Yakima Valley Museum An educational handbook - produced as a teacher's guide for the exhibit
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Yakima Valley Museum
An educational handbook
produced as a teacher’s guide for the exhibit
Yakima’s Love Affair With The Apple
Made possible through a grant from the Washington Apple Education Foundation
Yakima Valley Museum
An educational handbook
produced as a teacher’s guide for the exhibit
Yakima’s Love Affair With The Apple
Made possible through a grant from the Washington Apple Education Foundation
Contents
An Apple for the Teacher ............................................................................................. 1
Information about visiting the museum .............................................................. 1
Preparing for your museum experience .......................................................... 2
The museum and school as partners ............................................................... 2
Planning, Scheduling and Check lists .............................................................. 3
Comparing Apples and Oranges .................................................................................. 4
Preliminary Activities ........................................................................................... 4
What is an apple anyway? ................................................................................... 5
What is the difference between fruits and vegetables? ................................. 5
Where are fruits grown? .................................................................................. 5
Learning where fruits grow - Activity #1 ......................................................... 6
The Star in the Orchard ....................................................................................... 7
Fruit Printing - Activity #2 .................................................................................... 8
Busy as a bee ....................................................................................................... 9
I’m stuck on you - Activity #3.......................................................................... 9
Bee bits ............................................................................................................ 9
None of your Beeswax - Activity #4 ................................................................ 9
Apple Label Coloring Sheets - Activity #5 ........................................................ 10
The Journey of an Apple ............................................................................................. 12
The exhibit ..................................................................................................... 12
Irrigation ............................................................................................................ 13
Planting .............................................................................................................. 15
Growing .............................................................................................................. 15
Pollination .......................................................................................................... 16
Thinning and pruning ........................................................................................ 18
Frost control ....................................................................................................... 18
Cleaning and waxing ......................................................................................... 19
Packing ............................................................................................................... 20
Storage ............................................................................................................... 21
Shipping ............................................................................................................. 22
Marketing ........................................................................................................... 22
Apple Labels .................................................................................................. 23
Apple Facts..................................................................................................... 23
Workers.............................................................................................................. 24
Selling and Buying ............................................................................................. 24
Eating ................................................................................................................. 24
An Apple a Day (Exhibit Worksheet)- Activity #6 ............................................. 25
Planting the Seed ........................................................................................................ 26
Outreach Materials and Internet Tools.............................................................. 26
Follow-up Activities .................................................................................................... 27
Apple of my eye - Activity #7 ........................................................................ 27
Apple Jack-o-lanterns - Activity #8............................................................... 27
One Rotten Apple Spoils the Whole Barrel ................................................... 27
The Apple Box............................................................................................................. 28
The Virtual Apple ........................................................................................................ 28
Washington’s Fruit Place Visitor Center ..................................................................... 29
Scheduling a Tour .............................................................................................. 29
Interactive Exhibits ............................................................................................ 29
Evaluation .................................................................................................................... 31
Many thanks to the following............................................................................ 32
Yakima Valley Museum Staff ............................................................................. 32
An Apple for the Teacher
Information about visiting the museum
Yakima Day Nursery, 1945 - Photo by Lewis & Hawk
1
An Apple for the Teacher... As an educational resource, the Yakima Valley Museum would like to provide you with some tools and ideas that will help you utilize our new exhibit on the history of the apple industry; Yakima’s Love Affair with the Apple. This exhibition features artifacts, visual information, and interactive elements that will help students understand a little more about a major industry in Yakima. This exhibition will not only feature a history of apples in the Yakima Valley, but will follow the journey of an apple from germination to the local supermarket. Yakima’s love affair is documented by the many festivals and paraphernalia demonstrating our connection with the apple. It is our hope to Washington State “Apple for Teacher” provide a learning experience that allows interaction with historical objects promotion, February, 1957 and reinforces that experience with classroom activities. Preparing for your museum experience The museum and school as partners A museum is a special place that collects and cares for objects, as well as interprets and exhibits them for the public. When the students come to the museum, they have the opportunity to encounter objects in a three dimensional space, an experience that complements their classroom and reading activities. The museum provides a visual experience, and may often provide experiences for the other senses as well. Encounters with objects and artifacts provides an opportunity for a specific type of learning; size, texture, color, form, and the sensation from sharing your space with an historical object that you might not otherwise get from a photograph. As a complement to your curriculum, the Yakima Valley Museum can be a partner in the learning experience. Activities in your classroom, both before and after the field trip to the museum, will help enrich the experience. You may wish to structure your study of Yakima’s Love Affair With The Apple through ideas outlined in this handbook. Preliminary activities This handbook has activities which can help you prepare for your visit to the museum. Classroom activities enrich your visit to the museum by providing the basic building blocks such as the definition of fruit, the history of the apple, and the importance of apples to Yakima. Visiting the museum Visiting the museum will not only be an educational experience, but can provide a fun outing for your students. Your class will first explore the special exhibition, Yakima’s Love Affair With The Apple, then add context to the apple industry’s importance in Yakima’s history by touring the rest of the museum. You will find activities in this handbook to use while you are at the museum. Follow-up activities Washington State “Apple for Teacher” Follow-up activities in your classroom will help reinforce your recent promotion, February, 1957 visit to the museum. Your students will be able to apply their field trip experience to classroom activities while you assess the value of their experience. Evaluating your experience Has this experience helped to meet your educational goals? How has this activity met your curriculum goals? An evaluation form has been provided for you to provide valuable feedback to the museum so that we may enhance our educational activities in the future. 2
Plan your field trip to the museum so that you will have time to engage in preliminary classroom activities,
arrange for transportation, contact the museum, and receive appropriate school and parent permissions.
✍Time: 1-1/2 hours to visit the exhibit, tour the museum, and interact in the Children’s
Underground.
