist as inspector in each of
the big apple districts. The iegisla-
ture, at its last session also enacted
sevral laws to insure better fruit.
among the provisions being the fol.
lowing:
All boxes, crates. baskets or pack.
ages containing fruit offered or trans
ported for sale within this state shall
be marked with the name of the vari-
ETY. { or if the variety is unknown the
said box crate. basket or package
shall be marked variety unknown. and
no such box, crate, basket or package
shall bear the name of any other local.
lily. place or district other than that
In which said fruit was actuallv