Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-27
OREGON S. BIG CROPS
Hop Growing Greatest Indus
try in Western State.
LARGE YIELD OF CHERRIES
Fruit Is Sold to Local Canneries for
Market.
MANY FREAK LAWS ENACTED
Hatpins Over Ten Inches Long Pro-
hibited-Hotel Sheets Nine
Feet Long.
LARGE YIELD OF CHERRIES
MANY FREAK LAWS ENACTED
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence of The Star and th
Chicago Record Herald.

BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Special CORRESPONDENCE of The Star and the
Chicago Record-Herald
+ SALEM, Ore, September 10, 1909.
Portland is the Rose city. Salem is
the Cherry city.
That title was bestowed upon the
capital of Oregon by the Pacific Coast
Nurserymen's Association. which met
here a few years ago, and assisted to
inaugurate the cherry festival. which has
since become a regular and the most
important event of the year. The gath
ering of the legislature and the inaugura-
ton of a governor are mere incidents IN
comparison
The people Of this part Of the Will
lamette valley are just beginning to
realize the value of their soil and their
climate, and although cherry trees have
been growing here ever since the pioneer
Methodist missionaries set them out, 1t
was only recently that the commercial
possibilities of cherry culture were made
clear. Now hundreds of farmers are
planting trees and within a few years
the Willauette valley will be producing
more cherries than all the rest of the
United States combined.
People here tell me that cherries are
Idpiuly DcCOullIlS oDSolCtc ia ZIG OoSes w.
cause the trees are worn out and are
SO frequently attacked by worms and
other pests, from which the orchards In
this valley are always free. And the
size, flavor and texture of Oregon cher
ries are said to be superior to those
grown elsewhere.
For Home Consumption.
Very few of them are shipped out Of
this state however. Occasionally car
load goes to Boston. New York, Chicago
and other eastern cities, which will abb
serb as many as can be sent, but the risk
is greater than with other fruit. because
cherries can not be picked when they
are green and allowed to ripen on the
journey like apples and pears.
| The chief market, therefore, is the can
merry, and hundreds of thousands of cases
which will soon multiply into the mil
lions are put up every spring. There
is no limit to the market for preserved
and canned cherries, and New York
house recently started a new branch Of
the industry by calling for ''pie cherries"
to be slightly cooked here and shipped
in barrels for immediate use.
If this method proves to be practicable
the possibilities are beyond computation,
because there Is nothing better than
cherry pie, and every town and city In
the country ought to absorb a vast guam
tity.
The Royal Ann is the favorite cherry,
the best producer, the best seller and
the best Gamer, to use the local terms.
During an automobile ride around the
suburbs of Salem this afternoon we were
shown orchards Of that variety which
seem to have performed miracles.
One man, whose name was given us,
picked 81, 600 pounds Of Royal Ann cherries
from 525 trees in a f1ve-acre orchard
and sold them at cents a pound
to a cannery. 1t cost him $3.50 to raise
and pick the crop. three-fourths Of the
money being paid to the pickers.
We were shown another orchard with
143 trees which produced $1.400 worth,
and another Of only two acres which
pays a net profit Of 500 annually.
But cherries are not the only fruit
pears, apples and berries of all kinds
grow equally well. and about 100000
pounds Of prunes were packed and ship
ped last year from this county.
full development. The prune crop is
still the largest source of revenue to the
farmers. except hops.
Oregon Great Hop Country.
Oregon is the greatest hop producer of
all the states, and more than 40 per cent Of
the entire crop Of the country, or an
average of about 10000 bales. Is grown
in this section. California produces $4,000
DdIeS, anu w dLO I'VE" IOIh
each about 10000 bales.
In western and middle Oregon the Pc
culiar climatic conditions required for
hop culture are found to perfection-a
warm, moist atmosphere, with alternate
fog and sunshine and a dry spell Of
weather while the hops are maturing.
The maximum yield is about 1900 pounds
to the acre; the minimum about 1,2UO
pounds.
A bale of hops averages $50 pounds, and
the average price for a long term Of
years has been II cents a pound.
Hops vary more than any other crop in
price. They have been as low as 7
| and cents pound and as high as s1.1O
per pound during the present generation.
They are selling for 22 cents now. 1t
costs aboue cents pound to raise
hops in this valley. more or less. accord
| ing to local conditions, so that farmer
can come out little ahead if he can
sell for 10 cents, and IL cents is a good
profit.
There is a small crop this year because
| last season and the season before the
price was SO low that many hop growers
pulled up their vines and set out fruit
| trees in their hop fields. This season the
| total will probably not exceed $4,000 bales,
| less than has been produced in Oregon
since 1901, when the total was 1000 bales
| In 1907 the maximum of 10000 bales
was sent to market, but it brought only
81 924 600, while in 1905 a crop Of $4,000
bales sold for S,5GO,OOO; In 1904 SS,OOC
| bales sold for $5,OOO,OOO and In 1903 a
similar crop sold for 100000. Last year
11s,OCO bales brought only $1,750,OOO
| Hence the farmers got discouraged and
went into fruit At present prices, how
ever, the $1,000 bale crop will bring about
as much as the $4,000 bales brought las,
year.
Conrad Krebs, Hop King.
Ninety per cent Of the Oregon hops are
produced in this county and marketed
at Salem. where the great brewers OF
England. Germany and the United States
are represented by resident agents
| Conrad krebs. the hop king, has SOC
acres IN hops and $50 acres in a single
field. He is hop grower by accident
however. and only few years ago was
soliciting for county history at Dayton
Ohio.
His folks came out here, bought land
and plinted hops. He inherited the farm
Is making great success of it and is also
the leading poultry and pigeon breeder in
this valley. He has thousands of hens
and pigeons, and ships broilers and
squads by the carload to Portland, Seattle
San Francisco and other cities.
Between 10000 and 10000 hop pickers
come to this locality about this time ev-
cry year from the surrounding cities and
| f1r fo,,y ,nalx,