The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1904-11-24

Dub SbIdWDCiIlSS dIc OHll one OI III
fruits which have made Hood Rive
famous. Equally or even more familia
is the term Hood River apples. Appl
buyers from the East tell us there i
ABSOLUTELY no competition in the who'll
world for the Hood River September,
and the Yellow Newtown Pippin. The,
are without peer. Such size and radian
color is unknown outside of the littlt
valley. The iron which we have men
toned as lending color to the berries
combined with the continuous summer
sunshine, imparts warm glow to the
apples which makes them Of such
beauty that when put up in fancy car.
tons and tied with ribbons the Spitzen-
bergs readily sell for 81 per dozen for
the holiday trade in New York and
London. They are eagerly sought +
by the fancy fruit stands, hotels, ocean
steamers and restaurants. The Spi'.-
enberg, a rarely beautiful vivid red
apple, is the favorite in the United
States, but in London, Liverpool, Ham
burg, Berlin and other European cities
the Yellow Newtown is the choicer
fruit, bringing as high as 1886 per box
and netting the grower 1925.
There are about $500 acres OF growing
orchards in the valley. However many
OF the trees are not yet bearing. II is
estimated that the crop this year will be
about 100000 bushels, or 100 carloads.
Figuring on a conservative yield OF 300
bushels per acre, fruit men of this sec
tion say that the yield by 1907 should
be between 100000 and 100000 BUSH
els. When we know that the entire
crop this year has been sold t o. b.
Hood River at $2.10 per box ior Alter
Spitzenbergs and $l75 for Alter Yellow
Newtowns, and that there are but SO
4-tier apples in box, We gain some
idea OF what an enormous source of
wealth the orchards are and will be to
the residents Of this valley.
These two varieties lead in the com
mercial orchards, though many Bald
wins and Ben Davis are planted, prin-
cipally as q pollenizer. While other
varieties raised here are remarkably
fine, they can be grown in other local
tiles, but the Spitzenberg and Yellow
Newtown attain no such perfection else
where in the world. At Rogue River,
Oregon, and in portion Of West Vir.
ginia, they raise very fine Spitzenberg
apples, but not to compare with those
of this valley and they never bring the
price the latter fruit does.
1t is an inspiring sight to drive
through the valley at apple harvest
time. The orchards are planted with
methodical precision, the ground is as
smooth as lawn, the trees are pruned
into uniform size and droop almost to
the ground under their loads OF red and
yellow beauties. The majority of trees
are prnned in what is known as the
wineglass shape and are headed so low
most of the fruit is picked by men
on the ground. II is then
hauled to the apple house, where it is
FURNISHED by hand and packed by pro-
iessional packers. No fruit is shipped
until inspected and pronounced in first.
class condition. The growers are
thoroughly up-to-date in methods of
growing, handling and shipping, and
have won many prizes at the worlds
fairs in the past few years.
Four-tier apples are the standard,
while 3 and Sitter apples are sold to
the fancy trade and bring prices accord
ingly.
A fruit fair was held in October of
this year, which was source OF won
der to the many visitors. We print
some illustrations this month OF fruit
exhibited there which speaks volumes.
This exhibit was shipped intact to the
fair at st. Louis, where t has attracted
universal attention and admiration and
proven great advertisement for the
valley and the whole state OF Oregon.
There are few absentee landlords in
this section-almost all the fruit farms
being operated by resident owners, and
as twenty acres or less is the usual sized
farm 1t is almost like a city. A very
few acres properly handled will soon
make its owner independent. We were
shown one orchard OF three acres of
l0-year-old Yellow Newtowns which
last year netted its owner $500 per
acre, In this orchard we were shown
one tree which this year produced 30
boxes of apples. There are from 65 to
100 trees to the acre, depending on the
variety and the individual fancy OF the
Only small fraction Of the available
apple land is under cultivation. I'm.
cleared fruit land can be bought for
from $50 to 500 per acre; that which
is cleared and ready to plant brings
from 500 to $i00 per acre, while bear
ing orchards sell as high as $1,000 per
acre.
Nor is the fruit the only source of
income. The lumber industry is bring
ing $3.50, 900 into the valley and is only
in its infancy, There are about 100000
feet of logs cut yearly in the surround
ing mountains and RATED down to the
big mills located at the city of Hood
River. The mill men tell us there are
millions upon millions of feet of the
choicest timber in the vicinity of the
Hood river, which will keep the mills
cutting 100000 feet of lumber daily,
busy for fifty years.
Grain and hay are among the princi-
pal export crops of the valley. Glover
and timothy hay grow very heavy, the
former yielding four to five tons sea.
son in two cuttings. This affords
unsurpassed dairying facilities, which
n time will be developed, though up to
he present time it has been oyershad- |
WED by other industries.
Hood River, with an abundance of |
water power at hand, offers every in
lucement for manufacturing plants of
various kinds, A pulp mill would do
we'll, as would also woodenware mill
An engineers measurement of the
water power in the stream of Hood
river shows 10000 horse power per mile
for distance OF ten miles. This gives
a total of 100000 horse power, power,
when converted into electrical energy,
sufficient to operate the machinery of
the state, A tiity-foot dam in the
stream of this river is projected
scheme now under way by local capital
lists.
transportation facilities are always of
moment in the growth and
development of new section. They
are of the best at Hoo River. The o.
r., n N, the Oregon line of great
trans-continental road, passes through
the city, affording three passenger
trains each way daily. The Columbia
river, with its many daily steamers,
offers another and easy mode of trans
porting produce; while competition
Lyaanc tho rrntab he rnN, ~ A.,