The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1903-07-02

that many kinds of fruit could be grown
TO greater perfection there than at any
other point on the coast. Hood River
valley lies right in the heart Of the
Cascade mountains, and the towering
peaks Of the godly range girt it on
every eide. While the Hood River APP
Piles are known in almost every land,
and are sold for more money in the
city Of London, England, than any
other apple that is shipped to that
market, yet it is the Hood River straw
berry that has given the valley its rep
utation and made of its broken uplands
and barren hiIlsides a golconda richer
than the dreams of Aladdin. In 1901
there was shipped from Hood River
valley 10000 crates of Strawberries; in
1902, 90, 700 crates, and we are told that
In this good year Of our Lord 1908, the
strawberry season of which is now in
full blast, that fully 100000 crates of
this delicious fruit will be sent forth to
the markets Of the world. When it is
understood that each crate of straw
berries nets the grower $l.65 clear
proht, including interest on the invest
ment and the labor of the owner, it
can be readily seen how 1t is that each
farmer in Hood River valley owns a
gold mine in which Strawberries are
the golden nuggets that put wealth
into his pockets. Ten years ago some
of this land could be bought for SIS or
$40 an acre. Now some of it can not
be bought for 81 900 an acre.
1t was our good fortune to stop with
A. g. Staten and family, who own
strawberry ranch and fruit farm two
miles out of Hood River city, on the
slope of the mountain that fronts to
the north, and midway between the
SHOWS of Mount Hood on the south
and Mount Adams on the opposite side
nf the Columbia. Mr.. Staten formerly
lived IN Salt Lake City and worked for
twenty years there in the great ilon
foundry which is one Of the chief in
dustries of the City of the Saints. He
came to Hood River four years ago and
paid $50 an acre for the 40-acre farm he
now OWNS. To the casual observer il
would appear that he had paid twice
as much, and possibly ten times AS
much as the farm was worth. This
spring, however, he was offered 5000
per acre for the same land and refused
It. Just think of it, all appreciation of
400 per cent in four years. He paid
s., 400 for his ranch and refused in four
years $1,000. In his home, which il
not pretentious, he has a fine piano
md good library. And no wonder.
A few years more of the same prosper
ity and he will own government bonds
and city blocks.
The strawberry grown in Hood River
is not much different in many respects
from other Strawberries. 1t grows
larger, bears handling, packing and
shipping well, and in fact il is not at
its best for table use until it has been
four or five days off the vine. Most of
the crop is shipped to the East, some
to Portland, Seattle and Tacoma, and
last year half dozen crates were sent
to Hong Kong, China, and arrived
there in first-class condition. II re-
quires at the present time 5000 pickers
and packers to handle the crop, and
they are all imported from the outside
world. Many Of them are Yakima In
dians. Many of the best white people of
the Willamette valley go to Hood River
and camp out during the strawberry
season and make holiday of it. The
air is salubrious, the weather is not in
ordinately warm and the nights are
perfectly glorious. Not ta cloud appears
in the sky, and even at night there is
not particle of dew. Everything is
raised by irrigation, the water being
taken from Hood river. 1t is not too
much to predict that in few more
years Hood River will be the straw
berry garden spot of the world and
ship annually million crates, bring
ing profit to the growers Of 81 300 600
acknowledgement aiffff iffff'5 Of this in little up
land, broken valley, hidden away in
the heart of the Cascade range. Hood
River valley Is only 40 miles as the
crow flies from Oregon City, and Wasco
county, in which it is situated, borders
on Clackamas.