The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1908-01-30


latter the secret of successful culture
in this particular locality, ana he is
only too willing to give the new
neighbor the results. Pride In the
valleys world record is param cunt
with the individual orchardist and
be Ia just as much interested In the
new man producing perfect fruit as
the new man Is himself. He wants
nothing Inferior produced in the val.
ley tor his slogan IL always "best or
none;". and the new man soon learns
the same slogan for he finds that
when it comes to sending out Car
loads OF luscious apples with the fam
Gus Hood River label on every box
it is only the Al fIuit which the APP
Pile Growers Union will accept for
shipment.
Apple Growers" Union? The name
is self explanatory and he kind OF
man who wilt make a successful orch
ardist will grasp it's advantages.
This Union-o organized and officered
by the fruit growers-takes entire
charge of selling the fruit crop and
shipping it, the grower having only
to deliver his apples (packed In his
own orchard by a corps Of expert
packers from the Union) at the rail-
road, when he receives his money,
for all fruit ,s sold (. o. b. Hood
River.
Through the Union he gets bigger
price than he could possibly obtain
Individually, and is relieved Of all an
xiety about market conditions. Buy
ers come to the valley in,August or
September and though the officers of
the Union arrange for the purchase
Of the crop by car load lots-always
the highest bidder being considered.
And that tho bids are high all the
world knows; but the buyer is willins
to pay high prices for he knows by
east experience that every box Of
fruit will be perfect as to quality,
pack, color and size, and that there
will not be one apple In all the lot
that contains blemish. He knows
thas these apples can be retailed at
fancy prices-prices much higher than
the fruit from sections which do not
pay attention to such details; and
what Is even OF greater Importance,
he knows that the crop will keep un-
til the following spring II necessary.
So the wise urchardist belongs to the
Apple Growres' Union and is always
assured of the highest price In .the
market for perfect fruit. And to get
this perfect fruit he gives his orchard
the careful attention OF rose garden,
lighting all rests with,judicious:spray-
ing, keeping the or ,und beneath the
trees in high state of clean cultiva-
fn hA sok.
Great care not to overirrigate: thin
ming while the fruit is young to give
greater nutriment, better size and
more perfect color. He prunes care
fully, Keeping the tIee: strong and
stocky and allowing the sun to pene-
trate between the branches to color
all fruit evenly. And he does lots of
other things which appear trifiing to
an outsider but which 90 to the pro-
duction of perfect fruit. The fact
that 80 per cent Of the apple crop In
this valley is first class will give an
idea OF how 1t pays to give attention
to detail in fruit culture. just one
instance comes to mind about this
years crop. In one orchard out Of
1000 bushels only 60 bad apples we're
found. HCan anyone argue against
eternal vigilance after such record.
"We hardly dare tell the whole
truth about what we can produce
here," explained successful grower
to .an easterner recently. "They don't
believe it--think we are simply boost
ers. But all we ask is for all Of yon
to come here and see for yourself.
We can substantiate every statement
we make about Hood River Valley aud
are only too snxious TO show you"
This man knew gwheIeof he spoke, for
he is one Of many who have risen
from poverty to wealth through the
medium of the big red apple. This
particular man realized 5000 net per
acre Oft his orchard this year and
there are several instances where
small orchards have netted as high as
81, 900 to 81, 300 per acre.
This doubtless sounds like a fairy
tale to the farmer OF the east and
middle west who experiences droughts
and cyclones In summer and bliz-
yards in winter, for to him $50 to
800 net per acre seems a great reve-
nue.. The high prices asked for orch
ards in Bood River Valley appall him,
seem quite impossible when compared
TO prices in bis own section, but when
it is considered that ten acres OF
bearing trees, properly cared for, will
bring him greater revenue than his
big farm, and that these orchards pay
all the way from % per cent to 80 per
cent on their high valuations, he will
realize that less land and work with
greater returns in money make lif0
more pleasant. A farm of l60 acres In
Illinois, Iowa, Kansas or Nebraksa
is considered there pretty sure
thing, hut Hood River Valley Ia ready
to prove that 20 acre orchard will
com mand almost double the income
of the big farm. The Apple Growers
| Union or Davidson Fruit Company
will show their books where the pro-
duction and acreage OF each grower Is
given; the banker will prove the size
of the drafts he cashed for each grow!
er's crop; and the oichaIdist himself
will give the exact figures in dollars
and cents, in the number OF boxes
produced. the number of acres and
the number of trees. There are no
secrets in Hood River---each man 3
success Is yours to emulate, and If
one wants to live and grow rich in
this modern Eden put 1t down right
at the start that he will have to get
the Hood River spirit of best fruit or
none and strive for the best always.
Something of what this land will do
through the perfection of its Iroduc-
tion was recently well explained by
the Hood River Commercial Club and
the statistics Oh prices can absolutely
be depended upon:
While other apple growing districts
lsy gre stress on the quantity of
apples they grow, the slogan OF Hood
River is not quantity but Quality. ="
The courage Of Its growers to uphold
the stand ard of perfection has won
foi its frnit name for excellence
the world ovei aud has brought Its
reward. Never was this fact more
fully demonstrated than in 1906 when
one If the biggest apple crops ever