The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1904-09-22


. and are faced four each wav, the pack
looking In form much like an APP
pie pacG. In each crate are packed
"A boxes and in theiatter form shipment
is made. A crate Of berries ga boxes)
costs about 20 cents I. o. b. and the
freight to Eastern markets and expen-
ses OF selling bring the cost to land
above 81 per crate. The crop this year
was about 10 900 crates. Occasionally
the latter figure is exceeded Growers
told us that they feared the variety was
shading off in quality-a showing which
is not unusual where district contin-
ues to produce but one variety year
after year. Across the Columbia from
Hood River there is large acreage in
strawberries.
When the strawberry is picked and
shipped it is quite tart. 1t colors and
sweetens in transit. 1t does not bruise
in handling and to that remarkable
quality is attributed its wonderful
keeping showing. The vines are rather
small and foliage is not heavy.
Omaha is the main point for Hood
River strawberry distribution Fifty cars
went to that point this year. Several
cars went to New York. The shipments
of berries are made largely for the ac-
count of the growers through the Hood
River Fruit Growers Union.
A strawberry cannery has been oper-
ated by the Davidson Fruit Co., but it
was burned down few weeks ago. A
cannery has nothing to do in season
Of fancy prices for the Hood River ber-
ries.
Montana points takes lots OF these
Strawberries. The Hood Rover straw
berry and the Pajaro valley Bellefowers
are favorite fruits and market leaders in
Butte, Montana, the largest and livliest
mining town on the continent. Hood
River Strawberries retail there from Is
cents down to S15 cents per pound, and
the usual price for Bellehowers is $l.75
per box-almOst five cents per pound.
The fruit on which Hood River valley
will make its enduring reputation is the
apple. As in all new districts there was
much shit or miss in the varieties of
apples selected for planting, but in the
school of experience which the orchard
lists OF that valley have been attending
the process OF elimination has been Wig
orously pursued until the varieties chos-
en- for young commercial orchards are
very limited-seldom more than those
'tried and true" favorites, Spitzenburgs
and Yellow Newtown Pippins. Last
year 10000 apple trees were planted in
that valley, and aside from a limited
number of trees of othervareties for pol
lenizing purposes, the planting was of
the varieties named above.
The Ben Davis and Gano are planted
among Newtowns, and Badwins among
Spitzenburgs, for pollenization. In max
ing the selection for this purpose trees
are chosen which blossom at the same
time as the main blocks of trees. The
Ben Davis and Baldwin are not such
money makers as the Spitzenburgs and
Newtowns (though they sold last year
at Hood River from So cents upward
per box, but they make the Spitzen-
burgs and Newtowns surer and more
profitable producers than if they have
been planted in solid blocks. In Hood
River valley, as in the Medford district,
pollenizng varieties are considered a
necessity, and no orchard is planted
without them.
The soil of this valley has made re-
markable showing in production of
large, sound, high-colored apples of
choicest flavor and excellent keeping
qualities. It's red apples are genuinely
red, and they make striking showing
as a stall fruit
This section has its trouble with tree
pests, and, of course the Goblin moth is
leader. The white arsenic spray is sue
cessfully used casually six applications
being given during season., and the
percentage of wormy fruit is very small.
We inspected orchards that had been
sprayed several times, and where the
spray was being applied ,and the showing
of wormy stock was surprisingly small
The apple growers of the McdfOrd and
Hood River districts have the upper
hand in the fight with the Goblin moth.
They are making its ravages cut but
small figure. We append the formula
for the spray for the Goblin moth which
is in most general use in Hood River
valley.
Water, one gallon; white arsenic, one
pound; sal soda, two pounds. Boil Is
minutes, or until the liquid is clear,
Add an amount equal to that evaporat- |
ed, making one full gallon of arsenite,
and use ~ pints to SO gallons of water
to which has been added six pounds of
fresh slaked lime.
In the southern part of the valley,
near Mount Hood, where the nights are
cold, the Goblin moth has not been able
to get foothold. The pest has appeared
at times, brought in old packing boxes,
but it has soon disappeared. On account
OF this showing there has been a strong
planting of apples % miles south of the
town of Hood River. What the Goblin
moth can't do in killing the crops the
frosts may do, but the apples produced
in that district should have all the de-
sirable qualities
The green aphis is also troublesome.
A prominent orchardist told us he had
found winter application of Bordeaux
the most etfiCacious treatment for green
aphis. The San Jose scale is there lime
and ulphur is used.
The notable orchard of Hood River
valley is the tract of 35 acres OF bearing
trees owned by Messrs Sears q Porter. |
1t is three or four miles south of the
lONl VI IlOOu lNlNCI bll lllC Nuob Vi
the valley. Its fruit, and the prices OBJ
tanned therefor, have contributed in no
small degree to the fame'of Hood River
valley as an apple producing section.
The orchard is model one, ,and the day
we were there it made showing which
it would be difficult for any district to
equal Each foot OF that orchard shows
careful cultivation and high-class man
agement, and the prices obtained for the
fruit show that the quality of the prod
uct is as choice as the showing of the
soil and trees. The trees are six, eight
and ten years old, and are loaded with
out miss with fine apples. Spitzen-
burgs and Newtowns are leaders, with
Ben Davis, Baldwin, Aiken Red, Jona-
than, GanO and Northern Spy in small
er lots. There are a few Bellefower
trees, and they have heavy crop. Last
year Sears & Porter sold their Newtowns
for 81. 10 per box and their Sgitzenburg
81. 25 per Der box. These prices were
f. o. b. These figures were top prices
for t, o. b. sales last year on this coast.
When we read of these prices last year