The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1906-02-15
FRUIT GROWERS
FORM SOCIETY
LARGEST MEMBERSHIP IN STATE
Meeting Develops Great Interest While
Growers Discuss Fruit Culture and
Valuable Papers are Read.

ganizing a local horticultural society
and also for the purpose Of discussing
the different phases of the fruit cul-
ture, was we'll attended and much OF
valuable interest learned by those who
we're there. Fruit growers from all
over the valley and number from
Mosier we're at the meeting, and 1t
seemed that after the numerous topics
bearing on the subject had been dis
cussed that there was not much left to
tell about fruit raising,
Z. L Smith was chairman Of the
meeting and conducted the procedure
of it with as much celebrity as posi-.
BILE. He annunced the topics prompt
", rendered valuable suggestions and
saw that everybody participated who
would help to make the meeting sue
cessrul and profitable.
The new org 'nization starts with
the largest membership of any similar
one in the state, having over 100 mem
bers. A constitution and bylaws
we're adopted and five directors elect
cd who will select president, secre-
tary and president. The directors
are: d. II. Sears, E. Ii. shepard, Q.
Ii. Sproat, j, L. Carter and b. F,
Tucker.
q. A. McCurdy was the first speaker
and talked on Strawberry Culture Yer
sus Apple Culture. Mr.. McCurdy
said that he had four acres Of straw
berries from which he had taken $500
net, and read short paper on how
he had obtained such good results.
Mr. Woodworth said his Strawberries
netted him $500 an acre, and b. H.
Shepard said he had eight acres which
aetted him $500. Both the latter
told how they cultivated to max Q
straw wberries profitable crop.
f. q. Church talked about Rasp-
berry Culture, but said that his crop
of these berries was more in the ma
ture of an experiment than anything
else, and that he could not recommend
them as good commercial crop as
yet.
Our Future for Cherries was the
next topic, and President Woodworth
of the Fruit Growers Union handled
this subject. He said that he had
planted j, 300 cherry trees when he
come to the valley number of years
ago, but that he had gradually lost
them through disease until there we're
only about 500 left. The trees that
he had planted we're the Royal Ann,
Bing and Lambert. He found cherries
fairly profitable, but did not consider
them nearly as good a proposition al
an orchard of Newtowns and Spitzen
berps. Had received from 80 to 81. Il
for 10 pound box of cherries and hat
found that Hood River cherries coulC
be shipped as far away as EnglanC
and arrive in good condition. HaC
also shipped cherries to Mexico, re
ceiving good prices for them. iii
trees were II years old, but bad los
one half of them from gumosis. :,
II. f. Davidson in bis talk on colo
storage said that it was his ludgmen
that fruit should be placed In COLI
storage as soon after 1t was picked a
possible in order to obtain the bes
results. Experiments that had beeI
made In this line had proved this ide
to be correct. He thought also tina
Strawberries could We w1dc % kee
better ii they were cooled oil IN col
storagf before being placed in the cars
Mr.. Castner asked If the same resul
might not be obtained by having til
matches on top OF the cars left ope
for while after the train got to NOV
J ing, and Mr.. Davidson said that b
thought possibly it would.
G., X, Castner Z We very interest
: ing talk about "Uur Exhibits at th
Lewis and Clark Exposition, an
other exhibits that he had attended
t A. |. Mason told how to topgrai
/; trees with the best results. He wa
. very familiar with his topic and gay
, much valuable information on tt
: subject.
! Peter Mohr in bis topic told how
t plant an orchard 20 as TO look we
: and also be PRACTICAL and economics
! L to handle. Mr.. Mohr is considere
. an authority on this matter aud h
listeners we're o. identity much IN
|. pressed with his remarks.
!, Il. A. Franz, secretary OF The App
{ Growers Union, read paper on u
"Best Commercial Varieties of Appl
f to Plant. This is question tn
4 has received great deal OF attentlt
q from growers and the following adVl
e will no doubt help many who are
doubt
- The few thoughts that ! am abo
, to present to you, are the result
4 observations made dIiing the t.
wears that | have been connected wi
the marketing of apples in the Ho'
River Apple Growers Union. A fru
grower plants apple trees in ord
that he may derive a profit from q
ing so. Profit being his object,
will naturally want to plant the var
{ ties that will make him the best
- turns from certain number OF acr'
There is no use wasting time in gol
over past history to find out wi
varieties those are as it has be
proven beyond any doubt that the
is no place in the world where Yell
Newtowns and Spitzen bergs, the t
highest priced apples on the marx
,e. grow to sucE state OF perleetloh
ot in the famous Hood River Valley.
ds AS some of the growers, especia
newcomers, are uncertain what p
norton of each OF those two varlet
. 10 plant, | wish to say that accoFdl
's To the wants of the markets that
are supplying now, and the mark
that we have been gradually devel'
ing for our rapidly increasing ap
crop, it is my impression, that
d. would be advisable to plant at le
n two.t thirds Yellow Newtowns to oI
O. third Spitzeu bergs. That advice n
T. seem strange to you when We b
no been getting more money for 81
W zenbergs than we have for Newtow
B., but the fact of the matter is that
N acre Of Newtowns at $500 per
IL will bring you more money than
= acre of Spltzenbergs at 81 30 per
on account of this color question
alf also from the fact that the Spitz
res berg trees bear good crop only ev