The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1919-04-03
Last Day of March Marked the
Beginning of This Years
Shipping Season
PROSPECTS ARE BRIGHT
First Asparagus Brings Fancy Price
in Seattle-LittIe Frost Dam
age as Yet

Kennewick's 1919 crop shipping
season opened Monday, March, 81,
when the first crate of asparagus
was shipped out by the Kennewick-
Richland Marketing Union. The
crate went to Ariss, Campbell &
Gault, of Seattle, and was sold for
$500 f. o. b. Kennewick. 1t was
grown and packed by Ed. Montgomery.
Of the arrival of the first crate,
the Seattle Daily Produce News said:
"The first shipment of Northwest
ern asparagus for the 1919 season was
received on this market today from
the Kennewick- -Richland Marketing
Union, and came to its agents here,
Ariss, Campbell & Gault. 1t was
! turned over to Grossman Bros. and
sold to the Rainier Club at so cents
per pound.
1The shipment came in a flat pack
and was extra fancy, all green stock.
It weighed twelve pounds and was the
first box to be moved from the Ken
newick district this morning
The Unions f. 0. b. average price
Tuesday was $3.50 crate; Wednes-
day, 1925 and today grass is quoted
out at $3.50. According to Manager
F. H. Krug the. quality is showing up
good and the growers are exercising
care in grading and packing this year
that was never used before. The new
flat crate has sprung into instant fa-
vor with the trade as have the two
grades which is departure this year.
The Union is operating the hallock
machines and expect to have large
supply Of crates on hand or in the
hands of the growers when the straw
berry season opens. To date the OUT
look for good berry crop and good
prices were never better. The man
ager of the Ryan Fruit Company, of
Spokane, was in the city the first of
the week and made the prediction that
unless unfavorabIe,. weather brings
poor quality Kennewick,s extra fancy
berries will not go below $3.50 a
crate this year.
What is true of the berry crop is
likewise true of the tree fruit crop.
Prospects were never better. Local
shippers say eff we get by without a
frost there is going to be bumper
crop of everything" As yet there
have been on heavy killing frosts and
old-timers say April 10 will end the
danger sseason. There are reports
OF some damage to cherries and april
cots in the Valley but there are yet
enough live buds to produce bumper
crop. The cool nights are holding the
blossoming back some and the buds
are much harder than in years when
there is a sudden warming up in the
spring. The seasons blooming on all
kinds of trees is exceptionally heavy
and local men believe H. A. Glen's
OF Kennewick will be beaten.
Buyers and marketing associations
are making preparations for handling
the big crop. The H. H. Davis COM
pany's new warehouse is nearing COM
pletion and the Wenatchce Fruit Ex-
cnange will begin work on their very
soon Pennington & Company have
Their building plans completed and will
start work as soon as the question of
lease can be settled with the North
ern Pacific railway company. They
nave asked for a lease north of the
tracks facing on Washington street
near the old Tum-A-Lum Lumber
yard. Their building is to be of hol-
low tile 60x110 feet with 10-foot COW
cred porches on the north, east and
vest 1t is the intention of the COM
pany to have the building completed
IN time for handling cherries.
The Kcnnewick Fruitgrowers asso-
ciation has definitely decided to build
AO-car storage plant in either two
OF three units. Just rcw the man
ayers ere marking time with the
weather man and building operations
~ill not start until after ell frost dam
ger IS past. If there is no killing frost
TWO units Of the plant will be built
ms year, if there is a light crop, only
one. s1.