Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1909-04-01
WESTERN COMPE-
TITlON IN APPLES
Idaho Apples Prove Good Shippers
and Command Highest Prices
on Eastern Markets

w Washington. Philadelphia and New
York. In all of those cites l have
found the fruit stores and the markets
we'll supplies with fancy fruit shipped
in baskets from the states of Idaho.
Oregon. Washington and elsewhere
throughout the west. Each specimen
comes wrapped in paper and each
apple is perfect specimen without
wormhole or blemish of any kind.
did not find an apple on which the
fruit stem was broken. The braekage
of the fruit stem would be considered
defect. There are no bruises upon
the apples caused by shipment.
The varieties l found offered were
the Grimes, Stayman' S Winesap. Spy,
Banana, Jonathan and Ben Davis
While in most cases l found the name
of the variety stenciled on the box,
| discovered that the eastern markets
could not inform me as to the true
name of the variety they were selling
Stayman's Winesap the dealer said,
were Spitzenburgs.
Some of these western fancy apples,
notably the Jonathan and Arkansas
Black apple. were so firm in texture
as to be scarcely in good condition for
eating After keeping these apples
two weeks they did not soften, but
had tendency to wither. Stayman's $
Winesap was in prime condition for
eating. ! feasted upon this apple all
through my trip. 1t is of good quail
ity and of tender flesh.
y At Washington the price of fancy
apples shipped in boxes from the west
was cents each. / saw some North
, ern Spys offered at Washington at 10
cents each but these were of marvel
Gus size, beautifully colored, the best
Spy apple ] have ever seen. At New
York City these fancy aples were sell
ing at from 6 to 10 cents each. with
slight reduction when bought by the
dozen. Oranges in all of the three
cities were selling at less than half
: the price of these apples.
| inquired of the proprietors of
v these eastern fruit stores if they kept
any western New York apples for
sale. The reply was that the western
New York apples were down and out.
there being no call for them on ac-
count of their not being we'll grown
.s nor well packed.
1t is as plain as the nose on your
face that there is good demand in
"a all of the large cities for fancy APP
If pies at from cents to 10 cents each,
but it is equally plain that such apples
at present are grown and packed only
% in the west. If you will look in this
rs exhibits in the eastern states. yot
II will see a few apples almost equal
ling tie western fancy apples in ap
!, pearance, but you cannot buy q ear
4 load Of these fancy apples 81 any bu
~ the western growers.
This question arises. Are eastern
Il, apple growers satisfied to grow low
grade of apples allowing their western
competitors full control of the fame.
MS markets by means of which the west
he ern fruit growers get more for small
k box of apples containing about a hal
cy bushel, than the eastern fruit grove
as gets for barrel of apples containing
about three bushels? 1t is possibl
for the eastern orchardists to gro'
x as fine apples as the western orchard
y produce But this will require ne'
- methods throughout. We have a
'e good soil as the east. In order t
succeed in growing apples we must Sc
''N that the trees are properly prune
not only to prevent overbearing, br
an to permit of a reasonable amount {
m sunshine to color the fruit; we mus
in keep the soil enriched and cultivate
iss and in dry seasons must irrigate OF
Ter orchards. / am of the opinion thu
i'll it will pay to irrigate the trees eve
ith if the water has to be hauled fc
that purpose. Remember there
scarcely any limit to the expenditur
ere of labor and money upon apple tree
as which are a producing fruit whic
the retails at from to 10 cents each.
an. Eastern fruit growers have more {
nst stake than simply profits of fame
lch fruits They have the reputation {
the fruit growers to look after We
in the eastern states should be ashams
on. of the present conditions of affai
in and the poor showing that our fru
the makes in comparison with that of tt
ul- fruits of many of the western fru
ar growing centers. &C. A. G..