✍Cost: $1.00 per student ($15.00 minimum charge). No charge for teachers or
chaperones. School purchase orders are accepted.
✍Limitations: No more than three classrooms may attend the museum at one time.
✍Parking: School buses may park and remain in the Loading Area next to the entrance
walkway to the museum.
Schedule your trip with the Yakima Valley Museum:
✎Decide on a date (Please decide on at least three dates in case the
museum is already booked).___________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
✎Write down the number of students___________________________________
time of day you wish to visit___________________________________________
school name _______________________________________________________
phone number ______________________________________________________
teacher name _______________________________________________________
✎Call the Yakima Valley Museum at (509)248-0747, and ask
for the Education Department.
Check off each item as you complete it:
____ I have scheduled with the museum for (date)______________ (time) _____to_____
____ I have arranged for transportation. The bus will pick us up at (time) _____________
____ I have arranged for chaperones to accompany us on this trip, they are:
_________________________ _________________________
_________________________ _________________________
____ I have sent home permission slips
____ I have made nametags for chaperones and students
____ I have discussed museum etiquette with the students
____ I have finished preliminary activities with the students
3Comparing
Apples and Oranges
Preliminary Activities
4Comparing Apples and Oranges...
What is an apple anyway?
To us, an apple is a delicious, crunchy, sweet, juicy fruit that comes in its own edible package. To the apple tree,
it is a means for survival. The apple contains the seeds of the plant which are used to propagate the species.
Animals that eat the apples may spit out or expel undigested seeds with the feces (which happens to make a good
fertilizer), finding a new home for another apple tree.
What is a fruit?
A fruit is a seed or seeds of a plant together with the parts in which the seeds are enclosed. Technically a fruit is a
ripened ovary of any flowering plant or angiosperm. Fruits not only refer to apples and oranges, but nuts, peas,
tomatoes, peas, a grain of barley, a cotton boll, and coffee beans.
What is the difference between fruits and vegetables?
To the botanist, fruits refer to any seed-bearing plant, to the horticulturist, fruits are products of perennial
plants; that is, they are trees and plants that produce fruit for a number of years. Vegetables are annuals that
grow from seed and produce fruit in a single season.
Where are fruits grown?
Fruits are classified by growing region into temperate, subtropical, and tropical. Yet, where does this classification
come from?
An ancient system: The Greeks, realizing that temperature was related to latitude, developed a type of climatic
classification dividing the earth into frigid, temperate, and torrid zones. The frigid zone refers to the polar areas
above the Arctic Circle and below the Antarctic Circle. Two temperate zones exist; one in the Northern
Hemisphere between the Arctic Circle and the Tropic of Cancer; and the other in the Southern Hemisphere
between the Antarctic Circle and the Tropic of Capricorn. The torrid zone exists between the two tropics. This
classification system does not take into account factors other than temperature and climate that affect fruit
growth. Not only temperature, as the Greeks had determined, but precipitation, soil type, and day length
determine if a species can survive in a given zone.
Biomes: In 1900 a climatologist named Wladimir Köppen developed a classification system that based climatic
,,,,
regions on world patterns of vegetation and soils. Modification of this system divided the world into tropical,
subtropical, cyclonic, polar and highland climates.
Arctic Circle
Fruit growing regions: Fruits are classified into temperate, tropical,
,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,
H - Tropical
and subtropical growing regions. If you use the ancient
,,,,
S - Subtropical
Greek system definition of temperate and torrid
,,,,,,,,
T- Temperate
,,,,,,,,,
Tropic of Cancer (tropical), you may also add to that Köppen’s
subtropical climate boundary, that lying between 20
,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,
degrees and 40 degrees latitude, to help define the
growing areas.
,,,,
,,,,,,,,
Equator
The apple along with the grape, pear, plum, peach,
,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,
Tropic of Capricorn
apricot, and cherry are considered temperate-zone
fruits. Apples can grow farther north than
,,,,,,,,, Antarctic Circle
any other tree fruit. Subtropical fruits include
oranges, limes, grapefruits, lemons, figs and avocados.
Tropical fruits include pineapple, coconuts, and bananas.
5Learning where fruits grow
Here is a fun exercise that will help your students learn about fruit and geography.
Supplies:
(pick two fruits from each growing region)
1 pineapple First introduce the students to the subject by talking
1 banana about what fruits are, and the difference between fruits
1 apple and vegetables. Using real fruits, cut each one open to
1 peach or pear show the seeds, or point out where the seeds would be
1 orange (don’t get a navel orange, as it is seedless) if the fruit is a seedless variety. Discuss with your
1 lemon students about each fruit and what type of climate it
1 world map needs to grow. Using removable stickum, attach the
1 globe fruit cutouts on this page to the country or state on a
1 United States map map where they might be grown.
Fruit cutouts
Apple - Temperate Zone Fruit
Growing areas: Washington, Michigan, New
York, Japan, New Zealand
Seeds: small cluster in the center
Peach -Temperate Zone Fruit
Growing areas: Italy, France, Greece,
,,
Japan
Seeds: One large pit in the center
Orange - Sub-tropical Fruit
Growing areas: California, Florida,
Australia, Arizona
,,
Seeds: several clustered in the center.
Lemon - Sub-tropical Fruit
Growing areas: Arizona, California, Italy, Spain,
India, Argentina, Turkey
Seeds: several, clustered in the center.
Pineapple - Tropical Fruit
,,,,,
Growing areas: China, Thailand, Brazil,
Hawaii, Zaire
Seeds: Pineapples that we buy are seedless, the
,,,,,
seed would be just under the “eye” on the
surface, where the remains of the flowers are.
,,,,,
Pineapples are fascinating, as each of the diamond-
shaped features on the front is a separate fruit.
The pineapple is composed of a large number
,,,,,
of fused fruits, each of which has developed
from an separate flower.
