The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1916-06-01
BERRY SEASON
WILL BE OVER
LAST OF WEEK
Other Districts are Shipping but
Kennewick- -Richland Berries
are Still a Big Factor
SELLING UNION MAKES GOOD
Gamers Are Bringing as Much as
Extra Fancies Did at this
Time Last Year

By this time next week the locs
strawberry season will be practicall
over and new record in the market
mo of the Kennewick- -Richland straw
berries will have been established
a record which it is believe,
has forever banished the open con
signment and home competition an,
which means permanency for tn,
method of marketing the berries un
der one control.
Not withstanding the fact thai
nearly every strawberry district il
the Northwest is now represented il
the markets, Kennewick- Richland Der.
Z ries are still topping the list and ev.
ery day the local Union is forced te
either cancel orders outright or turr
them over to Hood River or other dis
tricts. With the last end of the crop
coming up and the quality on the de-
cline the berries are being quoted
out today at $2.25 and $3.50 a crate
and are selling readily in competition
with other districts where berries are
now at their prime. Seconds, or can
ming berries are today bringing $1.35
q crate and there is an adequate de-
mand for all offerings at this quota
ton. Last year when the season was
this far advanced extra fancies were
bringing several cents less than this
price. Growers then were just skim
ming their patches, picking only the
choicest berries. This year they are
picking clean and proitably market
ing every sound berry.
Sales Manager Blot said this MORN
ing that there has not been a day
thruout the season when it was pos
sible for the Union to fill all it's or
ders. He now has an order for one
car day for the next seven days in
Salt Lake, which it will be impossible
to fill. The seasons experience has
led Mr.. Blot to believe that the pos
sibilities of the strawberry industry
IN this district have hardly been
scratched" There is marketing ter
fltory for the Kennewick- Richland
berry, he says, which as yet has never
been entered. He refuses to limit the
marketing area to the Northeastern
states but is so optimistic as to ven
ture the opinion that there is such a
tnlng as successfully marketing the
kennewick- -Richland berries in Cali
iornla. By way of experiment Mr..
Blot sent small shipment to San
francisco and has received word that
they caught the immediate attention
OF buyers in that market who passed
many favorable comments upon the
quality Of the berries and the general
attractiveness Of the pack.
At the beginning of the season the
seattle Post-Intelligencer was devot-
ing considerable space each day to
the high-handed methods employed
Oy the local Union and took occasion
% say some rather unbecoming things
u the quality Of the berries. Warm
weather, however, has had as benefic-
al influence upon the Seattle press
IS 1t has had upon the Kennewick ber-
y patches. In yesterdays P-I the
'ollowlng adorned the market column:
Inc uniformity and high standard
u the pack of Kennewick strawberries
.aaependent of pools, has kept this
,ult over the ordinary market price
nls year, and, in the opinion of job
'erS today, has placed it where it can
ave no competition during the larg-
portion of its season. 1t is pointed
~ tnat any growing district of this
'ate that desires to life itself out of
uuen OF the uncertainty of marketing
Onoltlons and insure profit can take !
,o'e : OF the Kennewick berry pack. I
.n,lormity in measure, color, flavor
Au size, every pint cup this season i
as oeen found exactly as indicated
y 'he top layer of the fruit, and job
CTS declare that this is the first time
'ne history of the street that such a
onuitlon has prevailed in the berry
=, ,aae' Buyers were apparently will
e 70 pay the high prices demanded,
au at all times the supply has been