The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1907-06-27
NO DANGER OF
0VERPRODUCTION

The problem of the overpIoductior
OF apples IN the Hood River valley
has given many prospective growers
very convenient subject for street de-
Date. Indeed, many who are now il
the business of growing commercial
apples, have often debated the adyisa
blllty OF continuing in the industry
In view of the fact that every one
who comes to the valley begins al
once the growing of an orchard ident.
lcal with us. The fact is that if every
available acre of Hood River soil wal
planted to an apple orchard, and that
apple orchard was in full bearing, il
would not effect the spple market OF
the world to any great exte.t. TIE
demand tor first class apple is far in
excess of the supply, and in view OF
the tact that the territory capable oil
producing such fine fruit as is grown
In Hood River is very Limited, argues
that the demand will ever remain in
advance of the supply and good prices
will be secured.
The Oregonian of recent date pre-
sents the following editorial on the
apple situation OF the future:
Those farmers who hesitate to plant
apple trees for tear ut oyerstocking
the market may learn something now
II they will. New York has Just re.
oeived a consignment of apples from
Australia and New Zealand, aud tie
fruit is said to be superior in appear
ance to the American product. The
production of apples has developed
rapidly in this country for the last
few years, but We still fail to raise
enough first class fruit to supply the
home demand and the foreign mar.
ket. The best goes abroad +; the inter.
io1 fruit is offered at home and nat
urally spoils for want of buyers.
There should be no inferior apples
on the market. 1t pays better to
make the whole crop of first quality
than to have some good specimens
and many bad ones. The orchardist
who offers inferior apples for sale
picks his own pocket; and until ev-
erybody who wishes to eat apples can
purchase a supply of good fruit from
early fall till late spring at a treasona.
BILE price, there is not the slightest
danger of overstocking the market. q
The use of apples for habitual food,
like that of cheese, is practice
which is only beginning to be COM
mon in this country. Americans
used to believe that fruit was all very
well as luxury, but of little value
for nutriment. The man who works
must have his rations of meat. We
hot 30 20
workers at any rate, fruit is superior
to meat as food. In fact, many sen
sible people have come to the conclu-
sion that our national dyspepsia ia
caused by the use of too much meat
at the table and the neglect OF the
more rational diet which nature pro-
vides.
This view becomes more attractive
when one remembers the constantly
increasing cost of meat with the small
prospect there is that it will ever fal!
again to former figures. The enhanced
value of land finds it's natural express
sion in the rising price of meat, and
unles; some great commercial disaster
should depress rents beyond all ex-
pectation, fesh foods will never again
be cheap in America. Vegetable food
Is not SO dependent as meat upon
rent, since more can be produced to
the acre. 1t is therefore quite certain
to happen in this country, as it has
elsewhere, that as the value of land
rises people of moderate means must
depend more and more upon fruit and
grain for their diet. No prospect
could Ee more agreeable for the or
chardist; but it is also agreeable to
ever byody else, or it ought to be, be-
cause, when we have learned to forego
our rossts and fries and have learned
to satisfy our appetites with apples
and beans, we shall live longer and
enjoy life better.