Banana - Tropical Fruit
,,,,,
Growing areas: Brazil, Ecuador,
Columbia, Honduras
Seeds: Bananas that we buy are seedless, but seeds
would be located running along the center.
6The Star in the Orchard
A favorite story to tell with some real apples, is a story of finding the star inside. This story changes as each
teacher recites it, so feel free to make up your own version.
Two little sparrows were sitting on the limb of a tree, as
sparrows do, and one of the little sparrows said, “The robin
told me that if I looked hard enough in the forest, I would
find a little red house with a tiny brown chimney, with the
most magnificent star inside.” “I have never seen anything
like that,” the other sparrow said, ruffling his feathers, as
sparrows do. “Well, I am going to find it,” the first sparrow
said, and hopped off the tree limb, spreading his wings to
glide and swoop through the trees. The little bird came
upon a raccoon in the forest, and perched on a nearby rock.
“Mr. Raccoon,” the little bird said, “Where can I find a little
red house with a brown chimney and a wonderful star
inside?” “I don’t know,” said the raccoon, “go ask the
rabbit,” and he scampered away, as raccoons do. Then the
little bird found a rabbit and asked, “Mrs. Rabbit, where can I
find a little red house with a brown chimney and a wonderful star inside?” The rabbit twitched
its nose, as rabbits do, and said, “I do not know, why don’t you ask the wise old owl?” So the
little bird flew high in the trees, chirping and flapping its wings to wake the wise old owl, who,
as you know, sleeps during the daytime. “Why are you waking me up?” hooted the owl. The
little bird said, “I am sorry Mr. Owl, but I am searching the forest to find a little red house with
a tiny brown chimney, and a stupendous star inside.” Mr. Owl said, “I know what you are
looking for, but you can’t find it in the forest, you have to look in the orchard.” Mr. Owl
yawned and added, “But you won’t find it in a cherry tree, or a pear tree, or...” and Mr. Owl fell
asleep. So the little bird flew out of the forest and through the valley until he found an orchard.
He flew past some cherry trees, then pear trees, and finally came across a farmer who was out
picking some apples. The little bird asked the
farmer, “I am looking for a little red house with a skin, outer layer
tiny brown chimney and a wonderful star inside.” enlarged, fleshy receptacle
The farmer laughed and said, “I think I know what
you are looking for,” and picked a ripe red apple core
from the tree. “Doesn’t this look like a little red true fruit
vascular tissue
house, and the stem, a tiny brown chimney?” asked
the farmer. “Now, if you look inside,” said the
farmer, as he took his pocket knife and cut across
the center of the apple. “Here is the star,” and the
farmer showed the little bird the center of the apple. “Oh, I see,” said the little bird.
7Fruit Printing
Wondering what to do with your cut fruit?
Try making some fruit prints.
Supplies:
Apples Knife
Oranges Tempera paints
Grapefruits Construction paper
Lemons Newspaper
Paper plates Paintbrushes
Cut all fruits through the center, although you might want to cut
some of the apples from the top. Let stand out to dry a few hours;
juicy grapefruits especially. You may either paint directly onto
the fruit, or dip them in paper plates. The second or third
print, after a fresh dip in the paint, shows more detail.
The finished prints can be made into such items as
hats or wrapping paper.
8,,,
,,
Busy as a bee
,,
,,,
I’m stuck on you
You may demonstrate the way that bees attract pollen to themselves
through the following activity. You will need some dark-colored
balloons and baby powder. Spread a little bit of the baby powder on a
table, then rub a balloon on your shirt, or the carpet, to create static
,,
,,,
electricity. Move the balloon slightly above the baby powder, then
turn over the balloon to show the students that the powder has
collected on the surface of the balloon. Talk to the children about Pollen baskets for Honey stored in
storing pollen honey sac (inside)
,,
how bees get pollen stuck to them as they travel from apple blossom
to apple blossom. While you are demonstrating, you can also talk
about these bee facts:
,,
Bee bits
,,
Bees have a seven to ten times better sense of smell and fifteen times better sight than humans. From
the hive, bees have a three mile radius in which they search for nectar. From your school, how far does
the bee fly to search for nectar?
,,
95% of all bees are females, these are called worker bees. Worker bees live for only 10 days in the
summertime. The queen bee lays all the eggs for the hives. Worker bees store them in cells, where
,,
they go from an egg to a larvae, then from a pupa to a full grown bee. Bees spend 21 days in the cell,
where they emerge as an adult bee, knowing everything that a bee should know. A queen, however, can
live for 7-10 years.
,,
5% of the bees in a hive are males, and are called drones. Drones don’t do anything except fly out of
the hive to mate with other queens. In the winter, the worker bees force the drones out of the hive to
die.
,,
Bees collect nectar from flowers, then return to the hive. When they return, they fan the nectar with
their wings to evaporate unnecessary water. What is left after this process is honey. You can make
maple syrup in your classroom to demonstrate how evaporation will make the substance thicker.
,,
,,
Bees also collect pollen while they are collecting nectar. They use this pollen to create a mixture with
honey to feed to the baby bees. The richest mixture of pollen and honey mixture is called Royal Jelly.
At one point in the baby’s growth, this mixture is changed. If the hive needed a new queen, they would
keep feeding the baby Royal Jelly. Adult bees eat pure honey.
,,
Bees make 50 trips to a flower to make 1/4 tsp. of honey. It takes 150 pounds of honey to feed a hive
for a year. After the 150 pounds are produced, beekeepers may remove the honey.
