THE LABOR PROBLEM OF HARVESTING A LARGE

APPLE AND PEAR CROP

By A. H. CARSON, Commissioner for Third District.

It is poor business method on the part of the apple and pear growers to grow large crops of apples and pears in the Rogue and Umpqua valleys without seriously considering the labor problem.

To harvest the crop in its proper season, quickly, with the least cost to the growers, is one of the problems that must be considered, and the best methods as to the details worked out to pick and pack the crop at a minimum cost to avoid loss. At present the acreage in apples and pears in the third district that are in bearing is only about twenty per cent of the acreage that is planted. To harvest the present crop taxes the available labor that is to be had in the district. There are at present in Jackson, Josephine and Douglas counties 1,650,000 apple and pear trees in the old and newly planted orchards. Annually the new orchards are increasing the number of trees by 600,000 to 800,000. Had the present acreage been in bearing this year, and averaged five boxes to the tree, there would have been 8,250,000 boxes of apples and pears, or 13,583 carloads. With the present population of the third district, if we had to pick, pack and ship 13,583 cars of apples and pears, where could the labor be drawn from to save the crop without loss at a minimum cost?

In gathering pears the time to handle the different commercial varieties is limited. The reasons varv. Some years pears ripen slowly. To meet the various conditions of ripening and rather the crop with economy requires the necessary number of laborers in the country for the growers to draw their help from at harvest time.

The

The same conditions as to labor prevail at apple-picking time. When Newtowns, Spitzs, and other commercial varieties are ready to pick, they should be gathered promptly and stored in the packing house. grower takes a risk to let his apples remain on the trees after they are ready to gather. Should the grower let his apples hang when ready to gather, he is liable to loss from the fall rains that always bring with them more or less wind that shakes off many choice apples. The loss from wind is always to be considered, and only ample labor to gather and store quickly can reduce this loss to a minimum.

In Jackson County there are several orchards that contain four hundred acres, or more, under one management. When these large orchards come into bearing. and produce maximum crops, the picking, packing and shipping to market will call for the best business methods to handle with economy and without loss.

If labor is ever so plenty. the handling of a large force of apple pickers in one of these large orchards requires thorough organization to work at the best advantage to secure the best and most work at the least cost. The average apple and pear picker has only his daily or hourly wage in view, and unless supervised by a competent foreman much fruit may be injured in gathering by careless handling in picking that might make it unfit for long-distance shipping, causing a loss to the grower.

The question of labor is in my opinion of such vital importance that I would suggest the fruit-growers all over the state, in their horticultural

LABOR PROBLEM OF HARVESTIMG A LARGE APPLE AND PEAR CROP. 91

meetings, raise the question as to the best methods of quickly and cheaply picking an apple and pear crop.

Through the horticultural societies this question can be discussed, and details worked out by the best business talent in the societies on business lines that will appeal to the majority of the growers, so that each may take advantage of the best system in the conduct of harvesting a large apple and pear crop.

To secure apple pickers, I quote the methods of a large apple grower in West Virginia: "When he could estimate the number of pickers he would require, he advertised in the local papers that pickers were wanted, also sent hangers to all the local stores in his county that pickers were wanted, and requested those who desired to pick to make application. Three times the number required made application. In order to hold the best of these applicants, certain rules and regulations were adopted covering the conduct of the pickers. Some of the more hilarious spirits objected to the rules, and at once were discharged, and others taken in their places.

"This enforcement of discipline at the beginning had an excellent effect. The pickers retained were divided into squads under competent foremen. The pickers were responsible to the foreman, and each foreman was responsible for the work of his squad to the manager. Each foreman was furnished with written instructions in regard to the picking, which they were to follow. The pickers were paid for their work by the hour."

That rules and regulations as to how apples should be picked, and a strict enforcement of the same, are necessary, where a large number of pickers are employed, is evident. It is useless to grow and mature a large crop of apples and at gathering time have them carelessly picked and bruised to lessen their value in shipping a long distance to market. Nearly all apples and pears grown in the Northwest Pacific states have to seek a market in the East, or in Europe, hence the greatest care in gathering and packing to get to the long distant markets in the best of condition must always be considered.

TEACHING HORTICULTURE IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

By R. H. WEBER, Commissioner for Fourth District.

With the great "Back to the Farm" movement now in progress, and which is particularly strong in the Pacific Northwest, the question as to how are the city folk who answer nature's call and migrate back to soil and nature prepared to cope with the difficulties confronting them in their newly chosen vocation naturally arises. This question is difficult of solution, and would suggest the necessity of reconstructing our methods and system of public school education to include courses in agricultural and horticultural training in all elementarv branches. Particularly is this true of horticultural subjects, for if we are to grow "BETTER FRUIT" we must of necessity have "BETTER FRUIT GROWERS," and to get these requires training. True it is that our agricultural colleges offer some relief in this direction, but the students attending these institutions are of an advanced age, and, lacking the elementary horticultural training which should be supplied in our public schools, find themselves obliged in early manhood to resort to a primer in the two most important industries, Agriculture and Horticulture. We, in Oregon, especially in those districts where fruit growing is the principal industry, should insist on having included in the curriculum of our public schools the elementary principles of this most important branch.

