The Kennewick courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1905-1914, 1913-05-30
SEASON
NOW AT HEIGHT
City Markets Clamoring for Local
Berries and Paying Top
Prices

Down at the Fruit Growers ASSO-
citation warehouse any evening now
one may witness a scene of unusual
and interesting activity. The straw
berry season is almost at it's height
and along about dusk the canvass
covered loads of red-cheeked fruit
begin to line up at the warehouse
platform. They come from all
points of the valley and in all sorts
of conveyances, from the great four
horse loads from the Richland dis
tricts and the automobiles from the
Highlands down to a few crates
stacked in front of a single buggy.
From six O'Clock until midnight
the half dozen men on the associa-
TONS force and the local dealers
and assistants are pushed to the
utmost to mark, assert and load the
berries in the baggage cars spotted
at the warehouse platform to be
picked up by the east and west night
trains.
Shipments during the past three
days have totalled about 1900 crates
Of which the Association has shipped
some $500 crates. Of this number
about 2700 have come from the
Richland district. Tuesday was
the biggest day, 1900 crates going
out that evening which included
solid car, iced, for distribution in
Vancouver and Victoria. The
market has remained extraordin-
arily good and the association and
other dealers are having trouble in
getting extra fancy stock to fill their
orders. The price has ranged from
$3.50 to $3.50 during the week, and
the quotations yesterday were $3.:75.
| One year ago at this date the grow
ers were receiving $2.65, which
furnishes striking example of
what may be accomplished by in
telligent marketing on an f. o. b.
basis, combined with quality and
honesty of pack.
| Hood River, White Salmon and
| Milton berries have just begun to
reach the market, about ten days
later than the local season. Ken
newick second grade or canning
stock is bringing s2.OO against 81 go
for California stock.
The Richland growers have been
having trouble in securing pickers
and packers, as result of which
they were unable to pack most of
Mondays picking and had tc mar
} ket about 800 crates in the best
shape the circumstances would
allow. Wednesday morning all the
Richland business men closed their
} places and went out in the fields to
} help pick and pack the fast matur-
ing crop.
} Inspector Hamilton and Sales
!, Manager Perham of the Association
! are doing their best to see that
} nothing smaller than 5 by SIS 60
out marked as extra fancy. Few if
} any of the growers are showing a
!, tendency to disregard the grading
: : rules and little fault is being found
! except by owners of some of the
older, neglected fields where the
berries are running small.
AS result, the market is eagerly
taking all the Kennewick berries
that are offered, at top prices, and
the growers are elated. Next year
,, will probably see big increase in
acreage and the present fields
worked under more scientific
, methods. This years gratifying
: returns will surely awake the grow
ers to the realization that ours is
the very best berry district in the
Northwest and big returns are as
sured to him who takes care of his
crop, put mp a quality pack and
markets it with d scrimination.
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