None of your Beeswax
Try making some beeswax candles in your classroom. What you will need is foundation, which is what is used
to line the frames in the hive where the beekeeper wishes the bees to build the honeycomb. Foundation is
available at many craft stores. You will also need a candle wick with a metal center, as beeswax burns
quickly. Roll the foundation tightly around the wick. This is not only fun to create, but it is also an
excellent visual tool for discussing how bees store honey and take care of their young. And beeswax has a 9
wonderful smell.Apple Label Coloring Sheet
You may reproduce this sheet as a coloring activity for your classroom. This would be a good time to talk about
how the color on the label indicates the grade of apple (see page 23).
10Apple Label Coloring Sheet
You may reproduce this sheet as a coloring activity for your classroom. Students may wish to design their own
apple labels.
11The Journey of an Apple
The exhibit
Photo by Colville
12The Journey of an Apple
From a tiny apple seed, the apple takes a long journey from the orchard to your house. See if you can find out
about the journey of an apple in the exhibit at the Yakima Valley Museum.
Irrigation
The Yakima Valley in the late 1800s was
not a very appealing place to develop an
agricultural industry. With only eight
inches of annual rainfall, our valley is a
virtual desert, and, after the short-lived
sheep and cattle ranching boom of the
1870s and 1880s, the valley floor was an
over-grazed wasteland. Despite the
volcanic soils and flood deposits
excellent for growing plants, the Valley
was as semi-arid environment with its
Wapatox Irrigation Canal
grasses gone and sagebrush rapidly
taking over.
But our valley had the potential for a
great agricultural industry. The land
only needed to be cleared, cultivated, and provided with water to produce some of the highest fruit yields in
history. The Yakima Valley landscape was graded and cleared of sagebrush to prepare the ground for orchards.
In the early days before tractors, this was accomplished with horses and plows ...and human hands.
After the introduction of the tractor and other motor vehicles to farming technology, the job of clearing the land
and maintaining the cultivated orchards got easier. Yet, in many parts of the Yakima Valley, where steep hillsides
and narrow ravines made tractor use impossible, something new was needed. And something new was invented
right here in the Yakima Valley—the Lindeman Tractor. In 1939, Jesse Lindeman modified a John Deere tractor
specifically for use in Yakima Valley’s unique orchards. The tractor’s wheels were removed and it was refitted
with tracks, allowing the vehicle to climb and traverse the precipitous valley terrain and squeeze between and
below the narrow, low orchard rows. This first “Lindeman-John Deere Orchard Crawler” was tested in the
Congdon orchards and was soon in mass-production.
Once the surface is prepared, virgin orchard land must be fumigated to get rid of pests. To maintain soil quality,
orchards must be disced and fertilized annually to aerate the earth and replenish Nitrogen and Phosphate. If all
this is done, the land is ready...just add water!
The Yakima, Tieton, and Naches rivers run through the semi-arid Yakima Valley. They are fed by the immense
Cascade Mountain watershed, which receives over 100 inches of annual precipitation. Transporting the water
from the waterways to the valley floor was a formidable challenge.
The irrigation of the Valley was first accomplished by individuals to irrigate their own crops. The first irrigation
canal is credited to Chief Kamiakin of the Yakama tribe; he built a ditch in 1852, near the Ahtanum Mission, to
irrigate his garden. Some settler families followed his lead, but the job of bringing enough water to the dry
valley floor for all the farmers was too immense a task.
In the early 1880s local entrepreneurs, both singly and banded together, began a series of privately 13financed irrigation
companies. James Gleed was
Naches-Selah Canal
one of the first; he started the
Naches Irrigation Canal
Company in 1881. After the
arrival of the railroad, the
need for irrigated acreage
grew, and the Northern
Pacific Railroad hired Walter
N. Granger, who had
successfully irrigated dry land
in Montana, to bring an
“Agricultural Eden” to this
desert valley. The Sunnyside
Canal project began in 1890,
and by 1892 water was first
used by the new settlers from
the main canal.
But even with railroad money and wealthy investors from the east, only limited amounts of land could be
irrigated in this manner. What was needed was a massive public project. After passage of the Reclamation Act
of 1902, the Federal Government became involved with the irrigation of agricultural land in Central
Washington.
The Yakima Project, begun in 1906, built six reservoir dams at the headwaters of the Yakima, Tieton, and
Naches Rivers between 1909 and 1933. It also created large canals to carry water to orchards and fields. The
Tieton Project was one division of the Yakima Project. The Tieton Canyon, where the canal was to be built,
could only be reached by pack train, and the difficult task of canal construction was indeed a job for the federal
government. In May of 1910 the new canal began bringing water to new trees and seeded fields that had been
planted in anticipation of its completion.
Construction crew horses: Naches-Selah Ditch
The Roza division of the Yakima Project diverts water from the Yakima River at the mouth of Yakima
Canyon. This water is transported, via concrete tunnel, through two mountain ridges on its way to the 14
lower Yakima Valley. The diversion dam also generates the power needed to pump the irrigation water to
higher ground. The Roza Project was begun in 1938 and completed in 1951.Planting scion
Orchards were once planted by hand. Orchardists had to sow many seeds and hope that
most would develop into strong fruit-bearing trees. Trees were twenty feet apart and grew
very large. Each acre had one to two hundred trees. Planting was done in the spring, and
trees took nine to ten years to reach full yield.
graft
Orchards today are very different from orchards of the past. Growers now buy small trees i
ng
from nurseries and planting is done by machine. For maximum yield and ease of picking,
trees are smaller and planted much closer together. An apple orchard can now have as
many as three thousand trees per acre and reach full production in three to four years.
Today’s smaller apple trees are dwarfed varieties of the larger trees of old.
These dwarf trees are obtained by using the rootstock of selected smaller trees.
Rootstock is produced by bending saplings of select dwarf trees into the
ground, where they will form roots of their own. The tree that naturally
grows from rootstock will not necessarily bear the desired fruit. To obtain
the desired fruit, growers use the techniques of grafting and budding.
