The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1907-09-15

not IN ldSC week when we CduSu'
Not that they were not "in," in the
sense that polite society uses the
term-there, but not willing to be
seen-for if they had really been there,
there might have been a slight chance
for us to have seen them provided they
were not too busy. But they were
down at the docks, supervising the
shipments of northern produce, and
so, merely to accommodate them, we
traipsed down to the different piers
to hearken to their wisdom and see
what kind of packages Alaska Is hav-
ing handed to her this year.
If the commission men were really
as bad few months ago as the Seattle
papers said they were, they must have
reformed wonderfully of late, for most
of the produce we saw prepared for
shipment was certainly in splendid
shape. 1t has to be, for these were
the shipments to Fairbanks, via the
Yukon river, and considerable
amount of the produce will not be
consumed for many months after 1t
is to get there. Fairbanks and the
Tanana have to stock up on those
things now because later on they can't
get them, and between now and the
time the river opens up again, they
must eat. Everything was being very
carefully sorted over. For instance,
there was shipment of several thous-
ands of crates of potatoes. The pota-
toes were in fair shape even as they
came from the growers, but this
wouldn' do. Northern consumers
are particular, and everything must be
in the best of shape. Therefore, these
potatoes were being sorted over, and
graded not only as to size, but also
as to quality. Every tuber that was
the least bit bruised was laid aside as
not fit for the northern market, and
when the bags were finally passed
upon and sewed up, they contained
only the best that the market could
supply. This was shipment that was
being made by H. S. Emerson & Co.,
but we understand that the same care
must be exercised by all the merchants
doing business with Alaska AS one
merchant stated, it takes twenty years
to build up reputation, and it only
takes very short time to destroy it,
and sometimes it will be hurt by a
very small and unintentional error,
so we must be very careful.
The potato that the Alaska people
like the best is the Salinas potato,
which comes from Salinas county,
Cal. This is a very high grade, eX-
pensive and thin skinned potato with
fine keeping qualities. The potato
that goes north may remain in the po-
session of the retailer for eight or nine
months before it is finally sold. There
fore it must have keeping qualities.
The Salinas potato has these quail
ties. Most of these potatoes are sup
piled to the north through Seattle
merchants from the Schultz-Hansen
Co., of San Francisco, who handle
large part of the potato crop of Salinas
county, Cal. Large shipments are
made every year. This year 5000
crates went to the Northern CONNER
cial Co., alone. While the potatoes
grown in the White River and Yakima
valleys are of fine quality and suit the
northern market fairly WELL yet as a
rule they reach the market to late to
be available for the northern ship
ments, especially for those to Fair
banks, which must go early. The last
shipments to Fairbanks go by the
steamship Ohio, which leaves Seattle
Sunday, September 1, and there are
not many of the northern grown pota-
toes on the market by this time. The
Salinas potato is an earlier tuber.
They are handled extensively by H.
S. Emerson, j. B. Powles, Chamber
lain e Co., and other northern ship
pers.
Now that the fruit-marketing season
is beginning, we wish to impress upon
the Washington growers again, the
advantages to be gained by advertising
Washington fruit on their own boxes.
Let every fine box of fruit that goes
to the market this year, have stamped
on it, in addition to the name of the