Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1918-07-11
OF Interest to Fruit Growers.

The Eastern Fruit Growers Asso-
citation, comprising the orchardists OF
Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania,
Delaware and Maryland, was repre-
scented last week before the House Ways
and Means Committee-considering an
eight billion dollar revenue measure
by three of West Virginia's most ex-
perienced and practical fruit growers,
namely, Congressman George M. Bow
ers, Commissioner of Agriculture
James H. Stewart, and Harry w. Miller,
OF Paw Paw, all three OF whom MADE
talks proved to be very enlightenlng to
the members of the committee and GER
tainly useful in the framing Of the big
revenue law.
Mr.. Bowers made the assertion, and
proved il, that the county OF Berkeley
alone raises more apples than the en-
tire State of Oregon, as does also the
adjoining county of Frederick, in Viz
ginia. Mr.. Bowers stated that Berke-
lev raised over 100000 barrels of ap-
Piles last year. lnasmuch as apple or
chards require ten to twelve years to
develop before bearing fruit, these gen.
tlemen asked that their business should
not be made subject to extreme excess
profits in the good years, with no pro-
vision for the first ten years of cost
without profits and for the "off" years
thereafter. They asked, therefore,
law permitting agricultural and horti-
cultural corporations to llquidate their
obligations incurred within the last
five years before they became liable to
the excess-profits tax, provided no
dividends are paid before that is done.
They further recommend that in view
of the fact that the orchardist loses in
terest on his investment for ten or
twelve years, that this interest be
credited to his capital account and that
his excess profits be calculated on the
basis of the original investment with
interest added. Congressman Bowers
and his delegation of some forty fruit
growers so impressed the committee
with the Justice of their contention
that they were requested by the COM
mittee to draft an amendment embody-
ing just what they want TO be inserted
in the bill as law. This will be done.
A recent dispatch from winchester
says that the commercial apple crop of
Frederick county is not expected TO ex-
coed $4,000 barrels this fall, according
to expert estimates. The crop in 1916
was about $4,000 barrels, while that of
last year was $4,000 barrels. Secre-
tary William P. Massey, of the Virgin
ia State Horticultural Society, has re-
ports from many other counties OF the
State indicating that their crops will
not be as large as many growers had
anticipated early in the spring. There
has been an unusually heavy June drop,
and in some counties the output will
be about so or 90 per cent. of full
crop. Everything connected with the
industry has advanced in price and it
is expected the price of the fruit will
be raised accordingly to meet the in
creased cost of production. Large num-
bers of growers in Virginia have pooled
their barrel orders with the secretary,
who has arranged with the Railroad Ad
mnistration TO ship cooperage material
into the State in trainload lots. Some
thing over 1000 carloads of the ma
terial will be needed by Virginia's
growers. -
1t is thought that the apple crop in
Jefferson county will not be more than
half as large as that of last year. There
is a good deal of anxiety among the
fruit growers in regard to securing