Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1905-06-23
ROGUE RIVER VALLEY
BANNER HOP DISTRICT
Grants Pass the Market Point for
70S Acres OF Hops-Pros-
poets Are Good.

oOicasu W hops III husue hiNtI Ndiley
and the crop of which is marketed in
Grants Pass. is furnished the Courier
by one of the leading hopmen of this
county and his statement is very
correct resume of the condition Of the
hop industry in this valley:
Hops at present stand at "a to 81
cents without buyers and little oil
none being offered by growers. There
is at present a bitter fight between
the longs and shorts with the result
that the longs are holding up the
market to sell their hops, but not
bidding to within about three cents
of quotation. The result has been
that parties holding refuse to see and
thus it has stood since last picking
time. The market was cornered 30
days before picking and 80 per cent
of the hops on the Coast were bought
or contracted, loading the dealer up
heavily and it has been one continual
fight in the newspapers to keep up
the quoted price above the price that
is bid. The grower will not sell and
let the dealer unload first.
There is no indication ON the part
of the Southern Oregon growers to
contract hops as they know the grower
uanfc On captc Or hattar aud NJ
present it is too early to tell what the
crop at home or abroad will be.
Should it be large with the increased
acreage, prices will 60 down. If crop
is light price will remain good
There is no depending on newspaper
reports as to amount of reserve ON
hand or foreign crop. Much of the
news and often editorials in the big
dailies is paid for by the dealers.
There will likely be good price for
hops next season. But may not be as
high as growers expect. As hops are
the surest crop raised here and that
they surely will bring a good margin
above cost of production, the outlook
is exceedingly good for the Southern
Oregon raiser.
1t is too early to tell anything
about hops. ANY prophesy is guess.
work Hops are looking fairly we'll
now. English Cluster are little off
in some places but natives are report
ed strong. The crop Of 1906 will be
in acreage about double that of 1904,
which was about 800 acres, or about
300, 600 pounds. The average yield
was 1000 per acre, while 400 pounds
was the best yield per acre heard of
here. Some of the older yards need
resetting as there are many hills out
As the enemy that killed the old root
is still in the old hill, one can
readily see that the new shoot placed
in the same old hill stands but little
show Of living. While the acreage is
doubled it does not stand that the
crop will double. on the contrary
some old yards have got down to a
small yield, for one yard last year
produced 1850 pounds which for.
merly produced 5000 pounds. Few
growers have made any effort to
strengthen the soil or even to find
what fertilizers their soil and crops
need. Some growers are arousing
from their Rip Van Wrinkle sleep and
it is dawning upon them that they
have been pruning their hops in just
the worst time of the year, namely,
when the capillary force is strongest
to force the blood (sap) to the crown
Should a man prune his vineyard thus
he would be considered fit subject
for Salem. The time 10 prune is
when the sap is down or going
down between the time the vine
dies and the sap starts to come up,
which is about December lst. This
is an easy time, as it is warm and dry
usually. There are some places on
low bottom land which might wash
some II the ground was loosened dur.
ing the winter months.
Another matter, seemingly little
understood, is the value OF male hops.
It is customary to put one male to 100
bearing vines. 1t is best to put a
male every four hills square and set
with bearing hops in same hill
With both in the same hill the yield
is as large as it is with only single
vine. As proof that this hop is
stronger just get the hop from an arm
that has run over onto a male hill
and compare ii with a hill remote
from a male. AS one picker said last
fall ~ don't like to pick those hills
where both kinds of hops are, they
stink So" Mr.. Grower, do you know
you get paid for this stink7 You
have been taught color all the time
and take all care to properly color
and bale without breaking But did
you ever see buyer buy a single bale
by looking at them? No you did not,
and never will. He buys stink. The
cleanest and best colored hop on this
market was sent by sample to the ex.
pert buyer with the greenest, dirtiesi
hop raised that season and the report
was to the buyer 2s cents for either,
with preference for green hop. Why
1t had the stink. good and strong. II
takes three things to get 1t, good
soil water and male vines Where
irrigation can not be had, frequen,