The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1921-01-20
BERRY GROWING
Being OVERCOME
LAST YEARS CROP STILL ON
SHELVES IN WHOLESALE
AND RETAIL GROCERIES
w. H. Paulhamus Advises Plant
ing With Growth Of the Market.
Prices to Be Lower.

Much has been said and written OF
the berry business in this section OF
the state and Of the prospective mar
kets for any amount of berries that
may be grown. The following state
ment from w. H. Paulhamus, presi-
dent of the Puyallup and Sumner Fruit
Growers Canning Company, probably
the best posted berry grower and mar
keter in the state II not in the United
States, is particularly timely:
l am personally very much of the
opinion that the berry industry Is very
liable to suffer on account Of the many
land scheme promotions. Berries are
like all other commodities in that they
will not do their best everywhere and
under all conditions. Some land is
better suited for berry growing than
other land. Some land will grow
particular kind of berries better than
other land, but no land that Is not
we'll drained will produce any kind Of
berries in a satisfactory manner.
Therefore. the intending grower
should not permit himself to be in
duced to buy any kind Of land to plant
to berries because the land is cheap
or because it is offered on easy terms.
A soil survey should be made and
market conditions studied very care
fully before the enterprise should be
undertaken.
In addition to this, with the present
impetus to the berry industry we are
very liable to grow more berries than
our markets will absorb provided we
do not keep pace with the marketing
end as compared with the planting
end. In other words, If we will only
plant in Western Washington berries
as fast as our markets develop we can
make a success of the industry, but If
we plant too fast, the results cannot
help but be disastrous.
For example, in the Puyallup Val.
ley in 1914 quite a number of large
tracts Of Iead~ ware planted BY land
spectators and sold on easy payments
with the result that within two years
the association was called upon to
handle an increase of crops from 65,-
900 crates per year to 100000 crates.
This resulted in flooding our markets
and in addition to the greatly increas-
ed quantity of berries we had bad
harvesting season owing to the ex-
cessive amount of rain, which result
ed in a shortage of pickers and an
oversupply of soft unshipable berries.
The association did not have sufficient
funds to pay the grower for the sur
plus of soft berries so as to put them
in barrels in cold storage and hold for
future sales.
This nearly caused a riot in the
berry industry. ! am fearful that the
present desire Of every real estate
agent in the state of Washington to
offer for sale berry land regardless of
whether or not it Is suitable to grow
berries and regardless of our mar
kets, may cause a slump, therefore,
urge upon the prospective growers to
use horse sense in planting.
In my judgment the growers should
plant limited quantity to start with
rather than set out all Of the land that
they have in berries. The planting
should be developed gradually. not too
fast.
The berry industry will not prove
much of a success to Western Wash
ington unless the grower can make a
profit, and ! am sure that he will not
be able to make a profit II the produc-
ton gets top heavy.
The year 1921 will be very trying
one from a marketing standpoint for
the reason that all of the growers were
able to secure an excessive price dur
ing the past two years, Many of the