The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1916-11-23
APPLE SHIPPERS
ARE LEARNING
'l6 FRAUGHT WITH COSTLY LESSONS
Car Shortage and Cold Weather Point to
the Need Of More Storage Ter
minals in Northwest

While the beginning of the 1916 mar.
keting season for the huge 20. car.
load crop of Northwestern box apples
has been fraught with expensive les.
sons for growers, because OF the ab-
normally cold weather and a shortage
of refrigerator cars, sales agency off.
cials are coming to the conclusion that
ihe lack of rolling stock TO move the
fruit to market has been really bless
ing in disguise. Had sufficient num-
ber Of refrigerator cars been available
nearly all of the bumper crop of ap-
pies would have been rushed to market
ing centers before this date, and a
chaotic marxet condition would most
certainly have resulted. Despite the
much talked of car shortage, the total
number of cars moved from the North
west up to Monday, according to re-
port of the Fruit Growers Agency, of
Spokane, reached 9,726. On the same
date last year the total shipments
reached 8, 406 carloads, far in excess of
a half of the total yield for 1915.
The car shortage. officials say, has
tended to prevent disastrous gluts. and
a price, such as will return profits 10
growers, has been maintained. While
orchardists have lost heavily from frost
damage and have incurred the added
expense Of having to move their prod
uct to market in ordinary box cars that
have to be heated and attended by
crews of men to look after them, their
losses might have been extremely
heavier, had the condition Of over sup
piled markets and sacrifice prices pre-
vailed.
On November 20 last year shipments
from the Apple Growers Association
had totaled less than $50 cars. Up to
Monday total of 600 carloads of the
1916 crop of apples had been shipped, a
figure somewhat in excess of the
total tonnage for last year.
As result of the severe freezes
throughout the fruit districts of Ore.
gon, Idaho. Washington and Montana
which have taken an estimated toll of
Is, 500, 600. the construction of storage
plants, the cost of which will reach
we'll up into the hundreds of thousands
of dollars, will follow next year. it is
predicted. With storage facilities,
commensurate with the crops of apples
produced. growers agencies will he in
a position not only to combat tie ele-
ments, but to prevent glut of mar.
kets, which heretofore has caused ap-
pie growers greater loss than all
other conditions combined.
= While the Hood River valley coopera.
tive agencies of growers have terminal
storage warehouses capable of handling
approximately 600, 900 boxes of apples,
these buildings have been inadequate
this seapon. No increase in local stor-
age plants, however, is predicted for
several years to come. But scores OF
individual growers are already making
tentative plans to erect private plants
to care for large portions of their crop.
Hood Rivers total loss from the cold
weather is placed at maximum of l5
per cent. money loss Of S225. 600.
Less than half of this sum would pro.
vide an adequate space for the protec.
tion of the apple crop.
For a period of FIVE years apple grow
ers have been studying and cropping for
some means that will make more stable
their industry, which has frequently
felt the touch of disaster because of an
inability to maintain profitable values
for their fruit. In period of less than
six weeks a car shortage situation and
an early winter freeze have directed
their eyes in the right direction. TIE
vital need. as is now agreed by all rep
resentative apple shippers of North
western fruit districts is that of more
storage warehouses. This phase of an
industry, reaching far into the millions
of dollars in the four Northwestern
states. will from now on become one OF
the chief topics of discussion. 1t will,
according to statements made by local
men, form one of the chief problems to
be touched on at Spokane this week.
The Growers Agency. the clearing
house for market data and progressive
ideas, will give the new movement an
| impetus.