The Washington times., 1921-06-12
'APP[EPRODUCERS
|. GET BETTER PRICE
BY COOPERATION
Community Marketing Insures
Proper Grading of Fruit and
Uniform Costs.
by j. r. LANGNER
written for the International News
Service.


Service.
Apples grown in Oregon and wash
ington are shipped all over this coun-
try and to England. France. Germany
and Scandinavia. The Pacific North
west boxed apple, in all it's varieties
is known in every market where
| apples are consumed.
From 1906 to 1912 appIes by the
| thousands of acres were planted until
| 200 900 acres were covered. Every
| train brought more people from the
East. The rush for apple land" at
| tanned the proportions of a stampede.
Buyers came and camped all summon
bidding against each other for the
| producers patronage. Remarkable
prices were secured-for time
| prices made by the farmers, not by
the buyers. In those days there were
( all the Northwest. and Chicago and
New York absorbed all that small
| quantity.
Later, the quantity of apples In
creased as the new orchards began to
bear. Soon the territory was produc-
| ing 10000 carloads. and Chicago and
| New York begged the growers to ship
| their apples elsewhere. But whereT'
Neither the grower nor anyone else
could tell. Certainly the buyer could
not tell. Soon the by-word became
"over-production." Too many apples;
the apple boom was wrecked. Many
| orchards had been bought at fabulous
prices. Mortgages in some cases were
more than the sale value of the land
! Even banks and money lenders losr
| faith in the apple industry. The whole
| industry was ruined because OF an
| overwhelming surplus which broke
prices to less than cost Of production.
| Thousands of growers gave up and
went through bankruptcy.
| RUINOUs COMPETITION STOPPED.
From 1912 to 1915 there were dark
| days in the apple industry. In 1918
| the Federal Government suggested
| that the growers organize tri-State
| cooperative marketing association, In
| Guiding Oregon. Washington and
| Idaho. The Fruit Growers Agency
| was formed as a clearing house
through which all Northwestern
| apples could be sold. 1t slimina ted
| ruinous competition between the grow
ers; it helped develop new markets
| until by 1917. instead OF sending
| apples to New York and Chicago the
growers were sending apples to over
| ! 900 markets. The growers adver-
! tised their brands-Sko ookum. Hood
! River Mistland. Big Y-are house
| hold words to the consumer today.
| But the Fruit Growers Agency, despite
! Government assistance, was ultimately
| disbanded because growers, no matter
| how hard they may be hit, are psy-
| cholOg gically incapable OF sticking to-
| gether unless they are forced to do so
| by hide-bound legal contracts such as
| are used now by all the farmers as
| sociations. Aaron Sapiro, of Califor-
| mia, is now acting as general legal
| counsel for the farmers associations.
Pacific Northwest boxed apples are
the highest graded apples on the mar
llet at this time. One of the most
stringent regulations of that territory
is that all boxes leaving the district
shall be carefully graded, free from
worms and other disease-in fact. shall
be food which is ft for human con-
sumption.
These associations all advertise and
market their apples under well-known
! brands No producer is trusted to
pack his applies of'uniform quality all
| through. The apples are graded by
machinery, and more than 10000, 900
| boxes are shipped to the East and
| abroad every year, each containing
from so to 100 apples, every apple
carefully wrapped by hand, to ensure
It's arriving in the consumers mark ct
in perfect condition. Thirty thousand
carloads OF apples are now annually
shipped from the three States worth
from S30.O0O.0o0 and s40,0Oo,0O0.