The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1909-09-23
AS SEEN BY
MR.. CURTIS
HOOD RIVER WRITE.UP IN HERALD
The Wonderful Possibilities of the
Valley Are shown In
ROseate Hue.
BY WILLIAM e. CURTIS
ESPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE OF THE CHICAGO
RECoRD-HERALDl

RECoRD-HERALD.l
Hood River, Ore, Sept. II, 1909
| The apples from Hood River Nalle,
are worth more than oranges in tn
| wholesale markets of the world, ant
sell at about the same prices as pine
apples. About 100000 crates are fur
nished from this valley annually, ant
most of them are sold ON the tree
before they are picked, and are ship
ped direct to Europe, where the con
Sumers are willing to pay highel
prices for apples than than the peopl,
OF the United States.
There are tastes and n fashion fol
| apples us for everything else. Ger
mans want red apples, and will pay
a mark apiece for Spitzenbergs from
Hood River. The English like vel
low apple and will pay shilling fol
u Newton pippin from Hood River
You will hear people from other partl
of the country say that better apples
are raised in Vermont and New York
Other towns In Oregon, Washing
ton and Idaho insist that their fruit
is just as good as any that is growI
in Hood River Valley, and that may
be true, but nevertheless the epicures
of Europe are willing to pay the tor
prices for apples from Hood River
and the people out here are trying to
furnish them as many as possible.
The industry is comparatively new
The oldest orchards were planted
abont twenty-five years ago; the
apples became popular on the market
about eighteen years ago; they be
came famous ten years ago; and since
the Portland exposition everybody
in the world knows about them. Ii
takes five years to develop an or.
chard, and the entire valley is being
planted with trees. About two.
thirds of the available acreage has
been taken up already.
According to an official report com
piled at the state agricultural college
there were 349, ,435 trees in bearing
last year, OF which l74,64S were New.
ton pippins, 150,6l6 Spitzenbergs
9,152 pears, 7,1S0 peaches and 4527
cherry trees. AT least 81 per cent OF
Of these trees have been planted with.
in the last six years, and when they
are all bearing they will produce at
least ,0OO 600 boxes a year. 1t Is es-
timated that the annual crop ten
years from now will be 1000, 900 boxes
and when you know that these ap.
les sci! for an average price of $3.50 a
box ON the tree, you can have some
appreciation Of the value OF the in
dustry. The cash value of last years
crop was something over $3.50. 900
and that money came into the hands
of few men.
While the young trees are growing
1t Is customary to plant Strawberries
between the rows, and last year
1855 acres which produced an average
OF 175 crates of Clark's seedlings per
acre, which sold as high as $685. a
crate. The people Of Hood River
boast that their straw berries have
never suffered the ignominy Of going
to a cannery, and Of the GO, 900 crates
which have been shipped from this
town In single season every basket
has been sold for the table at the top
prices, often az high as 81 a crate.
The Strawberries are large and firm
and have been shipped as far ns
Hongkong In one direction and Lon.
don In the other without decaying.
1t Is asserted that the average cost
OF cultivating Clark's seedlings is $40
an acre, and that the average net
profits derived from the 1856 acres in
this valley will range from $3.50 to
$3.50 an acre. SomeIstrawberry grow
ers have made as high as $3.50 an acre,
but every man is not 80 fortunate.
1t requires intelligence, hard work
and the highest degree Of patience to
make this money, and, as one gentle.
man expressed 1t, you have to cult.
vate your strawberry beds with a
fine tooth comb.
The profits OF apple orchards have
been quite as large and IN some cases
even larger. The books Of the Hood
River Apple Growers Union and
other organizations are open to the
inspection OF those who are interested
in the subject, The tales that
are told about the profits from
apple trees are 80 incredible that the
Commercial Club. the Apple Growers
Union and the various fruit com
panies give the names of the men In
each instance,
There are frequent failures, but
they are the fault OF the man and not
uf the trees. No fool can make
money In apple growing here or any
where else, and the size and value OI
the crop depends entirely upon the
manner in which 1t is planted and
cultivated. In driving about the
valley you will see orchards OF ragged
trees that haven't been trimmed fOT
years, some Of the limbs VIII bt
dropping to the earth under the
weight of apples, and the ground
will be covered with weeds and vari.
Ous forms OF underground. The next
orchard will be neatly trimmed; the
soil will be az bare and as fine as the
dust Of an Oregon roadway, and
you will be told that about half oI
the apples have been picked OFF while
they were green. When ripening
time comes the expert will tell you
he clean and neat orchard will pro
duce Il crop OF perfect fruit Of high
flavor that will sell for the maximum
price. There will not be SO many
apples as In the neglected orchard
but they will be worth three or fOuI
times as much.
The rule here is to plow All orchard
twice a year and harrow It at least
twice; ami when weed appears
above the surface Of the ground the
owner OF the orchard goes for 1t as Il
were wild beast. There must bt
no other vegetation In an apple or
chard. The trees, after they react
the bearing age must be allowed tC
have all the nourishment and all the
moisture there IL In the soil and NJ
two apples must touch each Other
while they are hanging upon tht
boughs. A skillful husbandman car
regulate the size and quality OF hi'
apples by pruning and pluckine
them. A healthy tree OF a certain
size is capable Of producing certain