The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1910-02-04
PRIZE APPLES WERE DISEASED
Claim Also Made That Pack Was by
No Means Uniform
U. S. Department Finds That Carload OF
Rogue River Apples Awarded First Prize
at Spokane We're Badly Infected

The department of agriculture has
passed on the Rogue River apples,
which won the first sweepstakes prize
at the second national apple show at
Spokane in November, and has found
that the apples were affected with
some disease, thus confirming the re-
ports, says the Yakima Republic, brot
back from the show, when it was
claimed that the Yakima valley should
have received the prize instead Of sec
ond place.
The opinion Of the department was
secured by w. w. Sawyer of Seattle,
who owns the R. D. Young ranch near
Sunnyside, and who exhibited the car of
Grimes Golden, which won the second
prize. Mr.. Sawyer was convinced from
an inspection of the Rogue River APP
pies at the show, as were also many
other fruit men, that the apples were
diseased, and he took advantage of an
opportunity he had to follow the car Of
apples and to secure the authoritative
opinion from the department.
Mr.. Sawyer has just arrived in North
Yakima from the east and he brought
with him two of the apples that had
been examined by the department,
each sample showing clearly the small
dark spots indicating the disease.
Speaking of how he had secured the
opinion he said:
AT the apple show I noticed the
spots in plain sight on the apples in
the Rogue River car of Spitzenbergs
that was given the first sweepstakes
prize. AS I was planning to go east
to give an apple show in Philadelphia I
took occasion to follow the Rogue
River car, which had been sold to an
eastern firm.
Il found that the car had been
handled by Crutchfeld & Voolfolk of
Pittsburg, and upon reaching Pittsburg
l was told by this firm that the car had
been sold to a commission house in
Washington, D. c. Crutchfeld and
Voolfolk gave me letter to this firm
which I presented when l reached
Washington, and was introduced to the
person who had bought the car.
The car was still practically intact
and box Of apples was selected at
random and was opened in the pres
ence of representatives of the commits
sion. In their presence I took out
twenty apples and found signs of dis
ease on eight of these twenty apples.
Il took these samples to the divi-
sion OF pomology in the department of
agriculture for inspection and exami-
nation. The department at once pro-
nounced the apples diseased, but they
were not absolutely sure as to just what
the disease was without making a
microscopic examination. They said
they would make such an examination
and report later. They asked that the
samples be left there for this examina-
ton, and so that photographs and
paintings could be made of them.
These paintings have been made and
show clearly the disease spots.
Another thing that might be said
of these Rogue River samples is that
one of the two boxes that were select
ed was a small fourier apple and the
other large three and one-half tier
apple. This merely indicates that the
apples should not have won the prize
on the pack.
Mr.. Sawyer followed this car and had
the examination made chiefly for the
purpose Of satisfying himself that the
statement made at the Spokane show,
that these apples were diseased, was
correct, and not for the purpose Of
complaining or protesting. He is not
willing to believe that the judges de-
liberately gave the prize to a car of
apples which they knew were diseased,
and is inclined to believe that they
examined only one or two boxes in the
entire car, and that the apples in these
boxes happened to be without blemish.
The Story is Also Denied