The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1916-12-21
SOCIETY URGES THAT
GRADE BE HIGH


ETY. went on record as decidedly op-
posed to proposals that have been ad-
vanced at different Northwestern fruit
centers to lower the standard of grad
ing rules. A resolution. adopted We'd
nesday afternoon, recommended that the
strict rules that have heretofore pre-
vailed be maintained.
The Society launched a plan that will
lead to a propaganda in Oregon for a
greater consumption of fruits at home.
The statement was made that Oregon 8
entire output of fruits, il citizens of
the state would consume apples and
other fruits proportionate to the rate
of consumption eini Seattle. would be
eaten annually by home folks. Next
year, under the auspices of the Horti-
cultural Society, publicity bureau
will be established and grocery stores,
hotels.and the.general public will be
educated to adopt the slogan of, Ore
gon Fruit Products First" Secretary
Minton was instructed to appoint a
committee to take charge of the pro-
posed work, which was suggested in a
report of K. w. johnson, of Corvallis,
chairman of the publicity committee of
1916. Fruit sales agencies will be
asked to make appropriations to assist
in the work.
Sensations of the days meetings
were provided in an address by A. h.
Harris, special writer..of.Ia Portland
newspaper, who. embelishing the topic,
publicity, Good and Bad" suggested
sweeping reforms, ranging from cook
books to metropolitan dailies.
Mr.. Harris opened his address by
readingsan.. advertisement of the o.
W. r. 4 N. Co., calling attention to
the recent National apple show held at
Spokane. The advertisement, as reao
by. Mr.. Harris, enumerated some doz-
ems of items of entertainment to be
provided at the apple show, the distri-
button of apple pies, activities of apple
land princesses and other carnival fea.
lures. including the distribution of an
apple pie to each visitor. So contra.
wise was this spirit of levity with the
ideas of the Portland newspaper man
that he characterized the advertise
ment as the meanest publicity he had
seen in the country in many years.
"Spokane has no right to call the
show the National apple show and fol-
low it with such publicity. This organ
ization should prepare resolution
urging against Spokane calling street
carnival an apple show"
Mr.. Harris presented some half doz-
en- copies of the Spokane Spokesm an.
Review. published during apple show
week, and in which he declared but q
single constructive article, of IL inches
in length, was published.
"Two hundred and fifty thousand dol.
lars of clean money" he said, twas
taken in at Spokane over the name OF
the apple"
Mr.. Harris then touched on the baC
publicity of cook books issued by
church organizations, displaying to his
audience copy of such publication
issued by the Mount Tabor Methodist
church, of Portland.
"Out of 259 recipes, signed by prom
inent church women of Portland, but
IA deal with the fruits of Oregon" ht
said.
While numerous good books on cul
ture and propagation of apples arr
available. Mr.. Harris regretted thu
lack of apple culture of human inter
est nature.
81 know of at least 100 viewpoint
or angles" he said, from which |
man may touch on the apple. hav'
written stories from 81 of these view
points, and hope to touch on the othe
49,"
In his pleas for sweeping reform Mr.
Harris suggested indirectly censor
ship by fruit men of the stories writ
ten by correspondents of metropolitan
papers. He read a Hood River dis
patch to the Oregonian, reciting prob
able frost damage at the time of tn
November cold weather.
"lf | were fruit grower" he said
81 would take care that nothing o
that kind ever got out of town again
Aside from whether it is a fact or not
it is decidedly bad publicity"
Other addresses of Wednesdays ses
sions were delivered by Robert c
Paulus, of Salem, president elect fo
next year; A. c. Allen, of Medford
horticultural commissioner for south
ern Oregon; A. B. Cordley, director o
the Oregon experiment station. an
Prof. j. K. Magness, of the Orego
Agricultural College.
Mr.. Allen, who told of the evolutio
of orchard inspection and law enforce
ment in Jackson county, elected marke
attention. He told that in the pas
Jackson county had expended as muc
as $4,000 per year on inspection. an
that the investment was considered
wise one. The present yearly approI
ration. he stated, was 5000.
''Io have strict enforcement o
laws" said Mr.. Allen. "a fruit com
munity must have the cooperation o
its growers, its business men and it
officers. OF course. the provision mad
by horticultural laws for the confisca
tion of diseased trees is an aid to tn
inspector. But we found anothe
means of carrying out our plans. |
our county. as is the case elsewhere,
suppose, we assess land set to appl
and pear trees a good deal higher tha
ordinary agricultural land. Our as
SCISSOR had been assessing each tree a
an approximate value of $40. But W
found that the greatest menace iron
disease came from the little backyard
orchard. These trees formerly wer
not being assessed. We put the prop
osition up to the assessor, why shoul'
we who made business of orchardinI
be assessed on our trees. when thos,
who we're merely playing with them
we're escaping payment of taxes Of
their backyard trees?' Our assesso
saw the point, and every tree in ou
county was assessed at the rate of 81
downward. The plan worked beauti
fully and eliminated numerous diseas
breeders"
Mr.. Allen said that southern Orego
orchard districts, because of their close
ness to the older fruit districts of Cali
fornia, we're more open to disease pest
than other sections of the state. 81
other Words" he said. 'you peopl
here get your disease pests only afte
we have had them. They come to yo
by the southern Oregon route usually.
Under the constitution and by law
of the Horticultural Society the forms
| olootion of of6corc mucf ha hald /