The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1917-05-31
STRAWBERRY
DAY SET FOR
WEDNESDAY,
It Is Expected that all Markets
of Northwest will be Plenti-
x fully Supplied
HARVEST ADVANCING RAPIDLY
Receipts Have Jumped from Few
zetCrates to Thousand Daily
No Labor Shortage n

Wednesday, June 6, is to be observe
thruout the Northwest as Kennewic
Strawberry Day. It is expected b,
that time the picking season in tn
Kennewick- -Richland district will hav
reached its height and that the mar
kets of the Northwest will be sufici
emily well supplied so that the price o
berries will not be out of reach of tn,
modest pocketbook.
Strawberry day was observed las
year for the first time and commission
houses, retailers, hotels, restaurants
soft drink parlors and railway con-.
panies responded to the call and made
Of it big success. The only handi-
cap last year came from this end OF
the line. Weather conditions were
such that the supply ran short of the
demand on Strawberry Day and as a
result prices went up in nearly every
market in the Northwest. This re-
suited in the criticism that prices had
been manipulated in anticipation of
the heavy demand that would come
from the publicity that had been given
the day in advance. Increased prices,
however, were due to shortage of
stocks.
To obviate this criticism and to be
sure Of an ample supply of stocks the
Commercial club has set the date at a
time when the picking season is well
advanced and shipments will undoubt-
edly be heavy. A committee composed
of A. R. Gardner, E. w. Trenbath and
Lee M. Lampson was named at We'd
nesday's luncheon to spread the news
over the Northwest.
Now that the belated ripening sea-
son is really here daily pickings have
jumped from few scattering crates
the first of the week to nearly 1000
crates yesterday and today's ship
ments will probably pass the thousand
mark. The quality is getting better
as the season advances, the moderate
~ warm weather of the last few days
having been ideal ripening weather.
lhe grower who few days ago was
praying for warmer weather is now
paying that the weather will get no
warmer until the picking season is all
over. A few scorching hot days would
npen the berries faster than the mar
kets could handle them and bring to
market a lot Of soft, over-ripe stuff.
with favorable weather conditions the
peak OF the season is expected by the
middle of next week.
According to Sales Manager L. j.
BLOT Of the Spokane Fruit Growers
company, who are again marketing
tne berries for the -Richland
marketing Union, the market is not as
good as it might be owing to "war
economy" and heavy shipments of Cal
norma and Eastern berries. Mr.. Blot
ueileves that by the end of the week
tnese foreign stocks will be pretty i
wen cleaned up and is hoping for a
oetter tone in the market and brisk
e demand. He is of the opinion that
unless unforeseen conditions are con-
ifonted returns to the growers will be
very satisfactory. Because of abnor- i
nai conditions and the practice of
ngla economy in nearly every house. {
Aoiu ne does not expect the average
pflce for the season to be as high as 6
last year.
with the exception of few scatter II
- patches the entire crop is again be- U
s marketed thru the Kennewick- q
: Union. General Manager P. a
: rarks' of the Spokane company, is
Iere !. with his Office force and is giving i
als personal attention to the business r
md of the deal. =
"a, yet there has been no labor '
i'age IN the patches. H. w. Ache n
On' representative of the federal la p
~, y, bureau, who rendered such effici-
~ ~ service last year is again on the Ia
W. ~, with Offices in the Commercial p
luz rooms. Mr.. Acheson said today G
as ~ ne looked for an adequate supply D
.Spor thruout the season. The first LEI
'ne week Richland growers exper- la
;".eo ;"' some difficulty with L. W. W. "
e's VINO struck for higher wagestn