Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1908-09-29
HORST SAYS
HOP OUTLOOK
is BAD

There Is no hope for the hop mar
ket and no hope for the hop-Dicker.
This is the opinion OF Il. Clemens
Horst, of San Francisco, expressed
yesterday. AS for the market, he
has arguments to prove II is top
heavy and will continue 80 this sea-
son. AS for the humble hop-picker,
Mr.. Horst has put him out OF busi-
ness with his picking machine.
"Clem" Horst is the central figure
in the hop trade OF the world He
is the largest dealer In America anJ
the largest grower anywhere, with
yards In California, Oregon, British
Columbia and Australia. When con-
dItion are favorable his yards viii
produce 10000 bales OF hops In a
year, or about n third of what the
entire state OF oregon grew this sea-
son. He does not confne his SELL
Ing operations TO the United States
but does a big business In England.
in fact, was the first American deal
er TO invade the English market and
sell hops direct to the English brew
ers. He is one Of a family Of three
remarkable brothers, all OF them In
the hop business. Paul r. G.. Horst.
who is OF speculative dispo1ltion,
bought over a million dollars worth
Of hops on the coast two years ago,
paying as high as 20 cents pound
for some of them. He has got much
for some OF them. He has got most
of them yet and they are worth about
a cent n pound. In spite OF his re-
verse, he IL still actively in business
Louis Horst Jared better In his ven
lures and bought an estate In Ger
many. He Is now Baron Louis con
Horst and does a big bu7iness with
American and English brewers.
II. CLEMENS Horst hobby now Is
his hop-picking machine. II is the
greatest labor-savlng device OF recent
years. he says. II Il going to deprive
thousands OF persons OF agreeable
and profitable employment. II sue
cess 10 will destroy the one pictures
que feature of the hop indu try and
so far as can be figured out, will be
OF no benefit TO anyone except the
po1sessor OF the machine and the
brewer, who will probably get his
hops cheaper because OF Il. But the
world moves and modern methods
must prevail In hop growing as In
other Industries.
Mr.. Horst talks freely OF his ma
chine but not TO the extent OF let
ting anyone know how Il Is con-
structed. He declares, however, that
n T. an absolute success. The first
machine built was tried last year on
his yard I'm British Columbia. whore
he grows hops for the Canadian trade
and does not have to pay duty on his
sales. Then he sent II 10 Australia
and gave II n second test and thll
summer broaght II TO California
whore n hpt final iryNrt Forty
machines were built TO harvest his
big California yard
One OF the machines Nr. Horst
brought 10 Orogon a"d " la nov NJ
his yard at Tola Some changes IN
the machinery woro necessary ~
adapt II 10 the Oregon hon vine.
There changes have been made and
the machine will he started In n day
or two on oregon hops. No one has
been permitted TO see the apparatus
as Il II kept under cover and watch
man with n loaded shotgun Is said
to be on guard over II night and
day.
"The machine has picked 5000
pounds OF hops In an hour" said Mr.
Hort Yesterday. "As one man can
only pick I o TO 10 pounds In an hour.
YOU can see that II going 10 revolu'
tionize the hopgrowlng industry. Its
great featnre T. that Is solves the
labor problem, the most vexatlou7
and expensive thing the hopgrower
has To contend with. In California
the labor problem r. more serious
than here. as the oregon hop-piokers
are better class OF people. but new
ertheless the hop-Dioking machine
has come 20 stay. All our coat hops
will hereafter be machine picked,
With hand picking Il costs the
grower to . cents pound to put
hons I'm the bale The machine, II "
said, will do the work for 3 TO
cents.
MIR. Horst was not prepared To say
how soon the machine Will come Into