The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1908-12-24
EXPERTS TALK TO
FRUIT GROWERS
TWO DAYS MEETING SUCCESSFUL
Professors and Expert Growers Discuss
Methods Of Improving Fruit Grow.
ing Conditions.

aud horticultural meeting under the
direction of the officers of the Expar.
iment Station of the Oregon Agricul
tural College was Ecommenced here
Monday afternoon. What the first
session of the institute lacked in at.
tendance was made up in enthusiasm
aud those who we're present took an
interested part IN the proceedings and
listened to the speakers with close at.
tention.
The meeting was called to order by
Murray Kay, president of the local
horticultural association, who after
stating in a few words the object OF
the meeting, introduced Prot. James
Withycomh, Director of the expert
ment station.
In his opening address, Prof.
Withycomb paid glowing tribute to
Hood River, stating that il vas a
community that could be held up to
the rest Of the state as an example OF
what could be done in the way OF sci &.
entifio farming. 1t had led the way
in the production and marketing of
the finest apples in the world which
had been accomplished by unity of
purpose aud with brains applied to
muscle. In fact so valuable did he
consider the methods employed here
in orchard work that be was going to
recommend to the next session of the
legislature that a sub-eXperiment sta
tion be located at Hood River with
an expert hoIticulutrist in charge and
he had aleady included in the amount
asked by the Oregon Agricultural Col
lege, an appropriation of ST., 500 for
this purpose.
lie believed however that the time
was at haDd for Hood River to take
steps to preserve the rich qualities of
its soil and advocated the planting of
cover crops and diversified farming
in a small way by every apple grower
in order to maintain the plant food
of the soil which would certainly be-
come exhausted If the drain on 1t was
allowed to continue. To accomplish
this he thought that the best plan was
tor growers to keep several COWS of
high grade stock that would not only
provide an income but give the ranch
er the natural fertilizer for protecting
and renewing the plant food. 1t was
his opinion that there was no fertil-
izer that was more beneficial than
harnyard compost and none which
was SO economical. No matter he
said how rich the soil was, like other
life giving bodies, it must be fed and
renewed
lie doubted, said Mr.. Withycomh,
the wisdom OF special production of
any kind without restoring to the soil
the nourishment that was taken from
it aud believed that there was nothing
that was more important to the Or
chardist or the farmer than knowing
this fact and beneiitting Ey it.
j, l.. Carter, whose subject was
Renewing Old Orchards" was the
next speaker to address the meeting
and advocated top grating old trees
of improbable varieties rather than
pulling them out and setting new
trees in their place or trying to graft
on stump which had been recon
mended in some parts OF the state,
1t had been his experience, said Mr..
Carter, backed up by the obser vations
OF Others that tree planted in the
soil from which an old tree had been
removed did not thrive and do 30
well. He had found, however, that by
top grating in the spring, when the
sap commenced to flow that the CRAFTS
tlourished and he had taken several
boxes of apples from trees on which
the gratis we're but three years old.
He believed that this was the best way
to renew old orchards and also the
most profitable and satisfactory way.
Mr.. Carter also referred any who we're
interested to an article in "Better
Fruit" by Prof. Cole of the Oregon
Agricultural College which gave valu-
able information on the subject in
hand
4. II. Shepard talked on the value
uf fruit exhibits and horticultural
meetings. lie told about being at
Spokane during the National Apple
Show where he had secured consider
able valuable information aud stated
that one of the most noticeable faults
he found there was the faulty packing.
In many instances the swell on the
boxes was so high that entire carloads
of apples showed bruised spot on
every apple on the top layer OF the
box, some of them az large as half
dollar. 1t was therefore very neces-
sary to have the proper swell and
avoid this.
The speaker then referred to the
great possibilities of the state as a
fruit producer stating that Oregon's
fruit products last year amounted to
about S., 900, 600 while those of Cali
fornia totalled S75, 900, 900 or more
than the combined output of gold
and wheat for that state. He believed
that the apple, pear and grape we're
going 10 be to Oregon what the citrus
fruits were to California aud would
al ways command profitable price as
long as high quality and a standard
pack we're maintained. Mr. Shepard
then called attention to the Porter
bill which is before Congress asking
that the size OF the apple box in the
Northwest be enlarged The proei-
sions of this bill have already been
published in full in the Glacier. But
riehy it provides for the creating IT a
new bushel that would contain about
500 more cubic inches than the pies
eDt bushel known as the Winchester
bnshel which has heretofore been con-
sidered the standard by the govern
ment and would neoessitate larger
box. The bill also provides that in
case the present box in use is not en-
laiged that it shall be marked "Short
Box" which can easily be seen would
be both an injustice and injurious 20
the Northwest growers
MIR. Shepard urged that the Hood
River spciety take formal action ncii-
flying The Oregon delegation in Con-
gress that it was opposed TO the Port
er bill and asking it to work agalns st
it IN bis opposition to the bill the
former vas sulpo,ted by f, l.. Smith
gh0 denou0ed it Us an unfsirand dis
rtiI'ira'inR measure that would take
thon-snds ct 'rcliars out of the pockets
t..