The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1907-01-17
TELEGRAM MAN ON
THE OREGON APPLE

pie exhibition at the meeting of the
State horticultural society He makes
interesting reading of what is usually
a pretty dry subject. MI. Kelley SAYS I:
1t is a simple matter to recognize
delegates to the annual meeting of the
Oregon State Horticultural society.
The mouth CT every delegate waters.
The moment delegate enters Wood
men hall, Eleventh street, near Alder.
he Is greeted by that in escribable
perfume exhaled only by the gIest
Oregon apple, and compared with
which the perfumes of Araby are like
unto the odors of a Chinese New
Year celebration.
No Manhattan nor Martini can
place so keen an edgeson the appetite
as the scent of the boxed fruit on dis
play. lnvoluntarily the delegates
MUNICH air and an empty sensation
manifests itself The most chronic
dyspetic would feel the pangs of star
walton once he entered the Woodmen
hall. But for the exercise of super
human self restraint, the spirit of
which martyrs aae made, it would be
necessary to call in a platoon of police
to protect the fruit from a hungary
crowd, and then, who would protect
the apples from the bluecoats?
Table after table is weighed with
boxes and plates of apples from
Southern Oregon, the Willamette and
Hood River. No similar congress Of
apples has ever been asem bled in the
state, not even dnring he Lewis and
Clark exposition. These apples are
pize winners There are approximate
ly %, 200 in the display and not one is
tenanted by worm or marred by San
Jose scale. They represent the high.
es stage of apple culture in the
world.
Each apple is perfect. Each would
bring in the open market an average
of dime, an the display could not
be bought as 1t stands much cheaper
than $1,000. These apples would make
enough cider to give every man, won
an and child in Portland substantial
drink. The display would make
enough apple pies to adorn every ia
BILE in the city, and still have some
left over for the suburbs and nearby
points. No such fate is in store for
the apples, however, for they are too
valuable. Apples with scales, worms
and other imperfections are good
enough for cider, and inferior fruit
will do foi pies. When you pay So a
box for apples, you eat 'em-not cook
or crush them.
These displayed apples are the pride
OF Oregon and they are carrying Ore
gon's name and fame to the principal
marts of trade. Grown and sprayed
in the Beaver state, they travel by
rail to the most expensive hotels of
New York, to command anything,
from "two- bits" up from the epicures,
or they cross the Atlantic ocean to
grace the tables of King Edward, or
anyone else in Windsor or London,
who can afford to pay the price.
"Avaurt, the repast !" eXclaims His
Majesty, "Varlet, set befole me an
Oregon SpitzenbeIg from famed Hood
River or Willamette valley. and peel
me a comice pear from the orchards of
the Rogue River"
And Oregon apple ale swell eating,
even for royalty. 1t makes even al
anarchist feel Ike a king to sink his
ivories into one.
These apples on exhibition are the
post graduates of last seasons crop
They are especially eetected. One box
represents the choice fruit from two
average boxes. They have been sorted
and resorted until the finest of the
unsnld harvest is spread before the
eyes to tempt the spectator to commit
petty larcency.
And then there is the sizes
Whoppers, in every instance, except
the Lady apples. Thousands of the
apples have a girth of Aldermanic pro-
portions
Thirteen, fourteen and fifteen in
ches in circumference are quite con-
mon, and if you cant believe it take
a tape measure and wrestle with one.
AS for weight, they frequently run
over pound and a quarter. Eigh-
teen and twenty ounce s. ecimens ale
plentiful. Weigh 'em for yourself.
A box OF apples weighs about so
pounds. Some boxes have but three
LAYERS, with IA or 10 apples in layer,
making the average weight considera
bly, more than pound each, these
big apples, however, are not ovel-
grown, nor abnormal, The immense
size does not depreciate their quality.
They have quality commensurate with
the quantity. One apple will do for
three or lour people; so after all,
economical in the long run. Even if
a reward of 500 WAS offered to any.
one capable of consuming two of these
apples the reward would never have
to be paid, because one apple is a
meal in itself.
Oregon's commercial apples are the
Spitzen berg and the Newtown. These
bring the highest market rate Any
kind of apple can be grown in the
state, and there are several dozen var
ieties on exhibition at Woodmen hall
to attest the proof of the assertion,
hut the gtowess devote their time
principally to the fruit which makes
them the most money for the same
amount of space, time and expense.
No apple is sold out of Hood River
for less than 81 box, and not many
at that price, except the Ben Davis,
which goes at So cents. The prices
range in the lfei9 bhufh hood of 81 10
and S3 %, freight on board. These,
like the rest of the Oregon apple and
pem crop, are shipped to Chicago,
New York and London Hood River
exhibitors have 125 boxes of fruit in
the hall, which eou'd not be pur
chased for $500. ParentheticalIy 1t
may be mentioned that there are a
few boxes OF Comice pears from the
Rogue River district which sold in
New York few months ago at "a,
the highest plice ever paid for pears.
They netted their grover s., 500. Ap
Piles ale on exhibition which today
can command ready sale in open
market in New York at 81 30 and So &
box.
E,nrrh hndu lianSf EroM innIeS.