The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1909-04-01

very faulty, for it overlooks the fact
that our apples are all packed by hand
and not poured into the box. Empty
one OF our hand-packed boxes and then
pour the apples into the box and 1t will
be heaping full. Apples packed in bar
rels generally have the heads faced by
hand, then the apples poured in. Give
a fair deal, a square deal and we will
not kick. We are in favor OF a uni
form box and are willing to use the
box agreed upon by five states in the
Northwest and British Columbia, or
we are willing to accept the California
box containing 1920 cubic inches, and
that is the Canadian box, and has now
been adopted in Vermont, but we are
not willing to have ten per cent. of our
apples taken without any c%onsidera-
ton, and it is especially CALLING to
have it done by a process of reasoning
that contradicts itself.
| have no apology to offer our read
ers for taking up so much space in dis
GUESSING the box question. 1t is a vital
issue with us and but for our vigorous
contention we would have had forced
on us a box containing 1854 cubic
inches. BY our vigorous contention
we got his reduced 222 cubic inches
or more than one-half. What else we
may be able to do We can not now
say. We expect to have a conference
of the fruit growers OF the Paclhc
Coast in September next. One thing is
certain, when such men as Mr.. Gibson
says that their barrel latter being
pressed down and headed" contains
exactly 1925 cubic inches, but that
our box without distention OF its
parts Chat is the way the bill reads)
shall contain 2,342 cubic inches or
lust one-third of the ~"distended' bar
rel, and we are allowed nothing for
the %distention of our box, we will kick.
Their barrel is measured after disten-
tion-our box before.
A word or two on this matter: Mr..
Gibson in the Chicago Packer and F.
Newhall & Son in the Fruit Trade
Journal" of New York have suddenly
become very solicitous for fear the
Paclnc Coast apple growers will be
without a market. How very kind of
these generous men! They are about
as kind as the lion who was so much
concerned about the lamb that he took
Iu0 DOOI, uClplGOO ClCdCulSo luOIOC
out of the dangers of this cruel world.
I remember that some eight or nine
years age, when we discarded the big
cumbersome box for the one we now
use a Chicago house had a representa-
tive in our valley buying apples, and
we were informed by this representa-
tive that if we adopted the smaller
box we would have no market for
our apples. This freeze out game was
tried for one year, when, 10! this same
man came back and many others
sought our apples and have eagerly
taken all our first class apples. If
Gibson and the Newhalls do not want
to buy our apples, there are plenty
more buyers who do. We can find
a market for our apples without truck
ling to the men who, through misun-
derstanding or otherwise, would I'm.
justly injure our business. We can
easily remember our friends in such
a case, and we can let our enemies
alone.
One of the correspondents whom I
like to hear from is A. T. Richard
son of North Yakima. In the follow
ing letter he makes some valuable
suggestions:
North Yakima, March %, 1909.
Dear Mr.. Walden: l think you ought
to advise your apricot inquirer, and
all newcomers, to include in their
home orchards at least one Hemskirke
apricot. When l came from the East,
with a poor opinion of the apricot,
as a sort of dried clearinghouse
sauce fruit, l was instantly converted
by a neighbOr who handed me q dead-