The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1918-08-15
APPLE HARVEST
is VERY NEAR
PEAR PACk ALREADY UNDER WAY
Schools Open Early in Order that Chill
dren May Help Later in Saving
the Apple Crop

With the harvest Of Bartlett pears
begun and tinge of autumn's 5 stimu-
iatlng cooluess I'M the night atmos-
phere, apple growers are made to real
ize that the picking season for the 1915
apple crop is not distant Indeed, the
packines Of such early varieties as
/ Gfavensteins and Kings will be under
/ way before the month Is over, and the
/ harvest of Jonathans will quickly fol-
low.
/ The Hood River apple crop, growers
+ from all districts say. viii be one Of
4 the eleanest harvested in years. While
+ the Weld will not be as heavy as in
/ 1916, when the record Of 300. 000 box
+ rs was set, it is estimated that about
hS00, 600 boxes Of large, clean apples
will be packed for marketing this sea
| son. The recent rains, wettlng the
earth to a considerable depth. have
tended to bring the truit to size that
meets with the best demand ON the
/ markets.
/ While some districts fear a shortage
of boxes, Hood Rivers sales agencies
/ have contracted for a full supply of
containers, and most growers have
made their stock of boxes. The fear
of a labor shortage, however, faces
many growers Last season approx
mately 1000 transient helpers were
here for apple picking. It is feared
4 that but a small percentage of this
number may be secured tins year. The
growers will be aided lr~ their demand
! for pickers by the government employ
ment agency Of Portland. Schools, too
will open earlier than usual. in order
that the students may be released for
period of three weeks in October for
the apple harvest.
Many growers too, have equipped
their ranches with storage plants The
| fruit will be picked and placed lmmedi.
ately in these storage spaces protected
| from the weather, and the apples can
be packed out during the bad weather
of the months that follow. The Apple
| Growers Association has fostered such
plans and has itself spent approx
mately $50, 900 in erecting new ware
houses along the Mount Hood railroad
line.
Generally over the Northwest the
apple yield viii be shorter than last
season, but during the past several
days, following the government Aug
! ust reports on United States crop con
ditions, bearish tendency has pre-
vailed The fear is expressed that
prices may be less than last season.
The crop OF principal eastern produc
! ing sections is enormous this year. In
the western New York counties, where
the crop for the last season was but
little more than 5000 carloads last
year, it is now estimated that 50, 000
carloads will be placed on the market,
One bright feature is presented Hood
River growers. Their fruit, because
of the size and quality, it is expected
will bring the top Of the fancy box
prices. The Willamette valley apple
crop is practically zero this year, and
the low grade product may be placed
at profit on the Portland market,
According to the August apple crop
report Of the Bureau of Markets, is
sued last Thursday afternoon the total
commercial crop Of the United States
is estimated at "a, 285, GOO, barrels com
pared with the 1917 crop of 22,4l9,0 000
barrels. The July estimate was for
25. II 900 barrels, showing net loss
for the month of July Of |, 426, 600 bar
rels.
BY regions, the total barrel CONNER
cial crop is estimated as follows
Western New York, 4.9i0, O00 barrels
New England, $4,000 barrels Hudson
Valley, 764, 900 barrels Champlaln dis
trict of New York and Vermont, 1853,
600 barrels: Shenandoah Cumberland
district, 2,l60,0 000 barrels Piedmont
district of Virginia, 345. .000 barrels
western Michigan, 644, 600 barrels
southern and western Illinois, 768, 00C
barrels southern Ohio Rome Beauty
district, 2l0, 600 barrels Ozarks, north
western Arkansas and southern Mis-
sour, 500, GOO barrels; Missouri river
region, 7l4,000 barrels; Pacific North.
west, Washington, Oregon, Idaho anc
Montana, 5,006, 600 barrels Colorado
625, GOO barrels California. l,004 00C
barrels.
There is no hope for an export Of any
Hood River Newtowns. The following
official statement of the Canadian De.
partment of Agriculture gives no hope
for the least modification Of the Brit
sh embargo
$50 many inquiries have been re-
ceived at this office as to the possible
removal or modification Of the embargo
on shipments Of apples to Great Brit
ain, that some definite statement seems
necessary. Inquiries on this subject
have heen prompted by the failures OF
the fruit crop in England, and the
English trade is just as desirous of re
ceivng Canadian fruit as Canadian
shippers are to get it across. The agi
tation is therefore a doube-barreleC
one.
1T seems quite certain, however
that there will be no change in The
present situation Explanations are
not necessary Every foot Of available
steamship space is required for The
transportation of men, munitions anC
food. The Canadian apple, as we'll a
many other articles Of food, is not con
sidered essential, and until shipping
facilities are in a much more stabl
condition than at present, all efforts tt
modify the apple embargo must be fu
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