The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1916-01-13
FRUIT MARKETING IN
The NORTHWEST
(By h. F. Dsvidson)

Marketing the 1915 northwestern
boxed spple crop is largely q MATTER
Of history. Prices have not been ex.
tremely high, but they have been good
and growers will have money of their
own as profits to put In the banks to
their credit.
The crop has been sold down to prac.
tically two varieties, Newtown Pippins
and " inesaps. both late keeping spring
apples. and at least so percent Of these
two varieties have been disposed of.
When the northwestern growers re.
ceive above dollar q box for their ap-
Piles, on fair yield. they make money.
ard the 1915 crop is bringing them
nice profit above q dollar q box for the
extra fancy and fancy grades.
In each of the large fruit growing
districts Of the four northwester rn
states-Oregon, Washington, Idaho and
Montana many substantial local mar.
keting firms have grown up with the
orchards and have interwoven their
affairs with those of the communities
in which they operate by establishing
personal friendships and condolences
and by using their financial credit to
assist growers who are not financially
able to grow and harvest their crops
unaided; which in some cases is more
or less of q continuous proposition
from year to year. and in this way
those packing and shipping concerns
have established themselves and kept
themselves established in their respec.
tive localities to the extent of control.
ing the marketing of large percent.
age Of the fruit crop Of these four
states.
Theoretically, the big marketing or.
ganizations which have been formed to
handle the large tonnage are about
ideal. but to large extent these big
marketing organizations have been
handled and managed by men who did
not have the confidence and support of
the local shippers: with the result that
no organization up to the present time
has been able to cnntrol a sufficient
percentage Of the tonnage to maintain
sufficient control over the distribution
whereby it could 0bain what appeared
to the growers TO be maximum results.
The men who are managing these big
marketing organisations are men of
the very highest type; have the conf
dence Of the growers and bankers gen.
orally, but they have the competition
Ut the local shippers whose personal
acquaintance and knowledge Of local
conditions, added to their ability to ex-
tend credit to local growers. has divid-
ed the control OF the Tonnage 10 the
extent that the large organization
have not enjoyed the opportunity to
test the theory Of centralized distr,bu-
tion and selling with proper control of
the tonnage.
1t was demonstrated in 1918 that on
short crop year, when the demand
exceeded the supply at highly remun-
erative prices to the grower, that
large organization with only so per
cent control could distribute and mar
ket that part of the tonnage in man.
ner that materially strengthened tn,
marketing situation and for the first
time in the history of the northwestern
fruit industry, since 1t assumed any
considerable volume, prices actually
advanced and the advances were main
tanned during the heavy part of the
marketing season.
1t was just as clearly demonstrated in
1914, with considerably larger crops
and with markets curtailed by de-
pressed financial conditions and the
European war. ard when there was
really a surplus above the actual de.
mand at profitable prices to the grow
ers, that the organizations could not
maintain any substantial influence In
the markets with but so per cent OF
the tonnage under control.
1t is freely admitted in the north
west that there are orchards enough
now growing to produce big 81 plus
of fruit above v hat can be marketed at
profit to the growers. Under the
haphazard hit and miss conditions
which must of necessity exist when q
number of small shippers are working
independently of each other in each OF
the producing districts and it must be
determined within short time whetht
the future crops will be marketed in q
systematic way or whether the deal
will be along the ''starve out" route
and the survival of the fittest result In
the elimination of too big o percentage
Of orchardists and present fruit acre.
age.
At the moment. Hood River is the
only district which has practically no
competition within its own district.
This district has an organisation which
is marketing very large percentage
of this product. and the result of this
seasons operations will enable the
growers of that district to determine
whether or not this plan Is successful.
The Hood River crop this season hap
pens to be largely of export varieties,
which is serious handicap under the
strenuous European war conditions.
but good headwsy is being made by
personal representation in Europe and
that portion of the crop suitable for
domestic markets is we'll nigh market
ed with extremely satisfactory results.
The fruit growers of the northwest
! find it difficolt to get together on any
practical and efficient lines. When a
! grower located in Hood River he did 60
because he knew 1t was the best fruit
district in the world and was soon
taught that all other districts might
be forced out of business while the
natural advantages of bis district in
producing big yields of fruit of 90
much finer quality than any Of the
other districts could produce would en-
able him to make profit when the
growers in the other districts were
forced to make losses and discontinue
the business. This same line of argu.
ment has applied to the growers who
located in eacn of the big districts and
has not lett the growers Of southern
Oregon, for instance, in q frame Of
mind 10 feel the necessity or propriety
of cooperating seriously with the
growers of southern Idaho or We
nstchee, and THE same thought applies
to many growers 10 all of the promi.
nent sections.
Experience shows that there is an.
ether class of gentlemen, who are
fewer in number, most of whom see
the handwriting on the wall. and II
appears to be up to these gentlemen,
the shippers, to work out practical