The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1895-05-16
OLD wAsCo COUNTY.
A PEW BRIEF FACTS CONCERNING
ITS RESOURCES.
Fruits, Fish, Farm and FOrests--she
Has Them ALL and UnllmitOd
Water Power.
THE FRUIT BELT.

As we have shown, the wool and sal
mon industries yield annually from
$3.50. .0U0 to 81 100000. The stock ship
ments, which include, of course, the
country south of us and not in this
county, will amount to $500, 600 more,
and our wheat will swell this to grand
total OF 81 ,250,O0O Yet Notwithstanding
the vast total, the fact is plain that in a
few years one other industry, at present
in it's infancy, but growing giant, will
yield reyenue greater than all that
from all other sources CONT bined. That
is the fruit industry. Wasco county,
although only few years ago not
ranked as fruit producer, stands today
cenfessedly the best fruit county in the
state. The climate and rainfull are per-
feet for the growing of winter apples,
and this fruit will eventually place her
in the front rank financially.
The western boundary of the county
being, as we have stated, the summit of
the Cascade mountains, it is also the
limit of the excessive rainfall of Oregon,
which commences to decrease at that
point, and by the time the agricultural
portion of the county is reached it is
just right. Commencing at the Hood
RIVER valley, which opens to the Col
umbia, % miles west of The Dalles, and
which is one of the best known fruit
sections of the state, the fruit belt ex-
tends to the east along the Columbia
river, and as the mountains give place
to the prairies, follows around the foot
hills to the south, and extends across
the county to the Deschutes river. Az
pie trees generally bear in from four to
six years, according to variety, and the
kitchen orchards, about all that were
planted until few years ago, hay Q
never been known to fail of a crop IN
the thirty years since the first were
planted. The crop is sure, and the
market in the United States for this
kind of apples has never yet been over
supplied. Orchard lands are cheap in
the wild state. the principal cost being
in preparing them for cultivation. They
will run in value from $3.50 per acre to
$50, according to amount of improve
ments, location, distance from market,
etc. The trees are generally set about
1OS to the acre, and are carefully culti-
waited, potatoes and other crops being
raised between the rows.
While it takes time and work to grow
an orchard, yet it is cafe to cay that the
first crop will pay for the land, the
planting of the orchard and the cultiva-
ton. We call to mind case in Hood
river valley of one farmer, Mr.. John
Sweeny, who planted two acres of ORCH
ard on hillside, not suitable tor other
crops. It yieltIed few apples the
fourth year, and the fifth year produced
it's first crop. The trees were the White
Winter Pearmain variety, and the
apples were sold to dealer in the trees
for 20 cents box. The crop netted Mr..
Sweeny $1S4 an acre. The land was
taken up by him, but could have been
bought in its wild state for $40 an acre
its clearing cost a bout $50 more an acre,
and its care and cultivation for five
years, at a generous estimate, $50, or
total of $50. This left him as the net
profit on his venture. $94 for five years,
or almost $50 an acre year. and all for
the first crop. The second crop was
grown on the same land last year, and
although NE have not the figures at