The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1914-09-11
HOME STORAGE OF FRUIT
SAVES GROWERS DOLLARS
Warren 0. Dow, Mgr. WenatChee North
Central Fruit Distributors Gives
Reasons for Home Storage

Considerable comment has recent
ly been made concerning a bulletin
issued by this office urging our
growers to provide and use as far as
possible home storage facilities.
We wish to call the attention of the
growers of this district to past prac-
tice and in some cases, present
practice of storing fruit.
In many centers of the middle
west and east, such points as Chi
cago, st. Louis, Niagara, New York,
Minneapolis, Detroit, ETC., are large
cold storage plants. 1t has been the
habit for several years of different
local organizations and growers,
placing in these plants hundreds of
carloads of apples. During the sea-
sons of 1912 and 1918, no less than
1000 cars of Wenatchee apples
were thus stored. Two thousand
cars make 100000 boxes. The
average cost of of eastern storage is
20 cents per box. Add to this the in
terest on freight and other costs not
existing under home storage con-
ditions and you have an average
cost of 26 cents per box. This
made {. grand sum of 1927, 10000.
This sum our growers paid, and
will continue to pay If the same pol
icy is pursued.
ANY organization having suffici-
emf tonnage can secure storage in
outside plants, provided they a1e
willing to shoulder the heavy cost
on the grower-a cost which few
growers understand. and which sell
dom Is shown on the growers
statements. The Wenatchee-North
Central Fruit Distributors has re-
ceived numerous letters from large
reputable storage houses urging
them to use their plants.
There are a number OF very
vital reasons why as a policy, IN
frankness, justice and economy to
our growers, we urge home stor-
age.
Where Storage is Least Expensive
First and most important is the
burden of expense. Every organic
alton working conscientiously for
the good of the growers should
have this uppermost in their
thought. Home storage whether it
be cold or common is invariably the
least in cost. A box of apples
stored at shipping point will cost
from 5 cents to Is cents, depend
ing on conditions and nature OF
storage; this cost will include the
assembling and loading. When
fruit is stored away from shipping
point, the average cost is 20 cents
per box, adding to this the cost
of assembling and loading at ship
ping point which will average .
cents per box and which in home
storage is provided; add also the
interest on freight which is another
cents per box and you have a
minimum average cost for every
box of fruit stored away from ship
ping point of 26 cents.
The average cost of home stor-
age, including both common and
cold. also including assembling and
loading costs, will not exceed IL
cents per box. If the grower pro-
wide their own facilities, it can be
done for much less than this This
means that if we had or would pro-
vide home storage facilities, there
could be saved on every box of
apples, at least the difference be-
tween 26 cents and IL cents, or
IA cents per box. This means that
a grower who would store 5000
boxes would save $4,000. This
might in many years mean the dill
ference between profit and loss, be-
tween success and failure, between
removal of Indebtedness or fore
closure of a mortgage. In our
thought, "a very vital difference.
One of our local bankers-a man
who has for many years had the
best interests of our growers at
heart, said "That during 1912, the
Wenatchee District was on the debit
side of business $50O,000.00." This
amount would have been materially
reduced, possibly entirely eliminat-
ed. If our growers had been taught
to provide home storage.
Where Fruit Has It's Greatest Value.
Home storage places a selling Or
ganization, (mark a selling organic
ation) in a most advantageous posi-
ton to sell the fruit. A box OF
apples has it's highest value at ship
ping point. The moment it leaves
shipping point it loses some Of the
essential elements of value. NO
sooner does a box of apples leave
shipping point until it loses its in
dependence. 1t is bound with GER
tain limitations; limitations of ter
ritory in which that box of fruit
can be consumed; limitations OF
freedom at what price that box can
be sold.
Let us illustrate; when you store
a box of fruit in st. Louis, no long
or does that box have the world as