The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1912-07-26
MORE ABOUT THE
GRAPE QUESTION
Letters From Durham and
Buskirk of Special
Interest.
BY G DUNHAM.

There has been great deal OF talk
about the difference in the price OF
grapes last season between Michigan
and New York. | made the statement
that the Southern Michigan Fruit asso-
citation pooled out a better average price
than any other shipper in Michigan or
New YORK states, and that statement is
true. Our average price was 8 10
cents per pound basket. This Included
every pound basket OF black grapes
shipped, and the average was obtained
by taking the amount of morey received
for s pound baskets and dividing it by
the number of baskets shipped, whether
they brought what they were sold for
or went to pieces and had to be sold for
wine prices or even less, as did some.
The largest shipper in New York state
Is the Chautauqua & Erie Grape Go.
with headquarters at Westfeld, who
handle /, 800 cars, and as we handled
last season 1915 cars, we beat them by
over 400 cars The next largest is VIM.
n Wise who handles 1000 cars, then
comes Dean Bros. and George E. Pierce,
each handles about $50 cars; next is
Crawford Bros. with $50 cars. There are
quite number of others who handle
smaller quantities.
The &. & h. Co. made an average OF
90 cents per basket for dry grapes, and
others averaged from 90 to 10 cents,
but these averages are all for dry grapes,
or in other words, for grapes that car.
ried to market all right aud brought the
prices they were sold for. All cars that
arrived at destination leaking and
mouldy and so had to be sold for what.
ever they would bring for wine we're put
10 a class 10y themselves and 60. figured
in making their average price. They had
! hundreds of such cars as we'll as we did
| They did not figure theirs 10 for 40 av-
erage price, but we did Another thing
most Of the New York shippers do is TO
make an average of daily prices instead
of basket average as we do. 1t makes
no difference how many cars are handled
in a day the price for that day only
counts the same as though there was
only one car. For instance, we handled
II cars one day and pooled at IA, while
another day we only had one car and
that pooled at l9 cents and making a
daily average it would be 1872, while the
actual average of the whole would be
but small fraction of cent more than
the II cars pooled at, so you can readily
see it is not fair average. Our average,
If figured the same way and including
all baskets shipped figures up 957, and
should we leave out those that we're in
oh 10, do IA
higher
Owing to the continued and nearly
steady rain after September 10, grapes
after that time were very tender and
! hardly car went to market in even
fairly good condition, while none were
in perfect condition. In fact. a number
OF cars were leaking so badly that when
the car door was opened the Juice ran
out onto the ground. Nobody was to
blame for this as it was all chargabe to
the weather. Nearly all the grapes
shipped from New York state to the
western markets arrived at destination
in worse condition than ours did aud
but very few of them returned the ship.
per over 500 per car, which is less than
81 cents per basket.
Michigan has about the same amount
of grapes as last year, while New York
has less and with good weather during
shipping season we should obtain sati,-
factory prices, but OF course under ex-
listing conditions we cannot obtain as
good prices as we would we're the grow
ers all in one association so that prices
could be held as high as the grapes
could be moved instead of competing
with ourselves.
We are still furnishing baskets at
s2l 80 with jumbos at S45, and il you
have not secured your supply you had
better do go at once or you may find
yourself with ripe grapes and nothing to
put them in. We have signed up a mum.
Der of new members, but have room for
all the growers in The belt and would be |
glad to welcome all who are not now
members. Any grower interested who
will come to the Lawton office we shall |
be glad to show jus. how our business
is done, how our books are kept and ex.
plain all workings of the association;
also show you just what our prices we're
any and all days you wish on both has.
ket, grapes and bulk stock.
&. DUNHAM,
Mgr S. NJ. f. A.