Grafting is a method of growing a selected variety of tree by
cutting a thin piece of living limb from that tree and connecting
and binding it to the freshly cut trunk of rootstock. This piece of
limb—called scionwood—will mature into a duplicate of its rootstock
parent tree. Budding is similar to grafting,
but, instead of attaching a piece of limb to
rootstock, an apple bud is attached to a
IDE
SU
NL limb. These methods of selecting apple
OX
varieties actually allow a single tree to bear
IG
DI
HT
N
O several kinds of fruit, but as long as all
RB
CA growth is from selected rootstock, the result
will be a small “dwarfed” tree.
Growing
What does an apple tree need to grow? An
apple tree will produce fruit in three to four
years from a rootstock, but in the
OXY
meantime, it needs soil, nutrients, sunlight,
GEN and water.
Apple trees use light energy from sunlight to
convert carbon dioxide, water, and nutrients
AT
W
ER SO from the soil to carbohydrates. This process
IL
is called photosynthesis The carbohydrates
are used for growth, and especially to create
apples.
15Pollination collects
Pollination must occur for an apple tree to bear fruit. pollen
Between April and May, apple buds blossom with pink
flowers, and bees are moved into orchards to begin the
pollination process. The bees are brought at nighttime,
because by that time, the bees have all returned to the
hive. creates
pollen
Bees are attracted to the smell and the color of apple
blossoms, which contain the sweet nectar which they
require. Bees fly from flower to flower in search of ovary
nectar; the pollen on the flowers sticks to the bees’ hair
and is carried to the next flower. This transfer of pollen is pollination. Each blossom that is to produce an apple
must be fertilized. During the day, the bees fly from blossom to blossom, storing the nectar that they use to
make honey when they return to the hive. While they are collecting nectar, they also collect pollen.
Apple blossoms create pollen from the stamen. Pollen sticks to the bees and it is also stored in pollen baskets on
their legs. The pollen that is stuck to the bee from one flower, travels on the bee where it is collected by the
pistil of another apple blossom. Once the blossom is pollinated, an apple can grow.
Most apples must be “cross-pollinated”—a blossom must receive the pollen from a different variety of apple in
order for fertilization to occur and an apple to be produced. For example, a McIntosh cannot pollinate a
McIntosh.
Growers have experimented with
transferring pollen by hand, spraying pollen
onto blossoms, dumping from helicopters,
and even using shotguns with pollen-filled
cartridges, but bees continue to be the best
pollination method. The most important
reason for this is that blossoms, on even a
single tree, open at different times, and bees
are on constant duty in the orchard, seeking
out the blossoms that are ready.
To increase the effectiveness of the bees,
blossoms are collected in the spring and
pollen is extracted. This pollen is then
frozen, and, the next season, it is put in
trays inside the beehive. As bees leave the
hive, they are doused with the pollen. This
increases chances of pollination. In the
spring bees are
moved into Apple Activity
page 9
orchards to begin
the pollination
process.
16Good Bugs, Bad Bugs Washington’s
Fruit Place
Although a honeybee is a beneficial insect for the orchard, some insects can wreak havoc. Activity page 30
Growers try to protect their orchards from these pests. There are about one hundred
species of insects that feed on apple trees and fruit in the United States. Over 46 of these species have a strong
negative impact on the apple industry. The two most potentially dangerous pests, in Washington, are the
codling moth and apple maggot. If not held in check, these pests will eat apples—as well as profits.
Although evidence for apple maggots has not been found in commercial orchards in Washington State, the
Washington State Department of Agriculture monitors the traps they set each year, to make sure they don’t
arrive.
The codling moth larva eats its way into the center of the apple, feeds on the seeds and core, then tunnels its
way out of the fruit. Sprays can be applied to the orchard to kill the coddling moth after the full bloom. Just
make sure there are no bees in the area.
Ever heard of a worm in an apple? The worm is actually an insect larva.
Cooperative Extension, Washington State University
Cooperative Extension, Washington State University
W ANTED W ANTED
Dead Only Dead Only
FOR DAMAGE TO APPLES FOR DAMAGE TO APPLES
#2 PEST #1 PEST
apple maggot codling moth
17Thinning and pruning
Pruning increases fruit production, improves fruit color, and strengthens trees by distributing the weight of
branches evenly. Once trees are planted they are pruned and trained into a specific shape best for that orchard.
To make the tree produce fruit earlier, growers manipulate the branches so that they grow outward at a slight
angle upward. They keep the branches in the best position with weights and twine; props and trellis systems are
used to support the low branches of today’s orchards. Older trees are pruned to renew fruit buds, expose the
fruit buds to light, and to create “ladder bays”—pockets of space within the dense orchard for easier picking.
Thinning ensures large, healthy, attractive fruit, and promotes the health of the tree. Thinning also helps avoid
“biennial bearing”—the tendency of trees to produce too many apples one year and too few apples the next.
Once fruit grows to the size of a quarter, workers remove the smallest ones from the tree; the better developed
apples are left to mature. Apples are best when spaced about six inches apart on the branch. These basic
thinning practices were adopted in Yakima Valley orchards shortly after the turn of the century. In 1944
“chemical thinning” was introduced and is still widely used today. Orchardists spray thinning agents which
increase the apple drop that naturally occurs six weeks into the growing season.
Frost control
Washington’s
Frost control is important because apple blossoms are very sensitive to freezing Fruit Place
temperatures. Cold weather can kill apple buds. No buds; no apples. Activity page 29
Orchard heaters were introduced to the Yakima Valley in the early 1900s. These earliest heaters—called smudge
pots—were simply metal containers filled with fuel and ignited. Common fuels were heavy oils, such as diesel.
Old rubber tires were sometimes used, often filled with sawdust. The burning smudge pots gave off oily smoke
that could be seen as a dark fog blanketing the valley. On cold days school children were instructed to wash
their faces, hands, and collars. The smoke left a residue on anything that was outside, including children on
their way to school.
