Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1896-1899, 1897-09-06
FRUIT
Hops and the Bad Weather.
Picking In Progress In Many Yards
Sunday.
FRITZ

lHC vi VI 0bS ReSS
few days will have a serious affect on
all crops, Prunes, hops, grain In
the shocks and many garden vegeta-
bles will be injured.
1t has practically put threshing ma
chimes at a standstill. Some farmers
say much wheat will be damaged.
Rain has fallen in all sections of the
state and has put the land in tne
shape for blowing.
Fruit growers do not generally
claim that a great amount of damage
has been done, though some prunes
that we're farther along than others,
are more or less cracked.
The clear bright morning of today
caused many fruit men to feel more
cheerful about the situation. Pick
ing and drying will be in full blast
soon aud everything will be done to
save as much damaged fruit as pos
sible. With fair weather the damage
will not be so serious as at first antici-
pated.
Returns from fruit shipped from
other valley points are anything but
favorable to the grower and do not
tend to encourage further shipments.
The Earl Fruit Company, of Eugene,
has been receiving unfavorable re-
ports from several cars of fruits ship
ped some of which did not pay expen-
ses. AS consequence, packing has
been suspended by this company. 1t
has shipped 10 cars. g. B. Jeffries &
Co., are still packing and shipping,
with limited force.
Returns received at Corvallis, from
a carload of Bartlett pears sold in
Philadelphia show that the sales av-
eraged from IS cents to $1.10, and Sil =
yer prunes As cents box. The ship-
pers expect to realize practically moth
ing for their product.
Local growers have realized hand
some returns from all shipments from
Salem, fact in which they find rea-
son to feel pleas ed with the fruit ship
ping industry, which was purely an
experiment in many instances.
Two cars of fruit packed by the 0.
F.&P. company, at Albany, passed
through Salem. Sunday, for the East
ern markets. Packing has been pract-
ically suspended at Salem for the
present. Apples and dried fruit will
next be shipped.
The heavy winds OF last week
caused a great deal of fruit to fall
from the trees, apples and prunes es-
pecially.
AMONG THE HOP YARDS.
The yards about Salem suffered con-
siderable from the rain and wind of
the past week.
The Beardsley yard, being operated
by w. II. Holmes, is said to be in very
bad shape from lice and mold, and
will be abandoned, while the lower
yard, which is being operated by Gil
bert & Patterson, is somewhat better.
1t has been sprayed, and the greater
part of it will be picked, although
there are some worthless spots in it..
At the Holmes yard, south of Sa-
lem, about five acres were blown down
and will be mostly lost.
At the Pettyjohn yard the price for
picking has peen advanced to 40 cents
a box. The majority Of the yards are
paying 40 cents now and some few so
cents.
Prominent hop men think the hop
crop will be cut short about one-half
on account of the late rains.
At Dallas considerable anxiety is
felt among the hop men as to the re-
suit of the rain on the crop; but the
general opinion is that the rain will
not increase the mold to any great eX-
tent, and the yards that are compar-
atively free from lice will be benefited.
In most of the yards along the foot
hills, and in that vicinity the hops
are too green for picking is rather IA
vorable than otherwise. There will
Dc plCuUJ VI piOhOio az ouO PiiSO III"
offered. 40 cents.
The heavy rains have much delayed
hop picking in Yamhill county, and
should it continue few days longer
there will be hundreds of acres near
Dayton that will not be harvested.
The pickers have lots of pluck, and
pick in the rain in order to save the
crop, but the scarcity Of pickers
makes picking rather slow work.
Lane county hopmen report no con-
siderable damage to the crop on ac-
count of rain, and all are rushing
picking as fast as possible. There is
a good prospect for saying all that
was properly tended and carefully
sprayed prior to picking time.
Hop picking in d, A. OsbuIn's yard
at Corvallis, has been finally given up
on account OF the rain and mold.