Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1905-04-22

ihous prouBht hignef prices than ever
before. The significance of this is an.
parent when one considers that au.
thorities claim that not one tenth of
the available ground adapted to ap.
pie growing is planted.
Apples grow equally well in Oregon
in the fertile Willamette Valley, fla.
nous as one of the greatest wheat
bearing regions in the world, and in
the irrigated deserts in the eastern |
part of the state. On the Snake river
lands that were considered fit only |
to grow sagebrush and greasewood |
now yield enormous crops of apples
and other fruit In this region, as is
the case elsewhere in the state, the !
orchardists grow alfalfa and straw
berries on their land until the apple !
trees begin to bear, thus providing
revenue while preparing for greater
revenue. The advantages of the ar.
rangement are apparent. Even after
the orchard begins to bear there is
nothing to prevent the orchardist
raising two crops-berries in the spring
and early summer, and apples in the
fall. In some parts of Oregon, or
charoists plant beans between the rows
of apple trees, and the bean crop yields
net profit of from $40 to $50 per
acre.
AS an instance of the marvellous
yield of apples which rewards Oregon
orchardists, it may be stated that in
1903 one small region in Oregon, the
Hood River section, produced $4,000
bushel boxes of apples, which Drought
on the average $l.25 a box, while in
that year the whole crop of Spitzen'
berg apples was sold under contract at
So and the crop of yellow Newtown
Pippins at $3.50
Land suitable for apple culture costs
from $50 to 800 per acre, and as it
takes several years before the trees
bear, it will be seen that the busi.
ness cannot be entered into proftably
without considerable capital. Colonel
Henry f. Dosch of the Oregon Horti'
cultural society, now director of ex'
hibits at the Lewis and Clark exposi-
tion. has made exhaustive inquiry of
successful orchardists in several parts
of the state with view TO finding out
definitely what is the cost of an or
chard up to its seventh year.
A prominent orehardist near Grants
Pass in Josephine county, southern Or
egon. figures that the total cost Of
an acre apple orchard up to the sew
enth year. counting cost of plowing and
proparing ground, cost of go trees, and
expense of planting cultivating and
pruning is S5563. From this sum he
deducts the revenue from 90 boxes of
apples-one box for each tree-at 90
cents-n box. making the net cost of an
acre planted TO apples, up to the time
when il can be relied on TO bear proht'
ably, $21.23. After the tree is nine
wears old, says this authority, it
should bear ten boxes year, year IN
and year out, making 500 boxes an
acre. equivalent at so cents per box,
which is certainly reasonable price
to sS45 per acre. The cost of eultiva-
ton, spraying and pruning will never
exceed SO per acre, so that the net
profit ought TO be 1926 per acre each
year. This sounds pretty rosy but Or
egon orehardists do not consider 1t at
all wonderful. They are used to sueh
returns
The Hood River region, in the north
central part Of the state, raises the
finest apples in the world, and HOOD
River apples are in greater demand
and sell for better prices than those
from any other region. Mr.. r. H.
Smith of Hood River, president of'the
state board of horticulture, figures the
cost Of a ten-acre orchard for hye
wears at s42s.sO, which is rather more
than an orchard costs in southern ore
gon. He gives no figures for an orchard
nine wears old or older, but says 'ha'
the fruit from the fourth year will pay
all expenses and leave margin OF
profit. He has found that seVen.yea'
old orchard Of IS acres paid Alm
profit of 500 per acre, not dedne'ing
interest and taxes.
These figures show that apple raising
in Oregon is profitable, but are not IN
tended to arouse an undue enthusiasm
on the subject Of apple culture in the
minds of people who know nothing
about the business because there 10
no better chance for man In the APP
pIe business, unless be knows business,
u...smaar than ahaFa il IN