The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1904-07-14
Hood Rivers CIark,s Seedlings.

IhVVu AbtNNh ~ AhatA n . DOCAAiHENs
Hon. G. +. Smith, the well-known
institute worker and editor Of the In
land Farmer, recently visited Hood
River and investigated the strawberry
business. As he tells us, one of the
things he was looking for was "the why
of the wide fame Of a medium-sized, ,
rather sour, hard strawberry that was
certainly inferior in size, productiveness
and flavor TO many Of the popular vari-
ties While the investigation was dill
gently prosecuted along different lines,
we found the situation so complex and
the evidence so contradictory that the
problem was not solved TO our satisfac-
ton
"Dd the strawberry make Hood River
famous2 Or did Hood River make the
strawberry famous2 Is the high repu-
tation of Hood River berries due TO the
berry, the soil, the climate, the method
of growing and marketing them2 After
a careful review Of the entire field the
writer inclines to the thought that a few
men in Hood River have been able TO
intelligently combine a few ordinary
factors, take advantage OF certain oppor-
tunities-nO way exceptional in charac-
ter--and by a happy combination OF
these, with brains, energy and persever-
ence, have made Hood River and Hood
River berries famous. Therefore that
it is not the berry nor the place, but the
men and the methods that have been the
governing force"
There is no doubt that much OF the
fame Of the Hood River strawberries
is due to the people OF that place. There
is no other fruitgrowing district in the
Pacific Northwest which has shown 80
keen an appreciation of the value OF
advertising or so much enterprise and
public spirit in securing advertising.
But, with this admitted, we believe
there is something to be credited to the
climate and soil conditions of the Hood
River section, and great deal to the
characteristics OF the Clark Seeding
strawberry itself
The climate OF the Hood River valley
is about'half way between those Of the
/, small-fruit districts west Of the Cascade
valleys Of the Columbia Snake and
Yakima Rivers least Of the Cascades).
There is all the heat and sun in Hood
River valley consistent with the produc-
tion Of the best shipping qualities in
strawberries, and yet rarely the extreme
heat in strawberry time which often
softens the berries in the warmer valleys
named. While temperature conditions
west OF the Cascades are usually ideal
for the production of shipping berries,
the varieties best adapted TO long-dist-
ance shipments AS rule are varities
which require sandy soil and the main
tenance Of a large supply OF water in the
soil This isa combination OF conditions
which is rather rare west OF the Cascade
Mountains, and the west side berries
which are most profitable to growers are
the larger kinds which flourish in clayey
soils and yield immense crops Of berries
suitable to home markets.
At Hood River the sandy soils and
irrigation bitches enable growers to Sc
cure crops Of paying volume from the
Clarks seedling, which in the vicinity
OF its place Of origin near Portland
yields less than one-fourth as much per
acre as such varieties as the Magoon.
AS to the merits Of the Clark's Seed
ling strawberry itself we believe it may
be Justly claimed for IL that, as grown
and handled at Hood River at least, ii
is the best long.distance shipping straw
berry known, This Is matter which
has been demonstrated by the contnu-
GUS success Of Hood River in shipping
strawberries to twice the distance straw
berries are successfully shipped from
other growing points and yet having
them arrive at destination in such fine
condition that they outsell In price the
best berries grown close to such destina
ton The Clark's Seeding berry is not
only firm but rich. While il is a sour
berry even when ripe, We are Of the
opinion that chemical analysis would
show that ripe Clark's Seeding straw
berry contains as much sugar as the
sweetest Strawberries grown and that its
sourness is due to the large percentage
Of acid 1t contains This combination Of
sugar and acid makes rich, heavy fruit
and the Clark's Seeding is one of the
heaviest strawberries known, at least
that is the impression OF those who have
handled It. The liberal supply of acid
acts as u natural preservatye Of the fruit.
A feature which makes the variety valu-
able for shipping is that It can be when
just beginning to turn and will color up
beautifully in the boxes on its journey
east There are other varities which
share this quality with 1t, but compare
lively few which develop so attractive
color and have rich red flesh all
through
An incidental value of the Clark's
Seeding is that it is one Of the best
varieties for canning. 1t retains its form
in canning as well as the Wilson, and
holds its fine color remarkably well in
the can. Its richness also adds to its
quality when canned, II is not probable
that II will pay anywhere to raise the
Clark,s Seeding for canning purposes
only, but it is probable that In time the
Hood River canned strawberry will enjoy
as high relative standing as the Hood
River fresh strawberries hold today.
The fact that the Clark's Seeding is an
early berry is also point in its favor
Rural Northwest,