The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1916-01-21
The Problem of The Apple Grover

I4A fNesF~AAi " ~
Fools" said the poet. rush IN
where angels fear 10 tread" Atths risk
Of achieving distinction i the first clas-
gihcshon We are vsnturiDE here some
conclusions based On observation. Il
those conclusions do not appeal to the
Judgment Of those who have made
apple growing and marketing n ocou-
patton We VII ex-ac, conior from the
reflection that orr intention vas TO DO
good. Not forgetting, tho, that the
road TO the neither world is paved with
ius. such uasubstantial mental effort.
The fruit growers Of the Wenatchee
valley received : fair but moi by any
means a fancy price for the apple crop
Of 1918. Leaving ont Of consideration
exceptional years. such as widespread
crop shortage, they may never again
receive fancy prices However, with
returns based on last years results the
fruit industry Of the Wenatchee valley
can prosper and increase. Certainly
slipshod methods vii have to give way
to something akin TO scientific meth
DDS. Not only Of growing but market
ing the fruit products OF the valley.
The satisfactory returns ior the 1915
crop were due il no small measure to
the shortage il the eastern and middle
states. Nov. il is reasonable to pre-
sumo that with z normal crop al
over the country the returns this
year may not be renuneratiye 10 the
Wenstchee valley grower. What
then is the staggering problem
that confronts the apple growers Of the
Wenztchee valley, OF, Tor that matter.
the apple growers Of the northwest7
What is necessary to be done, what
methods nust be followed to put apple
growing on a reasonably sound basis?
Because II follows that unless this can
be done our chief industry is in 4
somewhat precarious condition. Ourown
conclusions are based on observation,
covering a period Of almost fifteen
years, and are herewith submitted, IN
the hope that they viii help to solve a
problem in which every citizen Of the
valley is deeply interested.
The northwestern apple is in q class
By itself and the grower must depend
for his profits on superiority TO most, If
not all, the apples grown in this coun-
try. An aspiring young lawyer once
asked an old practitioner what he thot
his chances were to make success at
the bar. The wise old guy replied,
get to the top. There is plenty of
room there to make a success and
make money. The bottom Of the pro-
iession is crowded and the chances are
not Aattering or promising"
1t is much this way with Washington
apples. For success. or profits, we
must look TO the top grades. There is
both room and profit there if We con-
fine ourselves to the first grade. Pos
sibly the second grade may also be in
cluded. Out Of the lower grades We
may never hope to make profit ex-
cept in short crop years. Only the
higher grades viii stand the long haul
transportation charges to the far east
where there is a market for extra fancy
apples. Il is our belief that an every
year market can be created for Wenat-
che valley apples on the score Of their
superiority to all others. The
cheaper grades are practically excluded
from that market by excessive rates in
competition with the cheaper apples Of
the eastern and middle states on &C
count Of their proximity to the east
ern market. All Ut lower grades
must be converted into by
products. In a condensed form they
can better stand long haul chages,
Otherwise it is better to feed them &c
hogs.
The buyer of the eastern states mus
be Observation-Disclosures to the ex'
cellency and superiority Of our bes'