The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1916-09-21
PEARS COMPARED
WITH APPLES
Geary Tells Of New York lnveStiga
tiOnS

Geary Tells Of New York lnvestiga-
tiOnS
During the three years that the
writer was in charge of an orchard in
southern Oregon, which were l9l0-ll-
1918, he was impressed with the fact
that the net returns on apples were
variable and unsatisfactory while the
prices received for the pears Of the
Rogue River valley netted profit and
we're satisfactory. Year after year,
the growers of Comice, Bose. D'Anjou
and Winter Nellis pears have received
prices varying from $l.75 to 81 4. o. b.
shipping point. The main problem with
US in southern Oregon has been that of
production. The returns have been
uniformly good.
This steady scale of remunerative
prices has not been due to the fact that
these fruits are not grown elsewhere.
The Bose is grown extensively in New
York and in many other localities. The
Winter Nellis, the D'Anjou and Comice
are grown on large scale in the Sac
ramento valley and can be grown in
other fruit producing sections.
The Bartlett pear is grown in Texas,
Colorado. New York, Michigan and in
practically every fruit growing section
OF this country. Despite the fact that
Bartletts must be harvested and mar
keted during very short period of
time and that they are grown every
where, they have been profitable crop
in the Rogue River valley.
! Bothered considerably by the unsat-
isfactory returns received for apples,
| determined to take my law course at
Columbia Uniersity. where l could get
acquainted with market conditions pre-.
vailing in New York, the largest mar
ket in the world. During my law
course in New York, spent Saturday
afternoons and summer vacations get
ting acquainted with the jobbers,
agents, brokers, commission men, auc-
tioneers and the other factors in the
New York market.
Pears Sold at Auction
A matter that surprised me was that
pears and all these other fruits from
the Pacific coast, prunes, cherries, or
anges and lemons, as we'll as fruits
from Sicily, Spain. Florida, CUBA, Ja-
maica and Venezuela were sold through
the great daily clearing house auction,
held either at Erie Pier 20 or at the
Fruit Auction building, 204 Franklin
street, while the box apples we're dis
tributed mainly through a few large
com mission houses.
found that these commission houses
were selling the bulk of the box apples
not to retail stores and the like, but to
wholesalers.
1t appeared to me then, just as it ap-
pear now. that the apple raising indus
try of the northwest is doomed to dis
aster and to final bankruptcy if each
box of apples must contribute to the
up.keep of local association or organ
ization, to New York representative
of the association, to big commission
house apple operator, to small whole
sale dealer. and finally to the retailer,
hotel, steamship or railroad company.
l asked every New York market man
that met why it was that box apples
| were not put through these great clear.
ing houses where they gather the trade
of the city and neighboring territory
each day. The representatives of the
California and Florida shipping associ.
ations. as we'll as the representatives. of
some of the larger agencies operating
in the northwest, answered me that
apples should 60 on the auction and
undoubtedly would in time. They in
formed me of the fact that the north
western apples we're being sold at auc-
tion in England and Germany.
But when ! put this question, as
often did. to these box apple operators,
| received such conclusive answers as
ut won't work."
Light Breaks
Gradually it "dawned" that twelve
or thirteen commission houses in New
York City had monopoly of the box
apple business. and that this was not
true of any of the branches of the fruit
business that went through the auction.
These box apple operators were and are
buying fruits I. O. b. in Florida and
selling them at auction in New York III
preference to using their own stores,
tecause the shippers in Florida have
taken exclusive control out of their
hands
These big operators were getting
supplies for that portion of their busi-
ness which has had to do with furish-
ing the retailers from the daily auc-
tions, while they we're selling through
the auctions to the less than carlot
wholesalers, "string store" represen-
tatives, hotels, railroads and steamship
companies, except the box apples,
which went at private sale through
their stores to both the retailers and
the wholesalers.
Trade Opposed to Box Apple
l found an unsatisfactory spirit
among the members of the trade re-
garding box apples. There was no en- |
thusiasm or speculation in their buy
ing OF box apples, as these had to be
procured from one of the twelve or
thirteen box apple operators. The sit
uation was quite different with the |
other fruits, as members OF the trade |
we're on an equal basis with the big |
fellows at the daily auction sale. 1t is
inherent that a man dislikes to pay |
profit to a rival and that is what hap
pens when "the less than carlot"
dealer buys box apples in New York
City.
All this explains why went to the
auction house and asked them for pic
lures with which to illustrate talk to
be given among neighbors in the Rogue
River valley.
/ thought that it was time that
through personal interest in the orch
ard business, if through no other, some
one should make an expose of the pres
ent heartrending situation that con-
fronts the apple growers.
There was a time few years back
when the box apples were handled d.
recfIu hu the hin annla nneratnra The