The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1911-11-23
AN INJURY TO THE COMMUNITY.

AN INJURY lU lhE UUMMuNlIf.
In the Portland, Oregon Journal, the
issue of last Thursday evening. there
appeared on the page Of market reports
a story to the effect that Hood River
firm was making purchases of apples
from the Wallace orchard of the Will
lamette Valley and shipping them to
different sections of the country as
Hood River Apples. The article is re-
printed in this weeks columns of the
Glacier.
The Hood River Valley because Of
its peculiarly adapted soil and climatic
conditions and the cooperative and
scientific endeavors of its growers has
been enabled to pro luce apples of GER
tain varieties that have foremost
place for quality among the fruits Of
the world today. Through the methods
of its selling union. which has estab-
lished a far reaching reputation for
the reliability Of honesty in dealings
and pack, the big world markets have
come to the point where the fruit is
purchased without question on its mer-
it's. Such record is one, truly, to be
pround Of.
The action on the part OF the fruit
dealers, who make purchases from
other districts of apples inferior in
quality to the Hood River product and
sell them under a Hood River brand,
is an INSCRIPTIONS thrust at the pres
ent reputation that the community and
the Union has In the market world.
The process may be, and undoubtedly
is, more profitable to the different
dealers handling the misnamed fruit,
but the disastrous effect will result
from the frame of mind in which the
ultimate consumer is left. 1t will he
hard to explain TO him that he has not
been using bona fide Hood River grown
apples. Such may be the result II the
apples are merely shipped as packed
by Hood River fruit firm. The label
of pack will be exhibited prominently, |
while the ultimate buyer may never
see the small stamp of the place OF
growth. If the apples are labelled and
sold as the product of one section,
while they have beer grown in another,
the action is contrary to the statutes
of the state of Oregon. which require
that, every box of fruit must be
stamped with the grower and his resi-
dence.
A review of such dealings during the
past years will show their i'll effects
upon the market. Several years ago
shipments of apples were made from
other districts and the fruit was la
belled as Hood River product. The
apples were placed on sale in New
York. They were greatly inferior to
Hood River apples. Consumers bought
them and found them no better than
any other cheaper apples of other dis
tricts, and the sales of theswrongly |
labeled fruit was injurious to dealers
handling the superior Hood River fruit
on a legitimate basis. Whatever a
dealer may say, ii is a well known fact
that no region in America can produce
a Spitzenberg of the general excellency
and keeping quality of the Hood River
product. The bad result of former
years may naturally be expected to
follow such dealings as those an
nounced in the Journal.
Looking at the matter from another
viewpoint, that OF the region in which
the fruit has been grown and granting
il may be Of excellent quality, even
granting that it may be as good as
Hood River fruit, Of what benefit will
it be to the growers of that region to
allow their fruit to be shipped under
the brand of another community
Indeed such methods by fruit deal
ers should have the absolute disap-
proval Of every individual fruit grow
ing community and state wide senti-
ment should be created against it in
such measure that it would be impos-
sible.