The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1912-09-04
APPLES IN BARRELS
FROM NORTHWEST?
Seattle Commission Man Foresees
Change With New Shipping
Trade by Canal to Europe

attic commission man, Northwestern
apples will be shipped in barrels to
Europe by way of Seattle before
many years In an interview recent
ly, he gave the following very inter-
the apple growing industry in it's re-
lation to the terminals about to be
erected in Seattle:
The problem which the apple grow
ers will have to solve in the next few
years will be that of larger markets
and how and where to produce them.
In my judgment the problem will
drive the apple producing sections of
this state into using when possible the
so-called storage in transit rate.
without any outlet by way of the
Pacific boats, they must go into the
eastern states, which are very largely
apple producing states. Then the next
movemen will be to enter the Euro
pean markets. This is not practical
BILE at the present time on account Of
the long and expensive haul across
the continent and the inferior man
ner of handling apples by the ships
crossing the Atlantic.
Subject to Decay
THE inferior system referred to
has special reference to apples in
boxes, as they are more subject to de-
cay than they would be put up in
barrels.
THE outlets which they are enti-
tied to, in my judgment. will come
about after the opening of the Pan
anna canal
1T will be up to the steamship
people to furnish for this business
cold storage facilities and reasonable
rates, as the apples will go into Eu-
ropean markets in competition with
fruits from the eastern states, and
furthermore, in competition with peo-
pie who have been doing this bust
ness for years.
II am firmly of the belief that this
will create a demand for large cold
storage facilities to carry the crop
from month to month.
when comparing our apples with
the apples produced on the Atlantic
coast we have several advantages over
the eastern product, which I believe
it will be impossible for them to
overcome. First of all our trees here
produce on an average of 80 per cent
of high grade fruit.
Fruit Smaller in East
I'm placing 80 per cent of the crop
as merchantable, we have in mind
the size of the fruit, its general APP
pearance, wavor and keeping quail
ties On the other hand we under
stand that in the eastern apple sec
In, "a
question of the size of the fruit, that
they produce only 20 to 80 per cent
of merchantable fruit, the remaining
70 or so per cent being non-mer-
charitable when the size is taken into
consideration. This is an advantage
we have over the east. Furthermor
the experience of the growers has
demonstrated the fact that we have
practically no off seasons. We have
seasons when the trees bear heavily,
but we never have seasons when there
is crop failure. / make special ref
erence to this because it indicates the
regularity of the business.
TT has been estimated by careful
observers that in the next ten years
the crop will run $4,000 to 100000
cars of apples. l have never been
willing to put 1t over $4,000 to $4,000
carloads AS a basis of computing
tonnage, $4,000 cars would be, when
reduced to barrels. three boxes to the
barrel, 100000 barrels. or $4,000
tons weight measurement.
Local Consumption Small
1.-THE local consumption of this
crop will hardly be placed over 5p.per
cent. AS to what the result might be
when we come into competition with
the eastern apple, established as it is
in the eastern markets, we would have
to form our opinions from results al
ready obtained in those markets.
1.-The California apple is fully SO
per cent below the value of our APP
pie.
"Our apples have been transported
across the Atlantic with facilities thai
are not in keeping with modern
means of transportation. Apples on
tn, Atlantic are loaded with a rope
sling or net, when they should be
loaded with a stiff sling.
Economy in Barrel
oThe box has answered very nicely
up to the present time. My conclu-
sions are that, though, from the
standpoint of economy, labor, time
and money, the barrel must be in
troduced for the movement of our
apple crop. / am of the opinion thai
the apple barrel saves rs cents as
compared with the boxes, allowing
that three boxes represent one bar
rel. 1 am certain that there would
no n large economy of labor and this
is very important item. l am also
sure that barrels could be handled
more economically when leading OF
unloading, from either cars or steam
ers. and that in cold storage the bar
rel serves better than the box, and
still makes a safe cargo to stow.
When the period of time between har-
vest and winter is so short, these are
very important items"
Benefit of Contrast
"Pll have to insist on that mans