Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-11-07
The Hop-Growing Eusiness.

The Waterville On. " Times publishes
the following communication from Joel P.
Geer
In recent number Of your paper Won
have an article intending to show New
! 1or6 hop men how to run Pacific Coast
growers ont of the business also express
ing the opinion that we can be forced to
yield. Growers here received the oniuioo
with derision. Do YOU know anyti,ino
about the broom-Coru business of the
Mohawk valley? Do you know that The
superior advantages Of the West have
almost ruined their business and forced
them to grow hops instead And ! nre-
dict that the still further West will ruin
their hop-growing business to an equal ex-
tent. do not believe that New York can
compete with our cheap land, cheap poles.
cheap picking and sure crops. One grower
sald that your statements put stifienng in
his backbone and if Won wanted to try
conclusions as to which section could hold
out longest he was ready, and could make
money at 6 cents per pound. His total ex-
penses III raising and securing his crops in
the bale Including 5000 new poIes}' was
tor this year about 81 cents per pound
Your advice to New York hop.raisers
stamps your paper as a local paper. de-
voted To your state as against the rest of
the nation think that your subscription
list will grow beautifully less on this coast
alter this, and that you viii find that The
sectional strife viii result in the survival
of thefitteS;"
The Times, in answer to The above saws
Mr.. Geer IS entitled to his opinion, and we
cheerfully give it publicity, but we stilI
hold different opinion, based ON several
selt-evident truths, and while We admit we
teei preIudiced in favor of New York grow
ers as against any other growers in the
world, such prejudice being born and bred
IN native of the Empire State. that does
not lead rs to make any statements wbirb
we Go not believe to be facts There arc too
many hops raised. Many growers n,ret
cease growing, or all continue at loss
only those will continue who can make
Slle most out OF growing hops. We believe
-N, NeW 1orkers can make the most. WhvP
hey raise raise stronger and more salable
mop. Idey are largely going into the use
OF wire, which can be nut mn abont nc
cheaply as our Oregon friend can get bis
poles- Ihelr hops can be marketed 2 cents
cheaper ana the same grades viii sell to
cents higher than Pacific. FIGURING nc
loosely as our Oregon friend does. LEAVING
out interest on land, cost Of kilns' owners
u!ue, etc, and the generally accented cost
OF Ia cents pound here can be cut down
" ana ~ cents. Several of our large grow
ers tell Us that this year. with labor down
cost OF picking loss, interest less. etc. thev
made something at 10 cents. These state
ments are written as much for the good of
and information of Pacific growers as of
New York growers. We would do more
harm to the Pacific growers to lead them 10
oelIeYe they could drive the New York
growers out, and thereby induce them 10
keep on throwing good money after had
than by giving them the true state Of affairs
as we see it. We do not believe all in either
section will need to plow up to bring arain
better prices, but those who are wori2ine,
under the most disadvantages in either sec7
ton will drop out. We believe the larper
number are on the Pacific Slope. Hons
have been raised here forty years or more
That they. will be forty years hence we do
not doubt" uU