The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1905-09-21
TELLS THE WORLD
ABOUT fine APPLES


description of the industry in HOOD
River valley in the September number
of his very excellent paper:
Nestled among the mountains along
the Columbia river lies the Hood Riv.
er valley one of the best known fruit
sections of all the northwest country.
1t should be said In the beginning
that the term valley" Is somewhat
misleading. The fruit trees are plant.
ed in what is really a valley as con-
trasted with the nearby mountains
but as related to the Columbia river
the Hood River valley is really a COM
paratively level plateau several hun
dred feet higher than the river. We
present an illustration, giving bird g
eye view of the valley with its small
farms.
Hood River is noted for its apples
and its Strawberries Not many of
the apples grown at Hood River find
their way into the ordinary markets,
for the price is usually too high to
permit of any but the most select
trade to handle the fruit. But last
year at st. Louis wonderfully fine
exhibit Of apples was made, and the
eyes Of the middle west we're opened.
Hood River Strawberries have long
been known on the markets, on ac-
count Of their firmness and careful
handling.
When The Fruit Grower represen.
tative arrived at Hood River, IL was
after a very hot, dusty ride; the day
had been very disagreeable. 1t meant
much therefore, to reach place pro-
vided with clear, cold water, from
springs up In the mountains, and the
first impression of Hood River was
most favorable.
One of the first men we met was Mr..
Il. II. Shepard, manager of the Berry
Growers Association, also manager
of the Apple Shippers Union. An
appointment was made to drive out
in the country the following day. Al.
ter supper The Friut-Grower repre-
sentative met Hon. II. l.. Smith on
the street and recognized him from
his published likeness. Mr.. Smith is
president of the Oregon State Board
of Horticulture president of the
Northwest Fruit-Growers' Associa-
tion and Is one of the pioneer Or
chardists of Hood River. 1t may, al.
30 be stated that while In Portland
we learned that Mr.. Smith will likely
be the Republican nominee for gov
ernor Of Oregon next year. II he is
we will vote for him.
We made ourselves known to Mr..
Smith, who replied:
"Well, | am certainly glad to see
tat tra 80 flha
for want to say to you, as have
said to great many other persons,
that The Fruit Grower is the best
fruit paper published In this or any
other country. have made this state
ment all over the northwest, and have
myself sent number of subscrip-
tions.
Mr.. Smith took US up to his house,
to meet his wife, who explained that
she, too had admired The Fruit Grow
or very much. Mr.. Smith is one of
the first settlers of Hood River, and
when he had opportunity to choose a
site for his home selected block of
ground with magnificent view up
and down the Columbia river and
across to the mountains on the Wash
ington side. He has beautiful home
In beautiful location. We are in
debted to Mr.. Smith not only for
most cordial welcome, but for much
valuable information concerning fruit
growing In the northwest. He has
grown three orchards, which have
been sold, and now has another beau
tiful orchard just coming on. One of
our illustrations shows Mr.. Smith
holding branch Of apples. He has
been in the northwest 70. Al years,
but Is we'll preserved man and we
hope he will be with us long enough
to raise several more orchards.
MIR. Smith informed us that the
fruit lands of what is called the Hood
River valley will amount to perhaps
$4,000 acres; about 5000 acres only
are now producing fruit for market.
We asked Mr.. Smith what is the best
money crop that Is grown, and he
promptly replied:
"Newtown and Spitzenburg apples. ;"
He added that the strawberries are
an important crop, and will serve to
bring an income until an orchard 10
in bearing, but when an orchard be-
gins to bear he believes that nothing
will beat it for profit. lie added, In
this connection, that he believed the
varieties named are the ones to plant.
Other apples do we'll at Hood River,
but they succeed in other localities
also, whereas the two varieties named
reach high state Of perfection there,
such as they reach at very few other
places In the country.
Not everyone who plants an apple
orchard will succeed, ut Hood River
any more than at other places. The
successful man must spray his trees
and cultivate the soil thoroughly. |
The annual rainfall at Hood River
81 not heavy-not heavy enough to |
raise strawberries without irrigation
but the young orchards are all grown |
without irriagtion, unless strawher- |
ries are planted among the trees. In /
which case they will have to be
watered, and of course the trees will
receive a share of the water. How
ever, the best opinions are that apple
trees should be grown without irriga-
tion, at lest while they are young
when trees get old and are bearing
heavy load of fruit, 1t may be neces.
sary to apply water late In the season,
But orchards twelve to fourteen years
old, full Of fruit, are enabled to ripen
their fruit without irrigation-simply
cultivate the soil thoroughly and of.
ten.
The Hood River growers are experts
on spraying, too. Notice the small
tree shown in our illustration. The
photograph from which this cut was
made plainly showed the spray mix.
ture sticking to the fruit, although
this is not so clear in the reduced il
mstration. This spraying Is so thor
oughly done that some of the trees
seem as If they we're whitewashed.
We asked Mr. Smith il any of the
growers contend that spraying il in
effective, and he replied that they do
not-they know better
81 can spray one row of apple trees
and allow the adjoining row to go un-
sprayed. From the first | will get
nearly perfect fruit, while from the
unsprayed row there will be few per-