The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1909-11-04
INCOME FROM ORCHARDS.

fancies in the matter Of orchard returns,
and 70 state further, few of the modi-
flying factors which act az variants in
| the final results.
| In the first place the facts and figures
| | give are such rs came under my own
observations, or that of other members
of our party, on our recent western trip
which included stops at and investiga-
ton of Spokane, and White Salmon, in
Washington, Hood River, Salem, the
Willamette Valley and Creswell in Ore
gon. At these places, we visited the very
orchards that turned the results and
talked with the fruit growers them.
selves who were willing to back up their
statements by showing their receipts
and bank accounts. These men were as
honest and substantial lot of men as
you will find any place We saw other
land agencies and promotion societies
who told very delightful stories, (many
of them true but am going to contine
my statements to either what | saw for
myself or what others of our party
learned, the truth of whose statements
have no reason to question.
Again, while we did not cover all the
great fruit territory, by combining our
study to a few of the representative dis
tricts, we were enabled to give the dnes-
ton the most thorough study possible in
the limited time at our disposal. But in
seeing the now most famous district the
Hood River Valley, and these other not
unimportant places, we had abundant
opportunity to study the relative merits
of irrigated and non.irrigated projects,
to see something of what the orchards
were actually doing, and to get some.
what of an outline, at least, of the vari-
Gus problems which arise in the fruit
industry.
AS limited at the outset, there are
certain factors that enter into this mat.
ter of orchard returns which cause the
incomes to vary widely. OF course
natural conditions such as soil, rain.
fall, elevation, accessibility to orchards
these all effect the results. But be-
yond these, there are other factors
which | wish to mention.
Nature rewards the man who couples
hard work with intelligent, scientific
care. The method blind and the lazy
man have returns generally commensur-
ate with their shortsightedness, The
question, why is it that in The same
district with about the same conditions,
the returns are so different, finds its
answer generally in the relative amount
of effort and intelligence put upon a
tract
The age and kind of an orchard are
other factors Apple trees begin to bear
in the fifth and sixth years, peaches and
cherries the third and fourth, pears the
fourth walnuts the seventh and eighth.
In the early bearing periods each sue
ceeding year brings forth much larger
crop-even to doubling at times. So
that six year old orchard and n ten or
twenty year tract other conditions being
the same, will, of course, not produce
equal amounts,
Again, il is not always the orchard
that produces the largest yield that
brings the greatest financial returns
The wise orchardst will sacrifice half
his crop by pruning and budding and
often double and even triple his results
in dollars and cents. One choice" apple
is worth more than six Of the second
grade.
The accessibility to the orchards and
the market also make great difference.
Eastern fruit men who buy most Of the
nations crop go to only those communi
ties where they can buy up in car lots of
from 100 to 200 cars. At Hood River,
Salem, Mediord and such places, they
never have to worry about selling their
crop. They get first chance. But the
IL" Ntdllfltti WIN IithN
varying varieties and small aggregate
crop, have to cell an equally good arti.
Gle at much lower price which has to
come from the profit end. This is no
little item Indeed, it is the problem of
many communities.
All of these factors, outside those
which nature provides, enter into the
problem Of the yearly orchard returns.
In selecting an orchard, these elements
should be considered,
AT Sharon, near Spokane we talked
with Mr. Russell, who said that last
year bis five and eight year apple trees
brought better than $500 90 net per acre
At Hood River, where top notch
prices are always received, Mr.. G, f.
Porter stated, and offered to show his
receipts to prove his statement, that he
made en- one of his older orchards about
| Sl90O.0 90 per acre.
Other orchardists have like returns
| This year one eastern firm paid better
| than 81. 30 a box for all the Hood River
fancy" and choice" apples, $50 car
| loads which will net the growers from
$500 to $500 per acre.
Medford il receiving equally as good
prices Salem has been making from
$500 to $500 per acre.
| T. A. Sbaifer at Creswell cleared
5000 90 per acre on his young peach or.