Influenced by a growing national concern for the
environment, the Yakima County Commissioners banned
the burning of heavy oils in open containers with passage of
a crop heating ordinance on December 15, 1965. Growers
had a five-year grace period to find a better way to combat
frost. This need, combined with rising fuel prices, was a call
for new technological innovation. More efficient heaters
are now used. These have a “return stack” which
recirculates smoke and vapors back into the heater.
Overhead and undertree sprinklers are also used in cold
weather to encase young blossoms in a coat of ice. As the
water freezes on the blossom, heat is given off, protecting
the fragile bloom from the deadly cold.
Another innovation to combat cold is the wind machine.
Mounted on 30’ columns, these giant fans mix the
International Apple Association
National Dental Health Week
warm air above the orchard with the cooler air close
February 3-9, 1957 to the ground. This raises the temperature around 18
Appleland News November 30, 1956 the apple trees.Picking
Apple-picking is done when the fruit is ripe. Apple varieties ripen at
different times, and fruit which receives more sunlight will ripen faster.
Apple trees may be picked up to three times to insure that each apple
picked is fully mature. Harvest season usually runs from mid-August
to mid-October.
In the early days, apples were picked when they appeared ripe to the
eye. The apples that looked ready were picked into buckets and then
piled on the ground. Today several scientific testing methods may be
used to determine the best time for picking apples. One such method
determines the maturity of apples by analyzing 1 bushel = 4 pecks
Washington’s the natural conversion of fruit starch to sugar 1 peck = 8 quarts
Fruit Place 1 quart = 2 pints
Activity page 30
which occurs as the fruit ripens; this is done with
a refractometer.
Workers are trained to pick the apples deep in their
palms, using the entire hand to avoid bruising the
fruit with their fingertips. If the stem is removed the
apple will spoil, so pickers must be careful not to
accidentally remove the stem. Once apples are
picked they are put into large bins that are trucked
to the packing warehouse.
In the old days, apple trees could be as tall as 20 feet,
and pickers had to climb high on ladders to get to
the fruit. Today’s smaller trees can be picked with a
ten-foot ladder, and some
Apple Activity
orchards can be picked page 28
from the ground. This Apple picking bag
new ease of picking is due
to improved rootstock and pruning techniques.
Cleaning and waxing
Apples are washed to remove dust and chemical
residues. This practice began in 1920, following a
fatality blamed on fruit pesticide spray. Now all
apples are washed before going to market. The
earliest cleaning was done by hand. Mechanical
Photo by Colville
cleaning methods were soon developed and various
washing apparatus have been used over the years.
Today’s apples go through a two-step process of
rinsing and brushing.
Freshly harvested apples have their own wax coating that protects them from shriveling and weight loss. When
apples are washed, half of the apple’s original wax is removed. The wax is replaced with FDA
approved shellac or carnauba. This new coat of wax prevents moisture loss and retains firmness.
One pound of wax coating will cover approximately 160,000 pieces of fruit. 19Packing
Packing apples prepares them for shipping. Until the 1920s apple-packing was done in the orchard. Today this
is done in huge packing houses. Most modern apple-packing is automated to organize the apples according to
size and quality. Water chutes are used to move the apples within the warehouse. Sorters remove imperfect
apples, called culls.
When the apple industry was just starting in the Yakima Valley, bushel-baskets and barrels were the accepted
methods of shipping used by the established fruit industry on the East Coast. But baskets and barrels are not
easily stacked into railroad cars. In the 1890s, growers from the Northwest developed a rectangular pine box
with a one-bushel capacity. These boxes were more easily constructed than baskets or barrels, and they were
easily stacked in railroad cars.
Wooden fruit boxes—an innovation of Northwest growers—gave maximum protection to the produce packed
inside, the pine used to make them was readily available in the Pacific Northwest, and the shape of the package
lent itself to colorful advertising labels. But, with changing technology, the availability of cheaper materials, and
a shrinking workforce during World War II, these boxes were eventually replaced by the cardboard cartons you
see today. By the end of the 1950s the wooden apple box had disappeared.
circa 1930
20Storage
Plants absorb light energy in a wonderful process called photosynthesis and use this light energy to turn carbon
dioxide into carbohydrates. Plants are not the only ones who use light energy to cause a chemical reaction –
people also absorb the UV portion of light to produce additional melatonin; that is why we get a suntan.
During the photosynthesis process, plants require a lot of water, and then break down the water molecule H20
into oxygen and hydrogen ions. The resulting oxygen is what we breathe. During the process called respiration,
the plant uses these carbohydrates
and other substances to produce
biochemical reactions necessary for
plant growth. During this process,
the plant releases carbon dioxide
and water. It is this respiration
process that must be deterred after
the apple is picked in order to
ensure its freshness while it is
waiting to be shipped to the marked
After apples are picked, they last
International Apple Association
only a short while, and when you
National Dental Health Week
buy them from the store, they only February 3-9, 1957
last a week in the fruit bowl. Appleland News November 30, 1956
Because of this, in the early days
apples had to be shipped soon after packing to keep them in good condition for the consumer. Apples were
sometimes piled and covered with dirt for winter storage. In the first decade of the 1900s, apples were stored in
potato cellars. But neither of these methods guaranteed freshness. In the 1920s cold storage was introduced,
giving the growers more flexibility in marketing. Yet some apples continued to spoil before they found a market.
