The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1904-07-14

years business will consist of abou
40 straight carloads and about II cal
loads by express, going to all parts O
the country in small shipments.
This is the first year that a specia
berry train was ever run out of HOOD
River, the 0. r. & N. furnishing spe
clal strawberry train, running straight
through from here to Omaha on passeu.
ger time.
The largest number of carloads shipped
any one day was II cars on two consec.
utive days. In addition to this there
was the usual express shipments amoun-
ting at that time to about two cars a
day.
The present officers of the association
are: G, j. Gessling, PRESIDENT E. n.
Benson, vice president; and E. H. Shep-
pard, secretary, treasuser and manager.
The crop of strawberries has been
unusually large in other localities this
year, consequently prices for berries
were not as high as they have been in
the past few years; however, there has
not been time during the season that
there was period but Hood River straw
berries were marketed to pay profit.
During the height of the season prices,
of course, were lower than at any other
time, consequently some timid etowers
feared that the returns might not pay
expenses. Men of nerve continued to
pick their patches making money dur
ing this period, and by so doing kept
their fields cleaned up, and when the
crop began to decrease they were in a
position to realize the advance in prices,
and are now getting from $l,90 to 81
per crate for their berries, which affords
any man an excellent profit
Acreage in bearing vines at the pres
ent time in Hood River Valley and
White Salmon included, is about $50.
The crop was large one and amount to
about l50 cars. This number of cars
was marketed in the face of all other
districts throughout the Middle West
bearing large crops, and Hood River
sold its berries t. o. b. ON track
At one time Is cars of Missouri berries
stood on the track in Omaha on con-
signment unsold. At another time nine
cars of consigned berries stood ON the
track in Denver, while all Hood River
ears have been sold. The output of
$50 cars was large crop to market for
the territory we had to supply. There
is always good demand for fancy
fruit well packed. My impression from
observation. and conversation with the
people handling the output of the valley
this year, who are familiar with con-
ditiOns, is, that if the Hood River grow
ers would have only shipped first class
stock, by that | mean nothing smaller
than Sitter berries and all berries in
good condition, they would not have
crowded the market and consequently
would have realized better returns. The
berry business has been so profitable in
Hood River that some of the growers
felt that they could crowd in all the
smaller and overripe berries and get
good returns for them. There is splen-
did demand for Hood River berries and
if the growers who have endeavored to
raise patches that are five years old,
which will never produce good crops,
will dig up these patches that have been
poorly cultivated and in no condition
to produce crops there will continue to
be good demand for Hood River berries
from all fields that are kept in good
condition. 1t is the same old story. You
can make money when the business is
run right, and man never expects
any profit if business is not properly
conducted
From conversation with the growers,
| find that they thoroughly understand
the situation, and am informed by
great many growers that all old fields
will be ploWed under, and nothing but
good patches will remain for the next
year, consequently the outlook for the
valley is better than it was last year or
this year.
Mr.. Shepard, secretary Of the union,
owns fine fruit farm near town, 10
acres of the same in Strawberries. about
half OF same baby, or -year-old vines,
with average for whole patch of l55
crates per acre, the two-year-old vines
producing 200 crates per acre. The yield
of the season in this patch, as well as in
many others, was cut short by 25 per
cent or more on account of delay in get.
ting water in season. 1t is only by the
most thorough care and cultivation that
such good results can be obtained. Lat
er in "Wayside Notes" will be found a
full account of a visit to a number of
orchard and berry farms in Hood River
valley, and some of the many changes
and improvements since our trip here
four yeare ago, noted. Some of the
growers in the lower part of the valley
ceased picking on the goth, and others
a little later, at which time berries be-
gan to come in from the mountain dis !
trcts where the season will not close
until the first of July.