Farm life of today, especially the remunerative horticultural branch, offers splendid pecuniary rewards when carried on scientifically, and is a most pleasant and attractive vocation.

While there are on record cases of city-bred men having successfully met and conquered the soil, it cannot be vouchsafed that they entered upon their work without much trepidation such as would entirely be eliminated with proper early training in soil tillage. Why, with all professional branches crowded to the starvation point, we should persist in preparing a still greater army for the professions, to which our present educational system leads, when the farm offers a ready solution of the problem, is difficult of comprehension.

With modern conveniences, such as gasoline engines, for instance, to pump water and do innumerable other chores and supply power for electric lighting, the farm offers irresistible attractions today that were unknown to our fathers.

Let us then break away from the old slip-shod way of farming without any knowledge of the art bv inculcating in the minds of the young in our public schools the required knowledge that will enable them to enter upon farm work with a comprehension that will make it as fascinating as it is bound to be profitable.

The problem of "HIGH COST OF LIVING" would readily be solved by training the youthful minds of the urbanites along agricultural and horticultural lines, thus creating in them a desire to remove into God's free country, with its many blessings, away from the contaminating influences of overcrowded tenement and other cheap lodging districts in our large cities, where thev would soon not only be self-sustaining by reason of producing everything needed for their own wants, but assist in supplying those who perforce were compelled by circumstances or choice to remain in their urban caves.

Farming, no more than any other business, can be done by one who does not know how, although it is a good business, when properly conducted by one who knows the business, for as it is, the man without training or experience would be apt to prove a dismal failure at farming as he would as a merchant or manufacturer, were he to enter this field without training.

Let us then make every endeavor to bring about a knowledge of farming among the masses, as a solution of social and economic conditions confronting the present and future generations.

THE STONE FRUITS IN OREGON

By R. H. WEBER, Commissioner for Fourth District.

The stone fruits have for many years occupied a prominent position in the horticultural industry of the State; in fact, it can be said that the position of stone fruits is in the lead when considered from a financial point of view as reference to the files of the biennial reports of the State Board of Horticulture will readily show. Nor is there much danger that this position will be surrendered to any other class of fruit in the very near future, as manv trees are being planted everv year of all kinds of stone fruits which flourish in all sections of the State of Oregon and greatly add to its fame as one of the greatest fruit-growing states in the Union, and which in a few vears hence will doubtless rank first in point of acreage and quantity of fruit produced.

The Italian prune at this time is unquestionably in the lead as to number of trees in bearing and quantity of fruit produced. This variety in the evaporated state now finds readv sale in the markets of the United States and Europe, with an ever-increasing demand on account of its large size and fine quality. Nowhere in the wide world does the Italian prune grow to greater perfection, both as to size and flavor, than in this State, many thousands of acres of rich soil both in eastern and western Oregon are devoted to its growth.

Perhaps in no other place in the known world are there so many large Italian prune orchards as in the Willamette Valley, yielding annually many millions of pounds of the dried product and bringing to the State sums of money which run above a million dollars every year. While the product of the prune orchards in western Oregon is put upon the market in the evaporated state for the most part, those grown on the eastern slope of the Cascade mountains are invariably shipped in the fresh state to the eastern and even European markets, to which places they are shipped under refrigeration and where they find a ready market at profitable prices to the growers. Demand for prunes, both dried and fresh, has been so strong the last few vears and prices have ruled so high that many growers are making extensive additions to their orchards.

The prune, being a staple product, and being marketable both fresh as well as evaporated, there is little danger of an over-production, especially since its production is practically confined to the Pacific Northwest, and principally to the State of Oregon, which is in the proud position of being looked to by the entire world for its supply of Italian prunes.

Plums do well in all parts of Oregon, but as they cannot be profitably evaporated and must be marketed fresh, there is not so large a field for them as for prunes, unless our friends, the canners, should come to the rescue and put them into cans to be put upon the market. There is, however, a great demand for the large, juicy plums which grow in Oregon in our eastern cities, and many carloads find their way to these markets every year. If varieties and locations were studied, there is no question but what much money could be made raising plums, for they surely grow to perfection as regards size and quality and are wonderfully productive. Many of the newer varieties recently introduced are immense in size and beautiful in color with most delicious flavor and bring enormous prices.

PEACHES.

Next to prunes in order of acreage come peaches, of which Oregon has many large orchards and thousands of trees yielding immense revenue to their lucky owners. If there is a place in the State where peaches will