In the 1950s, Wenatchee native Archie Van Doren introduced Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage to the
Washington apple industry. The Apple Industry had found out that by storing the apples in a reduced oxygen
atmosphere, that respiration slows down. They do this by storing them in special controlled atmosphere storage
areas where they increase the level of nitrogen. Ripening apples give off carbon dioxide (CO2). Researchers
figured out that increasing the amount of carbon dioxide around the fruit, it produces a back pressure and
reduces the rate of respiration. CA storage is a non-chemical process in which temperature, oxygen, carbon
dioxide, and humidity levels are carefully controlled. Temperature is kept between 32 and 36 degrees
Fahrenheit, humidity is held at 95%, and oxygen is
replaced with nitrogen and carbon dioxide. By
changing the atmosphere around the apples, the
ripening process is slowed, and apples can be stored
up to a year with little or no loss of quality.
The first commercial quantity of Red Delicious was
stored in a mylar tent in a Yakima area warehouse.
Now Washington has the largest capacity of CA
storage of any growing region in the world. Today
in Eastern Washington 66% of all storage is
Controlled Atmosphere storage.
Apple Activity
21
circa 1930
page 27Shipping
Shipping Yakima Valley apples to markets outside the valley, when the industry was young, was accomplished by
railroad. To prevent spoilage, apples had to be shipped soon after picking, and rail cars were cooled with ice.
The Yakima Valley Transportation Company’s interurban rail system was installed in 1907. Shortly afterward
the fruit industry began using it to move their apples from orchard to large warehouses, built at the terminus of
each interurban line. Packing houses sprang up along the trolley lines in all fruit growing districts. (You can
learn more about the Yakima Valley Transportation Company, and even ride on the Historic Electric Trolley, by
visiting the Yakima Electric Railway Museum, on 3rd Avenue and Pine Street in Yakima.)
Today apples are carried from orchard to warehouse by “straddle trucks” loaded with bins full of apples. The
trucking industry has now replaced the railroad, carrying ninety percent of Yakima Valley apples across the
country and to Canada and Mexico. Apples are also taken to Seattle and California for overseas shipping to over
forty different countries via container ship. Containers can be removed from the trucks and loaded onto
container ships without the need for repacking.
Marketing
Photo by Lee Weber
High-quality Yakima Valley
apples created their own market.
In the early days most apples
were shipped to the Midwest—
chiefly Minneapolis, Chicago,
and Omaha. Marketing was
done by produce brokers, who
bought the fruit from the
growers in a private cash sale.
The produce brokers, in turn,
sold the fruit to wholesalers in
major marketing cities. When
the apples arrived in these cities,
the wholesalers placed them on
the auction block in the
produce market.
The Northwest became known
as the home of the big red Cary Grant and Irene Dunne
apple. This was the golden age
of the irrigated valleys of the Pacific Northwest. Thousands of settlers came to the Valley with dreams of
prosperity in the fruit industry. New orchards sprang up all over the valley and soon the supply of apples far
exceeded the demand. The new settlers had hardly started their orchards when the market collapsed, and freight
cars of apples rotted on the tracks because markets could not be found. Growers believed that the dealers were
responsible for the low price of fruit.
The Yakima Horticultural Union was founded in 1902, and the Yakima Fruit Growers Association in 1910.
Throughout the Apple Industry, orchardists were forming alliances, hoping to gain control of fruit prices. Today
there are various organizations supporting fruit growers and promoting
their products. The Washington Apple Commission promotes apples in
Apple Activity
markets worldwide; its annual budget is close to twenty-five million 22
page 10 & 11
dollars.Apple Facts
Washington has led the country in apple production since 1910.
Over 60% of Washington apples come from the Yakima Valley.
In 1913 H. M. Gilbert exported Yakima apples to the Orient, making the first study of Asian export
potential.
Washington supplies half of America’s fresh apple needs.
Washington apples are sold in more than forty countries.
75% of the Washington apples that are produced are sold fresh. The other 25% are sent to processors to
be canned, frozen, made into juice, juice sweeteners, and dehydrated products.
Tree Top Incorporated, one of the world’s leading producers of apple juice and other processed fruit
products, is owned and directed by the Washington growers themselves.
Apples are one of Washington’s largest cash crops, with an estimated value of $899 million for fresh
apples and $281 million for processed apple products in 1995.
More than 99 million boxes of apples were packed for the fresh market in 1996.
Washington’s top ten export markets for the 1995-1996 crop year:
1. Mexico 6. Thailand
2. Taiwan 7. Malaysia
3. Canada 8. Saudi Arabia
4. Indonesia 9. Dubai
5. Hong Kong 10. Brazil
Apple Labels
The first wooden fruit boxes were made by Columbia River orchardists in the 1890s.
Identifying labels were placed on the ends of these boxes...and the Fruit Box Label was
born. These labels were widely used in the Yakima Valley after 1910. The brightly
colored and attractively designed labels soon became an effective advertising tool. Since
the fruit was packed inside the box, the labels were a “window” through which the fruit could be seen.
Each packing house had its own easily recognizable label, capturing the identity of the orchard; and the bold
images played a major role in the competition for national and international attention. Images on apple labels
were animals, Indians, landmarks, slogans, patriotic figures, flowers, and even family members...to name a few.
The background color of the label identified the grade of apples packed inside.
Blue was extra fancy. Red was fancy. Green, yellow, or white was “C grade.”
Before World War II there were over 4,000 different apple box labels in the Yakima Valley alone, representing
about 150 packing-houses. These labels carried the name of Yakima across the country and around the world.
Other fruit industries and other agricultural regions have also produced labels, and countless designs have been
produced. But, when the cardboard box replaced the wooden fruit box in the 1950s, these colorful examples of
American commercial art became a thing of the past. Although the trademark images
were often printed onto the new cardboard cartons, the unique nature and graphic Apple Activity
quality of the labels could not be reproduced. With time, the significance of the page 10 & 11
individual orchard has become less important than the simple “Washington Apples”
logo, and a wide variety of images is no longer necessary. Today, original apple box
labels are becoming widely recognized as a valuable piece of American history—both as art and as
documents of our agricultural past. Collectors aggressively seek out unique labels; some rare examples 23
may sell for thousands of dollars.Workers
Many people have come to work in the orchards of the Yakima Valley. In the earliest orchards, the workforce
was made up of owners and their families. As orchards grew in size, more people had to be hired to meet the
growing labor needs.
