The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1905-01-19

"The apples are very large, richly
colored and finely favored and the
yrieties re Hydes King, Spitzenberg,
delicious, Arkansas Black, and Mann
moth Black Twig from Hood River
valley. They surpassed all other dis
plays at the ST. Louis fair and the
Strawberries grown there are equally
famous. q
"a resident of Portland, Or, while
in Hamburg, Germany, last winter,
had the following experience; He
stepped into fruit stand and asked
the dealer to give him some good ap-
pies. "Here are some of the best ap-
pies in the world, replied the dealer
as he handed out a sample of the big,
red Spitzenberg, SO familiar to an
Oregonian. ''These apples are raised
in America. They call them Hood
River apples, and can truthfully say
they are the best apples in Europe. " !,
A resident of st. Louis wrote me
few days ago: "How did you Hood
River people make it with your ap-
pies at ur fair? | cannot find out
whether you won the gold medal or
not, but you people had the finest
fruit display on the grounds. I"
The chief clerk of the governor of
the Samoan islands wrote me as fol-
lows: 81 shall take a run to your dis
trict with a view to pitching my tent
there After careful consideration |
am persuaded that Hood River will
suit me. think it admirably located
as far as markets are concerned.
Let us not forget our regulations in
the markets of the world. So eager
are foreign shippers to buy our fruit
that for the'past two seasons the ap-
pie growers union of Hood River have
sold their entire crop of Spitzenburgs
and Newtowns as early as the month
of August. Our apples are shipped
abroad to Alaska, China, Japan, Ma
nilla, Honolulu, Mexico, and the
greater part of Europe.
1t seems as if the qualities, upon
which they won first honors at the
Buffalo and Omaha expositions,
texture, flavor and keeping quail
tiles, have made them a reputation
wherever shipped.
want to repeat former statement :;
The greatest honors that can be be-
slowed upon any fruit is the price
paid for it by satisfied public. Our
entire crop of Alter Spitzenburgs and
Newtowns have been sold for the past
two seasons at from 81. rs. to 50. 10
per box, t. o. b. cars Hood River.
These prices are % to rs cents per
box more than was received in any
other apple district in the United
States. We shipped apples at these
prices this season into New York
city in competition with the largest
crop of apples ever grown in the state
of New York, and we received more,
net to the grower, for box of our
apples than they did for barrel of
their best winter varieties.
Gentlemen we must have some, very
good apples or wonderful reputa-
tion. We may hBve a good supply of
both and each may play its part in
obtaining such prices. Our reputa-
tion for net profits to the apple grow
er is from 5000 to $500 per ere. This
estimate is very conservative after
trees have had eight years growth.
Much higher returns have been re-
ported in some instances.
At the Buffalo Exposition in 1901,
Hood River won the Wilder gold
medal for their fine display of fruit,
and at the world IS fair recently held
in st. Louis, the Apple Growers un-
ion of Hood River, Or, was awarded
the gold medal for the best display
of apples, and one of our private citi-
zens received the gold medal for his
fine display of cherries.
And listen Wasco county, Or, re-
ceived the only grand prize given to
any county In the United States for
the best display of fruits, and this
prize was won mainly through the
exhibition of car load of Hood Riv
er's choicest apples.
Professor III. e. VanDeman, late chief
pomolgist of the United States, a man
of whom none of you need an intro
duction, nationally speaking, and
man whose ability to judge has no
superior, tells us in the December
number of Greene's Fruit Grower:
saw at St Louis the largest display of
apples that has ever been made.
There we're apples from almost every
section of our own country and also
from other parts of the world. Two
acres of floor space we're occupied by
this display from the Hood River
country such as was never before dis
played at any apple show in America.
Here the Baldwin was so smoth and
glossy red that it could not be recog-
nized by the best apple experts ESQ
pus Spitzenberg has its character
istic shape, but its color and general
perfection we're a marvel Roxbury
Russet showed scarcely trace Of rus
set Grimes Golden looked as though
it had been made of wax; Jonathan
was crimson red and Ben Davis equal
ly handsome. " Professor Van Deman
has told all that cloud be said 1t
vas the largest apple show on earth.
The finest apples ever shown and
they were grown at Hood River, Or
Q yon.
Gentlemen, | am at loss to know
where to stop telling you of our repu-
tation on apples. 1t is like trying to
| find the end of the rainbow. The
farther you go it still remains ahead
o. you shining brighter and brighter
have now told you of small por-
tion of our reputation, but suffice to
say it is enough for this occasion.
How we have acquired this reputa-
tion may be more interesting, more
instructive and more beneficial to all
of you. Our reputation has been ac-
quired through two channels. The
gifts of nature and individual efforts.
Nature has given us a volcanic ash
soil which seems to contain all those
elements necessary for the growing
of first class fruit. Our continual
sunshine during our summer days and
our proximity to perpetual snow, Civ
ing us very cool nights, makes our
climatic conditions unsurpassed for
giving our fruits color, flavor and keep
ing qualities 1t would seem that
Mount Hood and Mount Adams were
two grand old sentinels standing guard
over our fair valley, seeing that moth
ing should be given us by mother
nature except that of the very best.
Let us now examine the record of
or individual efforts which has helped
to make our reputation known in
every cline.
The first duty for successful hor-
ticulturist, after he has selected his
location for growing certain class of
| fruit. is to determine what varieties