The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1910-12-12
PUBLICITY AT
CHICAGO
WINS
Commercial Club Represen
tative Discusses Results
of Recent Land Show.

Wenatchee's display at the big
land show in Chicago recently dem
cnstratei that North Central Wash
ington apples are in a class by them
selves, according to H. 0. Stechhan.
who represented the Wenatchee Com
mercial Club there. Their superior
ity over everything else exhibited in
fruit line was SO apparent to the
rank and file that interested visitors
took the trouble to come back after
seeing the other displays to compli-
ment products voluntarily, says Mr..
Stechhan.
Speaking of the show which at
tracted more than 100000 people,
Mr. Stechhan continued:
"All of the states which have lands
to exploit for settlement, were we'll
represented at Chicago. There were
seventy-five individual displays. OF
this total number, the space occupied
by the Great Northern railway was
generally voted to the most attract
i've in the Coliseum. The foreground
consisted of brilliantly colorel We
natchee apples banked high box
on box against a background of
grasses and grains most artisically
arranged. Attractive pictures of or
chard scenes and mountain grandeur
helped to set the whole display off.
This display was Immediately at
1 he r;ot Of 20 n i1 where
il seldom failed to catch the eye Of
the visitor on entering and served to
elicit a final tribute of admiration as
he left. Exceptional plates Of large
Delicious, Winter Banana, Spleen
berg, Stayman Winesap and Black
BenDavis apples were viewed from
every point None could deny the
beauty and outward perfection OF
our fruit so that before very long
chief interest settled down 10 the
question of flavor.
Michigan apple growers who had
three large displays at this show de-
veloped into the main 'hecklers.
Frequently, when | was talking to a
crowd someone would says But Mich
igan apples are the only ones with
real flavor The only way to an
swer such an argument was to pro-
duce Wenatchee Spitzenberg, JOna-
than or Winesap and cut it up for
| the crowd We had no trouble to
| convince them-even many of the
Michigan people would then back
down.
AT one stage of the game, this
| flavor proposition got so hot that we
proposed to pull off a contest open to
Michigan, Missouri or any other sec
| ton that disputed the flavor Of the
| Northwest apple L. c. Leedy, who
was in charge of the Great Northern
booth, offered to put up five or ten
boxes of apples against an equal
quantity from the other states, and
then leave it to the crowd We put
this proposition up to the manage
ment and they refused to consent,
saving that someone would lose and
they did not want TO run the chances
of making anyone sore. We agreed
that there would be lOser-Michi-
gan, of course-and the management
admitted that Chicago people were
interested in maintaining Michigan
friendship because the state was a
good customer of Chicago.
But all things considered, We
natchee got a lot of publicity as a
result of this land show which should
nrove good investment in time.
Our commercial club directors de-
serve commentator for deciding to
exhibit there. Chicago is the colon
ization center of the United States
today and we ought never to over
look an opportunity Of telling the
people who gather there what we
have to offer the prospective home
seeker. In fact, Wenatchee should
begin to lay plans for next years ex-
hibit at the Chicago land show, right
nov. Then, we'll be sure to be ready
when the time comes.
"One thing is important for us to
recognize and that is that the North
west no longer has a monopoly OF the
homeseekers' attention. Other sec
tions of the country are reaching
out for settlers. | was most strong
" impressed with the aggressive
methods Of the South, in this regard.
Texas. Arkansas, Louisiana, Alaba-
ma and Florida are notable among
those which are taking the lead.
Each state had comprehensive dis
plays, supplemented with half doz-
an active boosters who talked to
every person who would give them
an ear.
LAS a section, the Northwests rep
resentatiou was the weakest at the
land show. In some respects 1t was
A disappointment. to me. Had 1t not
been for the good work of the Great
Northern. Washington and Montana
would have been in the background.
Yakima and Ellensburg helped out
But the large commercial organiza-
tons of Seattle. Tacoma and Spokane
did not participate. Spokane, OF
course. had its own apple show but
the west side was conspicuous by its
absence. Quite few people asked
me about western Washington. The
Union Pacific represented the various
fruit sections along its line in Ore
gon. Several Idaho apple districts