In the 1920s and 1930s, during the Dustbowl and the Great Depression, many people were destitute and
desperate for work. Unlike the decimated farmland of the midwest, Washington’s agricultural regions were
flourishing. People came from the Dakotas, Nebraska, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Texas to work in the
Washington apple industry.
During World War II growers and ranchers did not have a strong workforce because many people were serving
their country in the Armed Forces. As a result, from 1942 to 1964 thousands of workers called “braceros” were
brought from Mexico under the bilateral agreements between the United States and Mexico. Workers came to
work for U.S. ranchers and growers, and many came to work in the Yakima Valley. In 1964, after exposure of
deplorable living conditions and under scrutiny by U.S. labor unions, the Braceros Program came to an end.
There are still migrant workers from Mexico hired by Yakima Valley apple orchards—about 20,000 annually.
Most come from the Mexican states of
Jalisco, Oaxaca, and Michoacan. Some hope
to return home and buy their own farms
Washington State Apple Advisory Commission
someday. Others bring their families and
stay to work in the orchards year-round,
seeking U.S. citizenship.
Selling and Buying
The four major stops in the journey of an
apple include the grower, packer, broker, and
shipper. Packed apples are placed on trucks
and shipped directly to supermarket chains,
or to wholesale markets where small stores or
restaurants may purchase them. Other
apples may be diverted from the packing
process and loaded onto trucks in the
orchard or the packing warehouse and
shipped to processors to become apple juice
or apple chips.
Eating
Most apples are eaten raw, but apples are also
used to make applesauce, apple cider, apple
juice, apple cider vinegar, jellies, apple pie,
dried apples (apple chips), and apple
concentrate which is used as a flavor in many
foods.
Bob Hope
24An apple a day
Exhibit Worksheet
Now it is time to visit the Yakima Valley Museum. Remember to bring a pencil and a clipboard.
Take a walk through the exhibition, Yakima’s Love Affair with the Apple, and find the answers to these questions.
1) How many apples does the largest apple box, built in 1934, hold? 1)_________________________
2) How wide was the largest apple pie ever made? 2)_________________________
3) Before the apple industry became a major industry for Yakima,
what was the primary product raised in Yakima? 3)_________________________
4) Who was the first to use irrigation in the Valley? 4)_________________________
5) How much rainfall does Yakima receive each year? 5)_________________________
6) Where does the water come from that supplies Yakima’s irrigation? 6)_________________________
7) What aspects of Yakima made an apple industry worthwhile? 7)_________________________
8) Name a machine that was invented in Yakima for use in the orchards. 8)_________________________
9) Are modern apple trees bigger than apple trees 100 years ago? 9)_________________________
10) What insects are harmful to apples? 10)________________________
11) What insects are helpful to apples, and how are they used? 11)________________________
12) Describe the best way to pick an apple. 12)________________________
13) What local invention was an improvement over the bushel basket? 13)________________________
14) Why is wax put on apples? 14)________________________
15) Do apples have a wax coating before they are picked? 15)________________________
16) What is a cull? 16)________________________
17) How do you store apples to keep them fresh longer? 17)________________________
18) How were trolleys used by the apple industry? 18)________________________
19) What color label is used for extra fancy? 19)________________________
20) Why causes resulted in a great immigration of people in
the 1930s to work in Yakima’s apple industry? 20)________________________
Apple Activity
answers on page 27 25Planting the Seed
Outreach Materials and Internet Tools
Smudge Pots
26Follow-up Activities
Apple of my eye
After visiting the Yakima Valley Museum, have
your students make their own items that
demonstrate Yakima’s love affair with the apple.
Design an apple hat with a slogan that advertises
the Yakima apple. Make dried apple necklaces
(dried apples can be purchased at the grocery or
natural food stores).
One Rotten Apple Spoils the Whole Barrel
Rotten apples produce a gas called ethylene
which can make other apples near them ripen
more quickly. Have your class set up bowls of
apples in different areas; one with a rotten apple,
and one without. Watch to see when the other World’s Largest Apple Pie
apples begin to get rotten. Also, try putting 1927
other fruits in with apples, such as pears, to see if what affect they may have.
Apple Jack-o-lanterns
Supplies
Red Delicious apples or other red apple
Plastic knives or butter knife
Lemon juice
A fun activity, when studying about apples, is to make jack-o-lanterns out of
apples. Select apples with a red skin, and cut out sections just as you would a
pumpkin. The white flesh of the apple is accented by the red skin. Use a little
lemon juice on the apple to keep it from turning brown.
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
An apple a day (answers) 10) Apple maggot and codling moth.
1) 76,650. 11) Bees.
2) Ten feet. 12) Keep the stem intact. Use the palm of your hand
3) Cattle. instead of the tips of your fingers to avoid bruising.
4) Chief Kamiakin of the Yakamas in 1852. 13) The apple box.
5) Eight inches. 14) To prevent moisture loss, preserve firmness, and
6) The Cascade Mountain watershed. replace wax that was removed during washing.
Reservoirs. 15) Yes, but half of it comes off during washing.
7) Volcanic soil, flood deposits, and a summer 16) A less than perfect apple that is weeded out.
with long hot days and cool nights. 17) Controlled atmosphere (CA).
8) Lindeman tractor. 18) Trolleys were used to transport apples from the
9) No, they are pruned to grow smaller. orchards to the warehouses.
Dwarf rootstocks are planted. 19) Blue.
Apple Activity 20) The Great Depression and
page 25 27
the Dust Bowl.You can also read
