The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1894-10-11
FOR THE FARMER.
Hints Taken From Our
Agricultural Exchanges.
SOMETHING FOR ALL RURALISTS.
Interesting Topics for the Agriculturist,
Hortlculturist and General
Farmer.
Possibilities of Oregon Hop Yards.

One OF the worst fallacleS now going
the rounds of the hop papers, is that
hops can be raised in Oregon for &c per
lb. If man does all his own work
he can do it, if he does not count the
cost of polling, or rather getting new
stock Of poles, nor take into account
the money invested in hop houses and
such things | know of men who have
kept strict account of their expenses,
and know what the actual cost is. OF
course the cost is lessened in years
when the crop is heavy, and again it
will be increased in years when the
sprayer has to be kept going, and that
will happen in any wet year we may
have These men have found out that
the cost is lie per lb. This is not a
guess, nor an estimate, but figures.
They ap men, too, that raise good
crops, and work their ground well.
Those men that talk about raising hops
for &c do not know what they are talk
ing about, but merely guess at it, Ask
them for any figures and they cannot
give them, and doubt if they can even
give the cost per lb of picking and bal
ing, with any degree of accuracy, but
would guess at that too | have kept
a strict account of that, and find that
to get my hops in the bale costs me &c
per lb, and we get picking done for 4Oc
per box. Other sections pay SOC for the
same size boxes
have heard growers say that there
cannot be hops enough planted in Ore
gon to affect the market. Usually it
is one of those men who says hops can
be raised for 7c that makes that asser-
ton. Let us figure on that little
In the first place, there are very few
who have any idea of how many hops
are used in the world. For the last
three or four years the average produc-
ton has been $50, 600 bales, and the
consumption has just about kept pace
with the production. | will except
last year, for in '93 but $50, 200 bales
were raised and the consumption also
appears to be shaping to keep pace
with that amount. These are, of
course, round numbers. We will take
the larger figures for consumption, of
$50, 600 bales, and see how many acres
it would take to produce them. TAX
ing an average Of 1900 lbs to an acre,
or about seven bales, it would take
about 1856, 900 acres, and Marion county
could raise that, and raise enough of
everything else necessary to feed her
population besides. The business is
being overdone, and many a man will
be broken up financially i'll the next
few years. With the yield 1905
bales below other years GALL of which
were admittedly shorD the dealer, or
brewer, or both combined, are
able to depress hops to a very low
point. The first year of good crops is
going to put the price below the much
talked-of &c. | think this coast will
raise enough in '95 to supply the
United States. / often hear mention
of the increased consumption of beer.
This is more than met by the decreased
consumption of hops in the beer, it hav-
ing fallen from 2 lbs to the barrel to
lb.
1t is mistake that the best returns
received on consignment from Eng
land are lc net lilo is the poorest,
while good many are up to Is and
Ice, without mentioning the few that
brought about zoe earlier in the season.
Late sales net lac per lb.-Joel P.
Geer, Marion Co., Ore.