The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1914-05-21

Inc Dig problem tho orchard o
y 1T faces these days, and it is . o
= problem for commercial pur- =
. poses, q part Of his work, ID the .
= disposal Of his crop. Mr.. Steph- .
= ems has few ideas well worth o
. considering on how to obtain o
= the maximum cash yield from o
. apple orchards. .
90 o @~~~@~~~~~%%%~ o
BY E. T. STEPHENS.
HE commercial apple orchardist is
] often asked by his friends, "Do
you hope to find room to market
al the apples you are growingf" In
my own case ! expect to produce in a
single season three hundred to four
hundred car loads Of apples from the
orchards in my care.
What are the conditions surrounding
tho future market of the commercial
applet Recently, in Lincoln, Neb., |
found Ben Davis grown in Kansas sell.
ing at wholesale for So barrel. Jona-
thans at $3.50 a barrel, and other va
rieties in barrels at similar prices.
Western box apples, wholesale, are sell
ing at 1926 to $2.75 box. The Yakima
Fruit Growers Union is selling Wine
saps I. o. b. Yakima, Wash, at $2.25 a
box. These prices are extraordinary,
and arise from the fact that the crop
OF apples for 1913 in the United States
with boxes computed in barrels, was
only 25,000,0oo barrels as against 45,-
100000 barrels for the crop of 1912.
Production on Increase.
The average production of the United
States for the last ten years has fallen
to not far from 30,OO0,O00 barrels an
nually. Whenever the crop falls below
4O,000,00O barrels the commercial grow
or may be sure Of good prices for his
apples, if property grown, packed and
marketed.
On the streets, my friends tell ME
that oranges are as cheap as apples,
that while the consumption Of oranges
10 up to the limit of production, the
orange does not take the place Of the
apple. The apple can be eaten for
many months in the year and can be
cooked in many and varied ways. 1t
will be difficult to develop any other
fruit which will really supplant the
apple in the markets Of the country.
People tell us that by persistent ad-
vertising, wide distribution and fore
ing the fruit into consumption, ofttimes
by very low prices, they have been
able to increase the consumption of
the banana from 10000 to $4,000 car
loads annually Their effort is to make
the banana the fruit Of the workman
and the child.
Millions Of Trees Planted.
The apple orchardist has these con-
ditions to contend with. He must or
ganize campaign Of education, call
ing attention to the many and varied
uses that can be made Of the apple,
and must endeavor to inaugurate diff
ferent systems Of distribution. Under
previous methods, too many carloads
Of apples were shipped to the large
centers. The smaller towns, able to
handle car or one-half car, were often
overlooked and neglected. The retailer
usually asks for moro profit for his
work in distributing apples than the
grower can hope to make on the entire
years work.
To illustrate: In my home town /
supply the local merchants with ap-
Piles at $3.50 box, and they immedi-
ataly dispose Of them at $2.25 a box, a
profit OF SO per cent on an article in
his hands but few days. Should these
apples go on the stand or be sold by
the grocer in small lots, the selling
price is likely to be doubled. This phase
Of distribution will require earnest at
tention.
In the matter of production, we know
that millions of apple trees have been
planted in Montana, Washington, Ore
Ron and Idaho. These states have the
climate, soil and water suited to large
production. What then will happen to
the millio of trees planted in the
states and sold TO nonresident inves-
torsi
Incompetent Grower In Fix.