Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-01
ROGUE RIVER FRUITS
Growers of Apples and Pears
in Oregon Section.
VALLEYS ARE PRODUCTIVE
Thousands of Bushels Sent An
nually to Eastern Markets.
WORLDS RECORD FOR PRICES
Maximum and Minimum Figures
Given by Association in Medford,
a Commercial Center.
WORLDS RECORD FOR PRICES
BY WILLIAM e. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald.

Chicago Record Herald.
MEDFORD. Ore. September %, 1909.
According to the estimates of experienced
men the fruit crop of western Oregon this
season will be about !, 100 cars Of apples
and 400 cars of pears. Hood Rivey valley
will require 125 cars to carry its apples to
market and cars to carry its pears. The
Grande Ronde valley will want 40 cars
for apples and 10 cars for pears. The
Milton and Freewater district will require
an equal number, while the Rogue River
valley will need 49, cars for its apples. 3O5
cars for Its pears and 80 cars for it's
peaches. The orchards in the immediate
vicinity of Medford will fill 400 cars of
apples and 300 cars with pears.
The Rogue river pears, like the Hood
river apples. bring the highest prices.
Pears will not keep like apples will. how
ever, and are sold by the box at auction
Immediately upon arrival at market to
commission men. trainload of pears is
made up here daily and hurried eastward
on passenger schedule lIme. car will
be dropped off at Omaha, another will be
run down to Kansas City. others to st.
Louis, more to Chicago and the rest will
go on to New York. Philadelphia and Bos-
ton. dropping off a car at Pittshurg,
Cleveland and Buffalo by the way, where
the commission men are notified and the
auction sales take place.
The bids are governed by the state of
the market and the quality of the pears
the old law Of supply and demand. Early
arrivals have sold as high as So box in
the New York and Boston markets. This
age of $40 per box. One carload sold for
$40 per box In Boston; another sold as
low as $3.50.
The big orchard men. who are able to
fill cars from their own trees. handle their
own business, but the fruit from the
smaller orchards is handled by an asso-
citation. and each contributor receives
credit on the books when his fruit is sold.
One Company Holds Record.
The worlds record for prices is held by
the Bear Creek Orchard Company. near
Medford, which sold carload of Comice
pears at auction in New York city in 1907
for S4,622.SO The best previous price for
carload of fruit was obtained by the
Hin 1o Crest Orchard Company in New York
In 1906. amounting to $3.50. During Jan
uary last 09G9) shipment of Comice
pears from the Bear Creek orchard sold
in London for $1O.OS per box wholesale,
which is about 20 cents a pound. The
this country was $500 in America, at
Montreal, in 1908 The highest price ever
received In the United States was $3.50
box for Bartlett pears. The highest aver
age on record stands in favor Of the An
jou pear. which sold for 81 a box during
an entire season. The highest record for
any orchard is credited to Mr.. Hopkins,
formerly of Chicago, who sold $4,000
worth of fruit from sixteen and q half
acres in 1907. and Rae & Hatfield. whose
orchard of seven acres of Bartlett pears,
1O2 trees to the acre, yielded seven boxes
to the tree. and sold for an average Of
5000 per acre.
1t Is asserted that the average profits
on Medford pears during the last five
years have been $7O0 an acre.
Maximum and Minimum Prices.
The Fruit Growers Association fur
nishes me the following statement, show
ing the maximum and minimum prices
received for fruit by the orchardmen in
the vicinity of Medford during the year
1908. 1t is too early to furnish a state
ment for 1909: