The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1892-09-05
HEGRAND VIEW FARM
Sketch Of a Visit to The Wonderful Mill
Greek Fruit Lands.
FINEST ON THE PACIFIC COAST.
Prolific spfune Production and a Bounti-
fal Berry Patch.
FINEST ON THE PACIFIC COAST
THE MoUsrA1N TOR VINEYARD
Grand And Beautiful sisht-Improve.
ments of the Past Year-No Pre-
tense In This.

SPECIAL 10 THE CHRoNIcLE.l
THE DALLEs, Sept. 6.-As the visitor
drives out through Mill creek valley
from The Dalles and beholds snow-cap-
ped Mount Hood towering high in the
distance, panorama of beauty lies be-
fore him that he will ever fondly remem
ber and keenly appreciate. It may be
the long sweep of graceful hills running
far up into the horizon on either. side the
valley, it may be the beauty of orchards
and vineyards which enrich those hills
and show wonderful fertility of soil,
or it may be the charm of glorious eli
mate, or dozen other natural advan-
tages which contribute to make the Mill
creek country one of the finest fruit
regions on the Pacific coast.
After spending several hours in driv-
ing through this delightful valley, we
stop at "Grand View Fruit Farm" on
our way back to The Dalles. This is
part of the property of the Columbia
River Fruit company, and Mr.. A..
T. Highly, their efficient superintendent
may be found here doing bis utmost to
make Grand View model fruit ranch
1t was the appearance of thrift and care
full cultivation that particularly attract
ed as to this farm, and which wasso pro-
nounced when compared with the others
thereabout that we at once voted MIR.
Highly as being the right man in the
right place.
On our way down the hill we passed
traaS han,Jfra. r,rAor 10ol
fruitage so marvellous that it would
have to be seen to be fully appreciated.
A mere description cannot give an ade-
quate idea of how thickly the prunes
cluster together and make the limbs
look like long festoons as they bend be-
meath their weight. At the bottom of
the hill we came to a small plateau con-
tanning some three or four acres of straw
berries and about quarter of an acre
of blackberries. The latter were of the
Lawton variety and when we were told
that this small patch u of an acre) had
yielded about $500 boxes this season,
it seemed incredible to say the least,
but when one of our party, who had
been out to this fruit farm about the
middle of July, assured us that the
vines were then so heavily laden that
many of them bent down until they lay
almost fiat on the ground, we concluded
from those which were left, and the
stems which remained to tell the tale,
that the statement regarding the great
yield must be correct. These berries,
and about seven acres of strawberries,
are watered by system of irrigation
from Mill creek, which runs through
the property on its way down from the
mountains. None of the other fruit
requires irrigation.
- The large, ripe berries tempt us for a
few minutes, but we drive on, and are
happily reminded of Tennyson's song of
''The Brook" while crossing q bridge
that is partly EN- powered with shrub
berry, as it spans Mill creek. The sweet
cadence of waters rushing over their
stony bed is here to mark the home of
the brook trout, while the perfume of
the honeysuckle and the wild rose also
tempts us to linger; but just as we
alight from the carriage. Mr.. Highly ap-
pears, with hoe in his hands, and with
his coat off, and we soon find ou' selves
following the genial su. erintendent
through orchards of peaches and pears,
prunes, plums, nectarines, etc., and
then higher up the hill to several fine
vineyards, where stranger would have
told us that nothing would grow. Those
hills, however, are very fertile, and
when we saw vines thriving and bearing
luxuriant crops, without the aid of eth
er rain or irrigation, we could not help
but see the truth in Mr.. Higby's re-
mark, as he said: ST tell you, gentle
men, this is the finest grape land in the
worldr' The same might be truthfully
eaid of the orchards, for, after examin-
ing them, all were unanimous in saying
they had never seen their equal before.
Even melons grow in abundance on the