White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1923-04-27
DISTRIBUTION OF APPLES

mo railroad has a right to develop
a great basic industry such as apple
growing and then fall down on the
job of moving the output to market
at the proper time and in the proper
manner"
This was one of he significant state
ments made by ]. S. Crutchfield,
President of the American Fruit
Growers, Inc, ON his arrival in the
Northwest Mr.. Crutchfield as head
of this organization, is vitality in
terested in the Northwest apple deal
as his company is the owner Of exte1l-
sive orchard properties in Yakima
and Wenatchee. Mr.. Crutchfield is al
so the principal stakeholder in the
Northwestern Fruit Exchange, of
Seattle and is the active head Of the
firm of Crutchfield & Voolfolk, in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
1.-THE carriers responsibility, con-
tinued Mr.. Crutchfield, is not only to
the producer but also to the consumer.
Just think during the past season tine
American public was called upon to
consume 10000 carloads of overripe
apples. If this fruit could have been
delivered to the consumers of the
country in prime condition, it coulo
have been sold at a good profit to all
concerned and would certainly have
created demand for more.
The most vital problem confronting
the State of Washington today is that
of getting the wonderful fruit produced
in the State to the ultimate consumer
in first class condition. I believe the
growers, as whole, realize their part
in this problem but it is evident that
the railroads, as yet, do not properly
sense their responsibility.
I have no hesitation in making O
prediction that the coming 5-years
will be better ones for the Northwest
apple industry than have the past five.
In order to realize this result, Tile
methods of cultivation, harvesting ana
marketing must be perfected. In the
matter of cultivation, I think that
growers should give increasing atten-
ton to fertilizing; spraying, pruning
and thinning so as to insure a larger
percentage of Extra Fancy and Fancy
grade fruit of desirable sizes.
Harvesting operations should be
speeded up to the limit so as to move
the fruit faster from the trees into the
cars. Or into cold storage. Some Of
our earlier varieties have not been
picked at the proper time-that is
the fruit has been allowed to hang on
tho trees too long in the hope Of Sc
curing a little better color.
Marketing methods need improve
ment along merchandising lines. More
of the apples tonnage Of the North
west should be in the control Of strong
experienced organizations as is the
case in the California and Florida
citrus operations. I believe the boxed
apples of the Northwest should be
thinly spread over the markets of the
entire country rather, than as has
been frequently the case, using only
the large markets. The Northwestern
Fruit Exchange has always followed
this policy OF thin distribution as evil
denced by the figures of last year
when we used $50 markets in distri
buting our portion Of the tonnage
which was in excess Of 1000 cars.
! with the Improvement Of these
various operations, particularly the
transportation problem, L feel that
there is hope for all factors in the
industry provided an effort is made
to work out some of these things
which are so vital to the progress Of
this big industry"