The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1901-06-28
- 1870 --F,-'-. =. -. -. :,
Aood River GLACIER
FRIDAY, 4uNE .2S, 1901. +, =
HoOd Rivers Strawberry Crop.


2S, 900 last year, Although the season
tions uniavorable TO the production Of
any where near full CROP, the berries
produced we're Of good quali+y-and mar
ket returns to the grower were never
better. 1t irsaleNu estimate that this
veaf 4 crop has netted the Hood River
farmers $4,000 in hard cash, and there
is hardly an acre in tie valley planted
TO Strawberries that has not ynetted the
owner from 800 t. $500. A lew vi tht
farmers with patches along the river
bottom favorable to the early ripeninp
Of the berries secured fancy prices at th,
opening of the season, which netted. blp
profits, but A'conservative estimate ofthe
average returns for the valley would
give the farmers net profit ot'xl50 per
acre for their strawberry crop. The
shipping union will return TO the grow
ers an average Of 81 80 per crate.
The 40, 600 crates sent out from Hood
River would have filled 65 fruit cars.
There we're billed ont total Of "a cars,
10 of them by the Hood River Fruit
Growers Union and the rest by the
Davidson FrutCo. The latter company
shipped something over 10000 crates.
and the union $4,000, while individual
shippers apd growers marketed about
8,000. Ofthe 10 cars billed out by the
uniop, eight went to Montana seven to
North Dakota, three to Winnepeg and
one.sach, 10 Duluth, Denver and Omaha.
A point Of special interest to note here
is that Hood Rivers 900 worth Of
Strawberries was produced on less than
400 aeres, something between that num-
Der and $50. This may appear incred-
ulous at first glance, but is nevertheless
true. The average size OF the individ-
ual berry patches is considerably less
than five acres.
-'Fhe car shipments fell off that Of 9TH
er years, the small towns nearer home
affording better markets and higher
prices than the big cities. The David
son Fruit Co. consigned but one car to
Omaha this year, while in 1895 Hood
River sent that city l3 carloads of ber-
rigs. The people of Omaha and other
cities want our berries bad enough and
constantly send in orders for them, but
it was impossible this year to supply
the demand. While the quantity of Der.
IitE III llOOu IefNiI tldS DldhGTiuliH III
creased it has fallen far short Of filling
the ever increasing demand for the fruit
In North Dakota and the states Of the
middle Northwest the people de-
manded our berresin car load lots, but
there were not enough grown TO meet
the demand. Montana this year took
more berries at higher. average prices
than ever before, while the cities on the
Sound and British Columbia furnished
big demand, ut least four times a.
many berries going to Portland and the
Sound cities as ever went before The
Davidson Fruit Co. made a number o
consignments to Alaska, some of the
fruit o4-wlficlfwas marketed in the in.
terror.
'-fhe season for Strawberries all oyel
the United States Is reported to have
been better than ever before, and the
berries from California and the middle
South were supplying the markets o.
the large cities at the opening of the
season here which tended to put down
prices. g. j. Gessling, secretary of The
Hood River Fruit Growers Union, SAYS
that at the height of the season, owing
to the supply OF Eastern and California
berries The union couldn't have handled
more berries than they had but it was
pity the carload shipments could no
have been kept up at the end of tn,
season. .''The farmers in the Foothills, ,
said Mr.. Gessing, "have {, big advan
tage here, as their berries ripen afteI
the other berries are out of the market
and furthermore, the berries are Of {
better quality, and more Of them can b.
produced to the acre, than on the sand,
soil of the lower part of the valley. Tht
people in the Crapper district have ;
good chance to get rich Just becaus,
there berries are late"
The strawberry business in HooC
River never was on better basis. Nor,
berries we're produced this year thai
ever before, but the demand was fiji
from being supplied. The early berries
of course, bring fancy prices, but for til,
past three years there has been an in
cr6asing -cas+ for late berrieswhich woult
furgish good market until the middle
of July. Other berries are out of tn,
market by this time, and as the land il
the upper valley can produce berries o
large size and superior quality the farm
ers OF Hood River need never to despa
of OVERRIDING the thing. No section il
the country can produce berries tha
Withstand shipment like the Hood Rive
product, and when the farmers of ou
valley, by raising sstra " Berries, can elea
from $lQ0AtS $500, and sometimes $40j
per acre above expenses, they have 20
something that's a sure thing and whicl
will pay ithem better dividends thar
most of the gold mines of the country
Said II. T. Davidson of the Davidson
Fruit CO., ,"What we need is more Der
ries. Why, actually hate to open IN,
mail these mornings, for the Eastern
buyers are'constantly demanding NOR,
berries md in most. every other lette
we dre met with the query, why don
SotI FILL our order?' or why don't yol
send more strawberries?
The strawberry that has made HooC
River famous and is making our frui
growers rich, is the Clark's Seeding. A
popularity this variety is that II
beerhs particularly adapted to the valley
and cannotbe grown successfully else
where: For shipping quality the Clark,
Seeding is without doubt the best in
the world, and asrtp flavor it is equall,
hard to beat. Eheugh within late YEAR
an attempt has been made to put fortl
the Magoon berry,aad some Of our farm
ers are being deluded ifte thinking i
SURPRISES. the good qualities OF tn,
Clark's' Seeding. The Oregonian OF
the oath inst in a Mandatory article upor
the Magoon berry erroneonsly asserted
that this berry is now conceded to sur
pass in every particular the good quail
ties OF the Clark Seeding. A few cred
ulous people may be deceived by suct
misstatements, but the majority vii
prefer to take the facts as they are. But
facts or no facts, the Magoon berry ha,
already done considerable mischief, anC
if Hood, River wants to. sustain its es
tabhshed reputation for Strawberries
the Magoon must be left ont. They art
90 per cent more productive than the
Clark's Seeding, but for shipping purpo
ses they are absolutely worthless, and fol
canning they are equally unfit. Wher
shipped in cars this year, with the
Clark's Seeding they invariably brought
from 20 cents to a dollar less per crate