The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1912-08-14

| Her1ect1On OF Grau1ng
when the fruit was received at
the packing house, it was graded most
carefully. Such grading / have never
seen anywhere. Pears which had a
slight imperfection where they had
barely touched, a slight black mark
say one-quarter of an inch long and
not as wide as a pin, were put aside
for the second grade. They grade
| their pears much closer than most of
the apples are graded here. I could
hardly believe it, I took one sample
thrown out by grader to the owner,
and asked him what grade it be-
longed to. Why, seconds, of course.
Don't you see that black mark. You
die not get it out of first box. did
your / said no. but is 1t possible you
can find 1t profitable to throw out so
many pears which in other orchards
would pass as first class?' He said,
I do, and later on will show you why.
This he did, and ! found that his
highest grade sold at from % to 30
cents box above the market price.
1t cost him a few cents more to
grade, but that was all, and he lost
nothing in the end, and was estab-
fishing an almost invaluable reputa-
ton for himself and his orchard and
especially for his district
/ California Pear King
From there l went to Sacra mento
and had the pleasure of meeting the
man, called by the chairman of the
California Fruit Growers Convention.
The Pear King of Northern Califor-
| MA. l found him an extremely in
terestlng man and much pleased that
any one from Washington should
nave come so far to see his meth
DDS. He told me that ten years ago
he was working for a dollar a day.
| Now he owns or leases some 500
acres. On two pieces he owns he
told me that he figures on a crop of
Bartletts of about 1900 tons this wear
| This is on 100 acres. l was told by
outsi ,ers that he will clear up some
$780, 900 this year, and had done it all
| in ten years. 1t is true, his father
4 was the first man to bring Bartletts
into the Sacramento valley in the sos
/ and these same trees were pointed
| out to me, still bearing good crops of
fruit.
i Every Box Is Weighed
II was there several days, and
looked this orchard over carefully.
Some of his trees had one from Is
to 20 boxes, and most ran over 10.
His picking season extended over
/ about five weeks. The pears were
p' lSed just as soon as they had got
to IA inches and mediately shipped
east He goes over his entire orchard
five to six times. Does not thin,
merely props when necessary. Or
chards were not cared for much, lots
of weeds, poor buildings, crude sur
roundings Packing house an old
shed. Dust SO thick all around that
i they use some $40 worth of straw to
keep it down, but the same wonderful
pack. Every pear which goes in the
New England Orchard is about as
perfect as can be. They are all care
fully hand graded, and every pear is
rubbed and polished afterwards with
a cloth. After it is packed, the box
goes to the scales and must weigh
about So pounds. A variation of a
pound is allowed, but If more, it goes
back to the packer to be overhauled
If they pass, the lining paper is drawn
over, and a blue ribbon with an in
scription Bartlett Pears without a
Blemish' is tackled diagonally across.
/ Still Better Grading
1.-The owner tells me if he wants to
grade still more carefully, he will
pack pink cheeks by themselves; the
cents more box for them. Isasked
him the question, Does it pay to
grade so closer Pay, of course, it
jlpays; do you suppose / am. in the
business for fun? He said my pears
II roJx, h4 CT, 1c1ni r, nan :
panies, and the best hotels. I am
told that orders are given to buy so
many boxes of my brand at the mar
ket, before they are shipped, some
/ times a year in advance. Do 5Nou
suppose they would do that did they
not know just what they would be
when they got them? / said L no.
tice you are shipping under two
brands, one the New England Orchard
and the other 'Marysville Orchard
Why he said, anything which is
shipped as New England Orchard is
the finest l can raise. I don't want
to take the chance of buyers not
knowing the difference between
choice or fancy. Whey they ask for
that name, they can only get one
quality, and yet our second grade,
he continued, will sometimes bring as
much as our first, where people don't
know the difference While l was
there the phone rang and he said a
wire had just come where his first
car had just sold in New York for
$3.50. Doesn't 1t pay to put up the
best possible fruit?
Good Sale to Canneries
II asked How are you going to be
able to handle all this fruit and get
1t packed fast erRugh when the rush
strikes YOU OH he said, I don't
intend to ship but about 20 cars, and
have already sent is. l am only
packing out q car n day But what
DO you do "ith the rest of your pears?
They go TO the canncry' is there
any marcy In that Well, he said,
last year 1 made a contract with
thom at $40 per ton for five years.
reserTng a certain amount 10 go
green. They paid $50 last year, and
we had a heavier crop than this. How
ever, the canneries are now paying
| $25 ton
! He TIA me how his brother had
| lost some so acres in as fine pears as
his, by blight. There was very little
enterprise and great difficulty in get
ting people to fight 1t. Lots of the