The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1914-10-15
APPLE CROP is
ON THE MOVE
RECEIVING STATIONS ARE BUSY
Carload Shipments Being Routed to All
Points Of the United States Job
bers May TabbO COnsignments

Until the 1914 Hood River valley ap-
pie crop is stored or shipped the ware
houses Of the Apple Growers Associa-
tion will daily present one of the busi-
nest scenes in the state of Oregon.
Scores of wagons, piled high with
clean, white boxes Of fruit, file by the
receiving platforms IN steady train,
depositing their burdens. The Associa-
tion is receiving now daily average of
IL, 900 boxes of fruit, or Is carloads.
OF this quantity about half goes into
the big storage rooms Of the Associa-
tion, which have a capacity of 450, 900
boxes. The other half is being routed
out to the markets of the United
States and fair proportion for export.
.sUp to the present time the Associa-
tion has shipped approximately 100 car
loads OF fruit, most Of which has been
sold T. o. b. Hood River. The cars
have been routed to points in Texas,
Nebraska, Minnesota and California
and to New York City. Some of the
apples will go TO England.
The greater portion of the picking
will be completed this week, provided
no bad weather prevails. The earlier
estimate of a million boxes crop will
shrink to the extent of perhaps 100, 900
boxes. The quality Of the fruit was
never better.
Despite the European war, the apple
exports SO far this season show an in
crease over the same period of last
year. Apple exports from all American
ports for the week ending Saturday.
October 3, were 1923, ,096 barrels, as
against 60, 443 barrels for the same
period last year. About half of these
apples were shipped from Montreal and
Halifax. Ten days ago, according to
the Packer, it looked as IL there would
be no boats out of these ports to carry
apples. but late reports show that the
shippers secured space. A good deal
of the apples shipped from New York
in the week above mentioned were
from Canadian orchards.
Up to Saturday, October 3, the total
exports for this season were 25l STA
barrels as against l76, ,273 of last year.
From reports, movement is on foot
among the commission men of different
cities to put the marketing of apples
on more secure basis. The following
dispatch from Seattle shows the trend
of the new movement among the job
bers of that city:
Western avenue jobbers are en-
deavoring to assist Washington grow
ers to living profits on apples by hold
ing out individually for 81 to $l.25 for
Jonathans. Several of the older and
larger houses acting on this idea as in
dividuals have asked that price from
all buyers who wanted the best fruit.
Only for some of the smaller houses,
whose principal revenue comes from
the consigned fruit and the commits
sions paid them, this standard of val
ues, jobbers declare, could easily be
maintained.
on the street for several years and
have witnessed the frequent changes
in ownership of firms that were short
lived declare the consignment plan,
which growers have permitted to thrive
and wax fat. is responsible for much
of the Generalization of the present
apple price. They maintain that job
bers who do not buy the bulk of their
fruit and produce outright encourage
consignment direct from growers, in
order, without risk. to take Is per cent
commission. The result is that day by
day. with no governing factor to pre-
vent it, orchardists indiscriminately
send fruit to this market already over
loaded. only to suffer the loss of profits
as jobbers endeavor Ito get the offer
ings into the highways of trade.
Zone day recently there were II car
loads of apples on the railroad tracks
for this market, the bulk of which was
consigned. There was grand total in
fruit and produce of 81 cars for that
day. This showing was not extraordi-
nary, but was typical of the reasons
for losses to the actual producers under
the consignment system.
There is now concerted effort on
the part of the Oldest houses to put
the business on an f. o. b. basis that
is, compelling all jobbers to buy their
stocks outright, as in other lines of
commerce. In this way il is pointed
out. there would never be need for
publicity campaigns to sell the apple
crop or for demoralized markets. I'm
less the plan originates with the grow
ers. however. jobbers insist that il
would be likely to meet with failure.