The Vashon Island record. [volume] (Vashon, Wash.) 1916-1919, 1917-01-25
Increasing Demand for
Fruit and Vegetables

'AN'' - fF'i 'tf''' Nf'NfffN>s N'N
For ProiitY" calls for some comment
from the cannery management.
Without doubt "Iwan Tono'' is emil
nently right when he says "If vashon
Island really aspires to do ANYTHING
along the fruit line 1t must plan and
plant what will grow best, cost least to
produce and in SUFFICIENT QuANTI-
TIES TO interest somebody"
1t is an amazing fact that ninety per
cent. of American families live oil the
groccr's shelf; and their main supply
is canned fruits, vegetables and the
like. A hundred and ten million peo-
pie who get hungry and eat three times
day, to say nothing of foreign de-
mands. consume tremendous volume
OF edibles.
Meat is getting more and more ex-
pensive, and fruit and vegetables are
being pushed 20 the front as preferred
foods, Hence, there is persistent and
growing demand for canned goods.
Vashon-Maury Islands, with their
fertile soil and climate, present almost
ideal agricultural conditions, On the
authority of our distinguished and
scientific nurseryman, Mr.. s. j. Har-
melting, we can grow strawberries,
raspberries, blackberries, hucklcbcr-
ries, pears, apples, Italian prunes,
beans and other vegetables. 10 COM
pete in quality and proiusion with any
other section OF our country. Then
why, Mr. Editor, confne ourselves to
strawberries, Bartlett pears and sour
cherries?
The cannery naturally is limited in
its activities by market demands: but
the market requirements cover all the
berries named, prunes, plums, cherries,
apples, etc, all of which are grown
and can be grown at profit, AT CAN
NERY PRICES, here on our Islands, as
surfing, as "lwan Tono'' very properly
states, permanent market here at
home.
Your fruit grower cannot ship his
fresh fruit to the millions east of the
Allcghanies who reside in cities and
whose wants can not nearly be supplied
by the farmers in the surrounding
country.
Now, the cannery wants quantities:
that is to say, sufficient OF any given
fruit, berry or vegetable to be able to
respond 10 wholesalers order. Take
apples, as an illustration: we had or
ders for 800 dozen: then 1000 dozen:
then up to 2500 dozen all gallon tins
which ship cans to the box. Unless.
therefore. the cannery can get quanti-
ties, il must forego the offered bust
ness and depend on small trade. This
latter is not only Improbable. but it
means high expense in packing, en-
ployment of only few operatives, etc.
The more acreage Of any given fruit,
therefore, the more certain the market
and the operation.
Again, farmer whose orchard con-
sists of number OF varieties of pears
or apples or pluns, etc, does himself
and the eannery no substantial good,
from commercial standpoint.
The Bartlett pear is THE canning
pear; all other varieties are, AT best,
for canning purposes only seconds
and command an inferior price, if TAX
en- at all, The same with apples,
plums, etc. Berries are different, tho
TO n certain extent the same rule APP
plies. 1t is the better policy, however,
to avoid Magoons in the Strawberries,
tho they are acceptable when not rain
ed on Or too soft.
Our Vashon loganberries marketed
last season through the cannery were
The finest offered wholesalers in com
petition with other canneries and
brought the top price. our strawber-
fies and raspberries are equally salts
factory. Our blackberries, many Of
which came from the Des Moines dis
trict, had dozen buyers Tor every can.
We sold all our sonr cherries 10 the
California Fruit Gamers Association,
who offered to bus five times as many
ms we had available. Our prunes have
gone to Chicago. Denver, Salt Lake
City, Kansas City. as well as locally;
and altho contracts called for inspec-
ton OF Samples, we have not lost a
sale. Our apples have gone all over the
United States
Wiah that record, Mr.. Editor, made