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Show Utah Apples Find Favor Away From Home; Utahns Eat More Apples Grown Outside State I "Students," as Kay Kayser would say, "give an apple to your teacher if she can answer this question: "What percentage of the apples that are consumed in Utah are-grown are-grown outside the state?'' Chances are that you'll be able to eat the apple yourself because the answer is 75 per cent! You could have knocked this reporter over with a "school boy" (small apple) when W. H. (Bill) Wright gave me this information. And it isn't because Utah's apples are of inferior quality or grade, but rather that apples from the Northwest and California are not as seasonal as ours. Another thing, many people here have the belief that size must denote quality. Then, too, there's a difference in packaging most outside apples sold in Utah are injliroken quantities. quan-tities. What of Utah apples? They do very well in the markets mar-kets of the middlewest from North Dakota to Texas. In fact, they stand up well in quality and grading grad-ing with apples from Colorado and Idaho, two states that have similar sim-ilar growing conditions and freight rates. From Bill's shed alone approximately approx-imately 100 carload equivalents will be shipped this fall. Although this year's crop isn't large it is of excellent quality. Bill is having no trouble, however, in keeping his crew of 14 men and women busy every day. Asked about freight rates, and if they worked against this section more than others, he said: "All districts in the country have stood an increase in cost. Over a period of five or six years, since the railroads raised their rates, large semi-trucks have come in and taken more business than the railroads would like to admit. Since the start of the peach harvest this year we have loaded out 78 trucks and 79 freight cars out of the Pleasant Grove shed. Freight rates have cost the consumer con-sumer more and let in the truck haulage," Bill disclosed. In this area Bill said most of the small fruit growers are being eliminated. The fruit sheds are handling their crops while they work inindustry. "However, the big growers are doing an execllent job of grading. But as in everything else, there's the exception." Mr. Wright's company had an execellent run of peaches and pears. Prunes, ' since they have been -upgraded, have been able to compete on an even par with those of Idaho, the largest prune-growing section in the country. When the apple packaging season seas-on is over Bill's crew at least most of the men, will turn to potatoes po-tatoes in January for a four-month run. |