The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1930-11-27
,Cannery Man
Wants Grass
IIrpes Big Increase in
Acreage Promises ID
Year Contract

About 125 of the leading aspaf-
..us Growers of the district met
8. +bo Rig aYn warehouse last
rhnrsday evening to confer with
General Manager ]. w Hebert
- the Big "Y' and Manager Cliff
poss of the Sunnyside cannery,
With reference to the advisability
Of increasing the asparagus acre
age in this community.
The successful canning and mar
keting of green asparagus has OPP
sned a field that justifies extern
sive development. ..!
District Manager H. w. Des-
oranges stated in his opening re-
marks that Kennewick asparagus
has successfully competed against
ali corners in the Minneapolis
markets ever since Henry Delepine
made his first shipment there %
years ago, with ever increasing
popularity. This condition is true
in all the other markets, demon
strating, over a period of years,
that Kennewick produces a pro-
duet that is Of high quality and
demanded by the trade. Having
stood the practical test for num-
her of years, we are justified in
believing that we have high quail
fly product, the production Of
which should be increased to the
maximum.
To allay the oft-expressed fear
that few additional acres here
might glut the market, Mr.. Des-
oranges presented figures from the
government census of 1928 show
sing that California has $1,000 ae-
res, New Jersey 10000, South Car
dina and Virginia 1860 acres, IL
inois 5000, while the whole state
Of Washington has only LOO, of
which TOO acres are in the Kenne-
wick Richland district. From these.
figures it is evident that our acre
age could be increased tenfold
without noticeably affecting the
supply for the country.
Mr.. Hebert reviewed his exper-
fence in marketing asparagus for
the past ten years, and expressed
the opinion that several times our.
present tonnage could &c market
ed without an appreciate effect
on the market supply. The mar
kets are extensive and the demand
good at fair prices until the nor
thern grass appears, at which time
we are through, as we cannot
compete against their prices under
the handicap of heavy express
charges. 1t is then that the can
merry comes to our rescue and is in
fact the foundation upon which the
industry is built.
Mr.. Ross, who pioneered the can
ming of green asparagus, spoke
enthusiastically of the success Of
the venture. In 1927 he canned 40
cases as an experiment. The fol-
lowing year he increased it to so
tons and this year to 2s5 tons and
It is his ambition to increase it in
the next few years to 1000 toas
annually.
ufeen asparagus is new thing
IN the markets but when once in
auced to try it they always come
back for more. ut has gone over
olg, as he put it. Emphasizing
MS faith in the permanency of the
industry, he has offered to enter
INTO l5-year contracts at 4 1-2c
a pound. plus IS per cent of the
market. Mr.. Ross also stated that
lS company was planting con-
spring.
tanning may be retarded by in
aOiiity TO secure plants. The Big Y
,'as 100000 plants available now
out this will not be sufficient to
mset the demand. Several of the
ssoWers expressed their intention
" doubling their acreages and sew
la s.al large paintings are being con-