Washington Apples Fight Back Against a New York Snub

That Washington can raise a superior quality of fruit is very evident to any one who is in a position to know what is done. The Fruit Trade Journal of New York, however, has evidently been misinformed, and publishes an article which does not give our fruit its just dues. The fruit interests of this state have, though, a staunch friend who does not believe in letting such statements go unchallenged. This person is John H. Hughes, manager of the Seattle Commission Co. The article in question and Mr. Hughes's answer to it are both herewith given:

Transportation is coming to the front as a factor in the apple trade. The rates of transportation have heretofore been so high that Washington fruit has been kept out of eastern markets. On this account orchards were not given the care they should have had; consequently the fruit is not equal to that of California in quality, but just fine in appearance. Now that the rates have been reduced so that Washington can compete with the East as far as Minnesota, the rates being 75 cents per 100 pounds from the mountains and only 5 cents more from the coast, farmers here have begun to realize that they can grow apples to better advantage than they can wheat.

Owing to lack of barrels, the fruit is being shipped in bulk arranged in the cars, as the box is too bulky for transportation. Now that the successful growth of the apple in Washington is assured, these difficulties will soon be overcome, and Washington will be an important state in the mind's eye of the produce dealer.

Mr. Hughes, of Seattle Commission Company, thought there were some things said in the above which should not go uncorrected, so he wrote that journal a letter of which the following is a copy:

"The Fruit Trade Journal.—Gentlemen: The article in your issue of November 19 on the state of Washington and its apples is certainly a mistake or written by some person with an ax to grind.

Permit us to state that we have already shipped this season from the San Juan islands and west coast points some 10,000 boxes of fancy apples, selected, packed and graded by our own men, and they are bringing a fair price.

St. Louis parties have been operating in the territory east of the mountains, buying and shipping in bulk. What they have been loading is their own business, but we have packed and shipped from the west coast fruit as fine as California or the East ever saw put into a box or a barrel. The writer of the article mentioned above certainly did not know what he was writing about or he would not have made his remarks so sweeping.

We do not put our fruit in competition with bulk stock or 'farmer's pack,' and our apples and their packing will compare with anything to be found on the market anywhere.

We have twenty or thirty cars more of nice boxed stock to go forward and this fruit is most desirable either for export or cold storage. We consider our Greenings and other winter varieties larger, finer and better keepers than any in the United States.

Parties to whom we have shipped, who are also handling apples from New York, Michigan and California, report our stock the finest they have received.

The apple growers on the west coast have heretofore marketed their fruit in the Seattle and Tacoma markets, but they are awake to the advantages to be gained by raising and packing fancy stock for the far Eastern markets and are using every effort in this direction. It is hardly fair to them to let an article like the one in question pass uncorrected.

We shall also have several cars of fine Italian prunes in bags and boxes. Very respectfully, JOHN H. HUGHES."