The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1909-12-03

Prof. Van Demsn Also Offers Some VerS
Valuable Suggestions

ngton, u. l., VINO was cnlel OF the
board of judges at the National Apple
Show at Spokane. makes some very In
teresting remarks about the show and
incidentally offers some very valuable
suggestions in a letter written by him
to the officials of the apple show. He
says, among other things:
The Montana people stood at a
considerable disadvantage, because
their climate does not permit them to
grow the same varieties to the same
perfection that are common in Wash
ington and Oregon. The eastern ap
pies from Maine, Virginia, New York
and North Carolina had the additional
disadvantage Of the trip across the con-
tinent and the rough handling that
they get in the hands of the express
companies, but there was an evident
contrast in the color, size and general
appearance of the fruit as compared
with that grown on the Pacific coast,
and every experienced person who has
seen the apples from both regions
knows this very well.
The Jury was made up by me from
the knowledge I have of the pomolo-
gists Of America, and if I had it to do
over l do not think l could have done
better. The four assistants we're abso-
lutely impartial and unbiased, and all
are men of long experience in growing
and exhibiting apples as well as in
judging them. The insinuations made
in one Of the local papers about the
judge from Oregon having thrown his
influence in favor of the car of Spleen
bergs from Medford, which got the
great sweepstakes prize, was slanderous
and untrue. He did not come from
that part of Oregon, but from the Hood
River section, and had no shadow of
interest in the matter except to do
what was perfectly fair
THE high quality Of the Spleen
berg apples and the superior pack gave
the decision. The car of Grimes Col
den came next, which was from the
Yakima valley. Some of the lessons
that may be learned from this apple
show ought to be lasting. One is that
quality should have great deal to do
with the winning, not only in exhibi-
tons but in the market. The eating
Of apples is their greatest and final test;
an apple that is not worth eating is not
worth having, and the higher it ranks
in quality the more it is worth while.
ben Davis and other low grade APP
pies may and will be grown in the
eastern and central states, but they
will always have to take an inferior
position in the markets Of the world.
Rating as to relative quality, as
given by the American Pathological
Society this year, has been put in force
here. This was not the case last year,
and there was strong desire expressed
by many of the western growers that it
should be applied in the judging.
Another lesson that may be learned
is in regard to the diagonal pack as an
advanced step over the square pack.
That is, that the apples should be so
placed in the boxes that they lie one
between three others rather than one
on top of another, as must be the case
with the square pack; for when the
lid is pressed down to make the apples
firm within it one apple will bruise an
other more or less, and sometimes very
seriously.
Zone dangerous enemy was discov-
cred in my examination OF a barrel OF
apples from Maine. They were of the
famous Nod Head variety, which is
properly called Jewett, and is a favor
lite with all the New England people.
The specimens were fair enough exter-
nally, but internally they were any
thing else, because they were simply
riddled with holes made by the apple
maggot, known scientifically as pom
mella. 1t is prevalent in all of the
New England states, and to some ex-
tent in New York, Ontario, Michigan
and Wisconsin, and evidently is march
ing westward. While the codling
moth is bad, this is much worse, be-