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

ing in a Wenatchee paper what pur-
ports to be statement from an apple
grower in which the explanation of
size of the Standard apple box. This
difficulty will occur in any sized box,
whether larger or smaller than the
Standard box. Any one who has ex-
perience in packing apples knows this
to be so. From our packing house
thousands of boxes go out every year
packed in the Standard box and are
straight four tier-some straight three
tier and a few straight five tier. Be-
fore we learned to use the diagonal
broken row system or mixed our sizes,
using some too big for four tier and
some too small. The grower who
makes this blunder recommends the
California box in order to obviate this
diagonal pack, but it will not do it.
The California box is a half inch short
in height and the same in width, and
two inches longer than the Standard
box, holds a little more and is fire.
quently used. We have used the Cali
fornia box in a few instances and for
some reasons prefer it, but not because
it enables us to do away with the dag
onal pack. One objection to the Cali
fornia box is it does not fit into our
wagon beds as well as the common
box We can pack more four tier ap-
~, in nd in
that respect it is to be preferred. Some
growers use both sizes. My impression
is that the trade makes no discrimina-
ton between these two boxes.
There is a custom more or less prev
alent that ought to be corrected and yet
it is difficult to see how it can be done.
1t is this: Buyers in many parts of
the United States try to buy up the
apple crop at picking time and then
force up the price and in this way
make as much clear money as the
grower and sometimes a good deal
more. I do not object to the men who
put their money into apples making a
reasonable profit and in taking their
chances they may sometimes make
very large profit. But if this effort to
force up prices is a settled thing, and
it seems to be such, then here is the
objection I have to it, viz, it tends
to curtail the use of apples When ap-
pies get too high very many people
will stop using them, and this will not
only affect the price Of apples on hand,
but will work injuriously in the use
of apples the next year and perhaps
longer. The very high price of ap-
pies in 1907 was a great boon for the
grower, but I record it as my DELHI
crate conviction that in the long run
it will prove a damage to the grower.
It is true that many buyers got hit that
year, but in some cases it is notice.
able that in 1908 they tried very hard
to make up by making the growers
suffer that the buyers might recoup.
But this is not what I want to object
to, but the prevailing custom Of run
ming apples up after they have passed
into the hands Of the handlers. Keep
apples down to a reasonable price, let
the grower make a fair profit, the hand
Ter a fair profit, but let the consumer
have the fruit at reasonable prices. I
came from my farm in the Yakima
Valley the past September. At that
time we were receiving 40 cents per
box for alberta peaches. On my way
home from the depot I saw the same
grade of Elberta peaches in grocer's
window and they were 80 cents per
box.
Saving the waste in any kind Of bus