The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-11
E BIG RED APPLE-By Fra1,k c. Crpente,

may be an enormous g1ut in the market | This is a possible situation which the present investor in apple lands should | consider. Even if the 6O,00o,O00 barrels
 were correct, the product 10 years from now, supposing the orchards Just plant ed to come into bearing, will probably be far in excess of that figure.
 CO-Operation and Advertising On the other hand, by cooperation ano advertising and the proper handling of the crop there is no doubt that the United States will consume, or export, all the apples that are now being planted This is one of the big works which Uncle Sam Is doing. One branch of the bureau Of pomology is devoted to 1t. It has its agents at home and abroad, and it's in- spectors are instructing the people. Our export of apples has already reached 100000 barrels, and at reduced prices greatly increased. What we need is tho same kind of work that has been done by southern California as to it's orange crop. ' The organizations there have so systematized the shipping and marketing that oranges are cheaper than apples in most parts of the United States. I dropped into the Center market here in Washington, yesterday and asked the price of some No. Wenatchee apples. was told that they were 75 cents dozen, or more than cents apiece. I then picked up naval orange which was larger than any of~the apples and was told that 1t was selling for 5 cents dozen, or less than 3 cents apiece. One can buy oranges and bananas in any town and in almost every grocery store in the country, and there are many regions where oranges are sold and apples are not. This is mere ly matter of prices, handling and mar keting. The apple will keep longer than the orange, the latter being a perishablc fruit. Nevertheless, the apple Is the dearer and the harder to get
 Said one of Uncle Sam's fruit experts:
 When every family in the IInten States classes the baked apple as one of its breakfast dishes. and lets it crowd out some of the cereals there will be no trou ble about the consumption of the app,e crop
 Grading and Foreign CompetitiOn
 1T our apple industry is to be per inanerty successful" continued this man, We must have rigid inspection aud absolute honesty as to grading and h'aihetiHS AS II Is now there are too many trlcks in the trade. In the nortll- west this is prevented largely by a CO., operation and state inspection If q man ships poor apples or grades poor ones as good ones. his apples are thrown ont by the shippers and he may lose q whole carload by a bad box or so. In canada the government inspects all tne frult, not only that which goes abroad, but that sold in the local mar tets and the man who sells No. 2s as No Is, or culls as good apples is liable to line. There are fixed ways of pack Ing and grading. and the inspectors go from orchard to orchard and report
 Stovepipe Packing
 Have you ever heard of stovepipe this man went on. That has been done with some of our apples which have been shipped to England and Germany, and has greatly injured the trade It has also hurt the sale of our apples at home"
 What do you mean by that?' I asked.
 'I mean the laying three or four rows of fine red or yellow apples on the bottom of the barrel, fitting them in so that they look like fancy No. Is, and then placing inside the barrel paste board cylinder, which would hold about ! busllel or one-third of a barrel. This Is so set that good apples can be fitted In around 1t and when that Is done the cylinder Is filled with culs It does net come within five or six inches of the top of the barrel. After filling,