The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1911-06-22
MARKETING PROBLEM
TOLD BY GROWER

Below is submitted the third ana ma
of a series of letters from an UppeI
Hood River Valley orchardist TO al
Eastern friend. The letters appeareC
in the Omaha, Nebraska. Sunday
Bee"
Dear Jim: | can see you in you
easy chair before the fire. smoking al
usual, visions of glorious life Of
freedom on the farm coming 10 yot
through the clouds of smoke. Perhaps
you have been reading some OF The
advertising matter sent out from thi;
western country and the pictures Of
farm life are SO brightly colored thai
you think fortune merely awaits youl
coming; and, as the smoke curls up
ward your air castles take form anC
become so real that you are ready {
board the next train for the Pacific
coast. You rejoice in the prospect OF
freedom from the grind Of the Office
and the domination of superiors, anC
long to be in your own orchard, nC
longer servant, but lord of all yoI
survey. Ii all seems so easy as yot
sit by your cosy fire ON a winters
night and picture yourself enjoying
days sport now and. .again at fishing OF
hunting, or driving along the beautifu
country roads behind spanking high
stepping team, while all the time tht
hired man and Dame Nature are
making the golden sheekles for you
All, yes, 'tis pleasant thus to dream
but Jim, don't forget that on the
farm there are no legal holidays, NJ
Saturday afternoons off. Instead o.
the easy chair in the shade of the
porch there is the hoeing in the ho
| fields and the golf stick gives way t
the pitchfork. No, sir. my boy farm
ing isn't having fun in the country
| it's business.
In my last letter | tried to convey t
you some idea of the work put upon al
orchard in this western country, wher'
fruit growing is business to produc'
perfect apples, and now a word on thu
packing.
For years good appls had been grown
here, but they failedsto command NOR
than ordinary prices, as they lacket
one essential thing-proper packing
A number of growers got togethe
in 1903 and 1904 to see where improve
ments could be made in handling tn,
apple crop, and the Hood River Appl'
Growers union is the result of thei
efforts. This union is stock company
capitalized at $25, 900, all the stool
being held by growers. 1t owns
ware house and cold storage plant a
Hood River and one warehouse out il
the country, and present plans are +
enlarge the storage facilities as rapid.
as possible. Early in the season tn
union conducts packing school
instructing how fruit should be packed
and when the students become pro
ficient they are given union STAN
and sent out among the growers
wherever. they are tneeded. Grower
are not allowed to pack their ow
apples. These packers are fully in
| formed as to what the union requires
and, as they are held responsible, no
only for the pack, but also for tn
grading of the apples. a strictly homes
and uniform pack is assured and tn
union can place the apples on tn
market with entire. confidence.
Not only are the packers fully in
structedtbut the growers also receiv
how to pick, how to sort and grade
and advising as to every detail, eve
down to the hauling.
There are three grades of apple
styled fancy, choice and orchard rur
Fancy apples must be graded Uniform
ly as to size, must be sound, smooth
free from bruises, worms, worm sting
or disease and have proper shape TO
the variety. Red varieties must hav
50.per.cent. at least, good red colo
and some, as Spitzenburg and iona
than, 70 per cent. The choice grad
consists of sound apples, uniforml
graded as to size, free from breaks i
the skin or black bruisessand free fror
worms. Apples with small scabs ar
allowed in this grade, but anythin
which Injuries the quality of the appl
is culled. 1t sometimes is not cor
sidered advisable TO grade the cheape
varieties in this way and we, there
fore, havesthe orchard run, which il
cludes all apples in the other tw
grades and some which would othei
wise be culed. My Delaware Reds
Ben Davis and Baldwins were packe
orchard run this year.
In this connection, my experienC
this year will show how strict the
spection before the union accepts tt
fruit from the grower. Acting upo
advice given me, picked the Spitz. tW
to three weeks before they had take
on the full RED color necessary. I'll
apples were perfect in every way at
looked strictly first class to me. I
we'll as. to the union packers and the
were accordingly stamped Fancy
and semitic the union. In few da!
| | was notified that the Spitz. wei
under color and had been placed to OF
side, waiting instructions from me ;
to whether Iswished them repacked
nv expense or.graded back to choic
| took the latter course and suffered
r severe loss.
v You may be interested in KNOWN
9 more about the pack. Here we u
: two size boxes, the Oregon, insi'
dimensions in inches 18x103x1lA, al
California, 20x10x11, for the reas'
that certain sizes fit better in one thi
in the other. The apples are pack
: either in straight rows or diagonall
the later'pack, not being quite so nes
: but muchlmore practical, because ca
apple fits s'into the hollow made by t
apples below, instead of resting diret
ly upon the apple underneath, as in t
straight pack. AS the size of t
apples varies, so the number of tie
= in the box varies, as follows:
Three-tier contains, 45 and 81 apple
ThreeIand one-half tier, contains,
1880, SO, SO, 104, 112..and l20.
Four-tier contains, SO, l04, liz, Il
D and 128.
Four and one-half tier contains, II
l65. and IT'S.
Five-tier contains, 1875 and 200
Of course all apples are wrappt
the boxes are lined with white papt
and blue cardboard placed top a
bottom and between each two layel
and when all-is'done the packer STAN
9 the box:with his union number; a
the variety and number of apples
the box and the grower puts on
stamp, showing name and addre!