Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1908-05-08
ROGUE RIVER VALLEY ORCHARD NOTES
BY CHARLES MESERVE
Secretary Grants Pass Fruit Growers 'socia:ior

NEWTON ms the lo", squattt a. p's acre
not good sellers, tue rat er lung and
ymetric tpys being tn favor tes.
AS to color d size ,he Am rican
wants big. rtd apple, the bl,g and
he redder Il better lie j. -uittd,
while the EDgl snman and lis neigh
bOIs Of the adjoining Coz tries OF
Europe insist on having rI'h b yellow
apple OF medium size. he best sizes
OF Newtowus fur the London market
are and 412 ter running IiUm l2o to
160 to the boa, while for Ntw York
the best sellers are tue aud 51a tier
with Doue smaller than ll2 ~ the
box No Spi,z nburg apples are ex-
ported ana fol the Ameri an market
TIE 3, 81 and tier are ia most de-
mand the A erilsn not waning a
small apple. In peats the trade de-
mauds a medium size, tne extra large
and the very email pears lug slow
sellers. Uf Bar, let's tie 140 tU the
box sell the best. Pears should be
graded TO sizu as arefully as apples.
Mr.. Day ins SITS that the appearance
Of fruit has quite as much ~ 90 with
its selling as has the quality.
Strictly fsucy fruit, If sloveuly packed
aud in dirty, carelessly nailed box
with only peucil marking to indi-
cate what the box contains, will only
sell as second grade and slow selling
at that. Ii pays big to grade with the
greatest care. pack honestly and srtis.
tically aud to use Autographed labels
to show what the box contains. And
the boxes should not bs given the
big belly, as was formerly the rule,
and the fruit squeezed too tightly in
the box. yet the greatest care should
be- taken to give sufficlent pressure
for should the iruit become loose in
the box while in transit it will
bruise and ruin. In packing pears
Comice should always be put in half
boxes aud all other kinds in full
boxes.
Sgoel g. Day have handled Rogue
River Valley fruit since the begin
ming of eastern shipments aud in Mr..
Days opinion, as based on the mar
ket demands OF the past and preseut
and the outlook for the future, the
only pears to be grown in this Val
ley are the Comice, Bartlett, Winter
Nellis hand D'Anjou. Their order
of preference being as here given, the
character of soil and local conditions
governing the kind the Rogue River
orChardists should plsot. Mr.. Day is
firm in the belief that the Comica will
always bring extra fancy prices until
superseded by better pear, and that
has not yet been brought out by the
nurserymen. As TO selling prices there
is little difference in the Bartletts.
Winter Nellis and D'Anjous,
OF apples Mr.. Day said for Rogue
River growers to plant only Spitzen-
burgs, Nowtons and Winessps. AS
tie American consumption of fruits is
increasing faster than is that of Europe
and as the American will have moth
ing but red apple the Spitzenbura
ia steadily gaining in demand aud
Mr.. Day thinks this apple will con-
tinue to lead and to go still higher
in price. AS Rogue River Spitzen.
burgs rank with the best that are re-
oeived in tn. New York market he
holes that growers here should plant
principally of that variety, yet the
character of the soil would govern
the variety to grow. The Newtons,
considering all factors. will con-
tiuue to be profitable apple for
Rogue River orohsrdists. The old.
time Winesap, Mr., Day believes, IL
sure to be one OF the big money
makers for Rogue River valley and
he would recommend its planting.
The Winesap stands up we'll in ship
plug. keeps we'll in storage and is a
good seller If OF large size and of rich.
red color such as can be grown here,
and it is steadily gaining in favor
with the Eastern trade.
While apples will ALWAYS be profit.
able crop to Rogue River orchardists
yet MIR. Day thinks that pears will BE-
the big money makers for this valley.
Rogue River pears by reason of their
perfect quality now lead the world in
price, and all the other fruit districts
Of the United States having been
tested there is no likelihood Of this
valley looaing its prestige as leader
in growing fine pears Such is the
rsyages OF the blight in all the East.
ern states that the crop of pears is
steadily decreasing each year and as
the blight.is now in every fruit dis
trict in the United States and has
exterminated every pear tree in
whole districts the outlook for this
fruit is not encouraging except in .iso
listed, mountainl locked valleys, such