The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1917-11-29
EVERY APPLE
IN THE BOX
BY NEXT WEEK
with Packing of Few Thousand
More Boxes Apple Harvest
Will be Over
HUNDRED CARS IN STORAGE
Greatly Increased Facilities Must be
Provided Before Next Years
Crop is Ready

Next week will bring to close Ken
newick's apple harvest. That is, the
last box of marketable apples will
have been packed and ready for mar
ket. At noon today there were but
two or three loads of apples that were
mot in the warehouse and safe from
frost and with the exception of the
Spokane Growers company, all Of the
houses had closed their packing plants
for the year. This company will fin
ish up next week.
More than that, the bulk of the
crop has been marketed and at very
satisfactory prices, it being estimat-
ed that the seasons average price for
all varieties and all grades will run
close to $1.25 a box.
The total apple crop of the valley
will be close to 450 carloads of which
therea re still 105 carloads in
storage in the several warehouses.
The Spokane Fruit Growers have SO
carloads in their house, the Kennewick
District Fruitgrowers has 40 carloads,
the Pacific Fruit & Produce company
II, and the H. H. Davis company, four.
Within the last few days the mar
ket, for some reason unknown to local
dealers, has gone to pieces and ship
ments have eased up as a result,
Dealers, however, arc not alarmed at
the slump in prices and believe the
market will soon right itself.
This year demonstrated that, not
withstanding the fact that two large
warehouses were built this year, adj
ditional facilities must be provided.
This was really Kennewick's first ap-
pie year and the tonnage, with normal
crop conditions, will be greatly in
creased next year and each succeed
ing year until the young orchards
come into full bearing. Every foot of
warehouse space and every packing fa-
cility has been taxed to it's capacity
this year and only ideal weather con-
ditions saved the growers from loss.
In speaking of the necessity for en-
larged facilities Manager H. w. Des-
oranges, Of the Fruitgrowers' associa-
tion said: "What Kennewick needs and
needs badly is cold storage plant
, with capacity of at least 500 cars
The growers should get awake to this
fact and begin immediate plans fol-
such plant. 1t will take consider.
able money to erect such a plant and
am not prepared at this time to say
how the enterprise can be financed
but it is matter which should be Civ.
en- careful consideration this winter
c. G. Lennon, local manager fol
the Pacific Fruit & Produce company
says that from the very beginning o.
the season their facilities have beer
taxed to the utmost and if they arr
to increase their tonnage next yea.
they must increase their facilities. A
a start in this direction Mr.. Lennon
intends to install next year new Cut
Ter grading machine with daily ca
pacity of 1000 boxes. This will prob
ably also mean increased warehous
space. E, ~.
The need for expansion is also fel
by the Spokane company, whose ware
house erected this year was intende
to meet the needs for several year.
For weeks every foot of space in tn
building from floor to ceiling has bee
utilized and at times during the ses
son is has been necessary to sh,
down at the receiving end until tt
congestion in the house could be r.
lieved.
All in all this has been a bann,
year for the Kennewick fruitgrowe
While in some instances the grow
has not received as much as he wan
ed or thought he was entitled to, Il
prices, generally speaking, have be,
very satisfactory. Peach prices we
especially satisfactory and few or
complaints are being voiced by Il
peach growers. Altho the avera,
price for all peaches marketed tn
all channels is not available at I'll
time, it will not be far from so Ger
a box. The Fruitgrowers ASSOCIATE
has just completed final tabulatio
on their peach returns. The avera
- ,.ERaa ss &