The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1906-03-01
TELLS WHAT PROFITS
FRUIT GROWERS MAKE

The Chicago and Northwestern Rail
road company has recently issued q
pamphlet giving description OF ad-
vantages and resources of the Pacific
Northwest. Hood River is promi-
nently represented in it, both in pic
ture and matter. The frontispiece is
an illustration showing an apple ranch
in the upper valley with Mount Hood
in the distance. 1t also contains 8
picture of the Hood River near this
city at the point where it is divided
by an island, and on page Is straw
berry ranch is showr with a crate OF
Strawberries.
The pamphlet is both artistic and
interesting, and in speaking OF the
fruit industry of the Northwest, 1t
says:
Oregon and Washington fruit seems
to possess a shipping quality that rem
ders it very valuable and that has car
ried its fame to the farthest corners
of the earth. The big, juicy cherries
sent east in perfect condition are de-
licious surprise. The berries, too,
bear travel well, and one of the most
profitable branches of horticulture is
the raising of winter apples.
Some of the greatest fruit growing
country in the world is contained IN
the willamette and Hood River val
leys in northwestern Oregon, in the
Rogue River valley in southwestern
Oregon, the Grande Ronde valley In
the northeastern part of the state,
the Yakima and Wenatchee valleys in
central Washington, and the Palouse
country in southeastern Washington
and western Idaho.
Thousands of acres are being plant
ed to fruit trees, not only in these
valleys, but throughout the Statef
named, and turned into "apple
ranches, where the Newtown Pip
pin, the Ben Davis, the Jonathan
and other good shippers are renowned
for quality and quantity. Usually
they are sold in the orchards, and the
bulk of the product Is shipped abroad,
Over 200 carloads of apples and l0O
carloads of other fruit---chiehy pears
and plums--were shipped from the
Rogue River district in 1908, 300 car.
loads from Union county, 100 carloads
from the Cove district and large
product from the Grande Ronde val
ley and the territory tributary to
Lewiston, Idaho, while the Yakima
vail Y, In the irrigation district,
with more than 2,000,00 acres of irri
gable lands sends out hundreds Of Cal
loads of apples and peaches annually.
In 1903 the Hood River valley apple
crop was over $4,000 boxes, valued at
Sl00, 600, yet the industry is compar-
atively new there and the district,
nesting in the eastern foothills OF
the Cascades, at the base of the fam
ous peak that gives river and vail
their name, is only small one
Growers report receipts of from $500
to $500 revenue per acre from apples,
with profits proportionate to the
amount of labor put on the trees and
the careful attention given to details,
Eastern people can scarcely realize the
size and number of apples single
tree will bear. At the recent fruit
fair at Spokane one tree was described
as six feet around the trunk, the first
limb being forty feet from the ground
aud with circumference of four feet,
This tree has produced in one year 40
bushels Of marketable fruit.
The orchards enjoy length Of life
not common in the east. An instance
of this is an old orchard set out by
Chief Red Wolf of the Nez Perces in
1886, which is still producing paying
crops.
The fruit is shipped to all parts Of
the world, to the various cities Of the
United States, to England, Europe,
China, Japan, the Philippines, and
Siberia, finding ready market in
London, Paris, st. Petersburg and
Berlin, where 1t brings the highest
prices. Washington sent apples to the
Pan American exposition at Buffalo,
which received gold medal for size
an excellence. At the Chicago World e
Fair Oregon won sixteen medals on
fruit and took tho award for the largest
apples and the largest cherries, while
Washington showed the largest pears,
Oregon received awards for its fruit
exhibit at the Worlds Fair In st.
Louis in 1904, as follows Two grand
prizes (the only grand prizes given fol-
fruit, seven gold e1als, "a silver
medals, "a bronze medals. This IL
certain testimony Of the wonderful
production of Oregon in fruit culture
Both the Hood River and the Rogue
River valleys produce peaches, pear
and prunes and the finest of Roya
Ann and Lambert cherries. Peache
are also produced in the Wenatche,
valley in central Washington and il
the Grande Ronde, Walla Walla anC
Willamette valleys and the Palous'
country. Ashland, point in thu
Rogue River district, ships alone owe
80, 900 boxes of peaches annually.
Strawberries, too, are an importan
product, the Hood River district ship
ping so, 900 crates In 1908, of the fin
est quality, the producers realizing
from $500 to $500 per acre for thei
fruit. Excellent berries are raise(
also in the Willamette valley, in thu
region tribuatry to The Dalles and il
the Grande Ronde valley; 80, 600 cratel
were raised in the Puyallup, Wash,
district In 1903, the fruit raising in
dustry in the valleys of the Puyallul
and White rivers being full of promise
The prune crop of Oregon foI 100;
was %, 600, 900 pounds, large part o
which was grown In the Willamette
valley. An acre of prune orchard il
Oregon will produce from s TO 10 toni
of fruit, worth from $40 to SO pei
ton. In Washington, the region north
from Vancouver, on the Columbit
river, to Olympia, is most famous
prune growing district, and the fam
Gus Palouse country, of which ColfaX,
in the eastern part of the state is the
center, is also noted for their success
full culture. At Elberta, in the Pa,
louise country, is located the largest
fruit dryer In the world.
North Idaho is a natural fruit grow,
ing region, too, apples forming one
of the staple agricultural products,
while Idaho prunes are already ia
vorably known in the eastern mar.
kets. Grape culture is largely fol.
lowed in several Of these frui grow
ing districts with wonderful results.
The grape is grown to unusual perfec-
tion in the region tributary to Lewis
ton, Idaho.
For the year 1903 Oregon's fruit crop
amounted to s., Ojl, ,00O-prunes, $500,
600; apples, S6iO, 900; pears, Sl4S, 900
.