The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1895-05-16
ADMISSION, 25c, 35c and Soc.

hand, we are told by his neighbors that
it far exceeded the crop of the first year.
This is but one of countless cases that
could be quoted.
It is only within the past five or ak
planted for other purposes than to sup
ply the home demand. Then some
small orchards were set with view to
making fruit-growing a business instead
of side issue. 1t was begun at first on
a small scale, few acres being planted
at q time, but the idea has gained
ground, as a few of these smaller orch
ards began to bring in such handsome
returns, until now young orchards of
twenty, thirty and forty acres are not
uncommon. As these begin to bear,
the quantity Wasco county will ship
will be surprising. We have no doubt
but that the winter apple will within
five years yield return of $500, 600, and
within ten years double or triple that
amount. While we speak thus of win
ter apples, do not for moment imagine
that the only fruit that can be, or is,
grown here. We have mentioned the
winter apple because that is fruit that
can be harvested at leisure and sold
when the owner gets ready to sell; but
all varieties of apples do well. The
Gravenstein, the king of all summer
apples, grows to perfection, as do all
varieties, and in '93 a carload shipped
to Omaha was sold on sight at 81. 80 per
box, or bushel, netting the shipper so
cents. Pear are certain crop, yielding
abundantly, and the Bartletts are super
ior in color and flavor. to any California
ever produced. Prunes will also soon
prove an important crop, many young
orchards now growing being planted
after experiments had demonstrated
that they yielded well and were finely
favored. Plums and cherries are both
certain crops, and the trees bear enor-
mously. Peaches grow finely. but are
not certain crop, many years being q
total failure; but when they do bear,
the trees seem to try to make up for de-
ficiencies by producing phenomenal
crop.
All smfll fruits do well here, and the
strawberry is quite an important one,
not less than $50, 10000 worth being sold
annually. Hood River and Mosier are
as yet the principal points at which
they are raised, both being on the line
of the railroad, necessary condition to
the shipment of this tender fruit. The
variety grown for shipment, and which
is the most perfect berry in the world is
the Clark's Seeding. It ls deep red,
highly epauletted, solid to the core, and
a phenomenal shipper, this latter quail
ity giving it its principal value. These
berries find their market in the mining
towns of Montana, Denver and in Kan
sas City and other far eastern points.
At the Column bian exposition at Chicago
the Clarkes Seeding took the premium
over all other berries, even though they
had been four days in an express car
and had travelled 1000 miles. They
bring good prices, too, and in '93 many
of the patches yielded $400 to $500 an
acre net. In this connection it might
be proper to add that We refer to the
year 1898, because in 1894 the unprece-
dented high water of the Columbia
washed away miles of the railroad along
j
its banks. which was not rebuilt until
fall, so that for berries and other fruits
the market was cut off.
| When one realizes the area here that
is peculiarly adapted to the growing of
fruit, which in this county at low es-
innate is 100000 acres, and also the
amount of money produced per acre, it
is easily seen that as the hills are set to
orchards a vast amount of money will
b, returned. Acre for acre the winter
apple orchard is more valuable than the
orange or lemon orchards of California,
and besides there is not the same diff
Guilty in handling them. The orange
and the lemon must be sold eat once;
the winter apple is friend that will
wait for you in the cellar, and will not
go back on you because you leave him q
few days on the tree. Santa Clara
county, California, with $4,000 acres of
orchards. last year sold Sc, zoo, 600 worth
of fruit. There is no reason in the world
why Wasco county in few years should
not produce at least as much.
Contin.sed.