The Kennewick courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1905-1914, 1911-06-02
BERRY P|CKERS
HARD At WORK
The Commission Houses are Busy
Places These Days-Pnice
Holds Steady at $500


This week is the height of tho
strawberry season in the Kennewick
valley and Monday evening was the
big night" as over 1000 crates
were brought to the city for ship
ment. The greater part of these
were handled by the Chas. H. Col
Inns Co. and the Fruit Growers As
sociation. The output from these
two houses for the week is estimated
to have been $500 crates and the
shipments of the growers who do
not ship through the commission
houses will bring this number up
to the six thousand mark. The
past few days of warm weather have
brought sunshine to the faces of
the growers and the berries have
ripened with marvellous rapidity,
renewing the demand for pickers
and packers.
With the exception of Nelson
Williams, zone of the growers speak
of the years yield as exceptional
and in most cases it is on par with
that of last year. Mr.. Williams
expects to market 100 crates off his
patch of three-fourths of an acre
and the berries are of unusual quail
ity, packing four to t he side in the
boxes.
One of the largest berry fields in
the valley is that of Frank Emeigh,
who has a nine-acre patch. The
yield is not as good as last year and
will not be over $50 crates. Twenty
five pickers and five packers are
caring for the crop which is under
the superintepdence of L. S. Cross
land.
w. H. Witt has one of the pretti-
est patches in the valley. The soil
is well cultivated and the plants are
in perfect condition, making the
berries large and we'll favored.
w. H. Allison, aided by seven
pickers and three packers has
handled his two acres of berries and
has shipped direct to commission
houses in Seattle. Spokane, Great
Falls. Helena and Minneapolis,
commanding top notch prices. He
expects the seasons yield of market
able berries to be over 800 crates.
Highland berries are up to the
standard of last year and are con-
sidered among the best shipped cut
of the valley. F. R. White, W.T..
Mann, Joe Hess, w. L. Craver,
Fred Kadow and the Keene Brothers
are the heaviest shippers. Berry
growing bids fair to become one
of the staple industries Of the High
lands as over one hundred and fifty
acres have been set to plants this
spring. In a few instances full
crop is being borne by plants set last
August and next year the output
from the Highland fields will he
enormous.
B. F. Neal is one of the principal
growers this year whose crate ship
ments will run into the hundreds.
Louis Dern, J. S. Motter, H. N.
Anderson, and Rev. Delepire and
w. H. Durham are among the Sec.
z growers who have average crops.
The nine-acre patch of J. Ser
combe's is yielding we'll above the
average, and they are all good,
large, finely favored berries. For
the past week or ten days he has
been shipping upwards Of fifty or
more crates a day, and for the
most par: has shipped independent
ly.
There has been little fluctuation
in prices for several days and the
growers are rushing their berries
to market while the 50 per still
holds steady.
| Most of the Richland berries are
handled by the Chas. H. Collins
Company and many growers on the
Hig ghlands and in the lower valley
handle theirs through the Fruit
Growers association. About one
hundred and fifty farmers handle
their berries through the commits
sion houses.
! One more week will see the finish
of the season which on the whole
,, has been comparatively good, al
though the cool weather has cut
3 down the yield to a considerable
extent.