Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1909-05-14
THE ROGUE RIVER
VALLEY FARMING
Father and Son Talk OF the Soil.
Climate and Productions
Around Grants Pass.

dialogue and we give II to show con-
dltions in the vicinity of this city
A conservation like the following
Son (speaking to his father)
Say, papa, don't like Grants Pass
do your"
Father: why do you not like
Grants Pass, my SOM"
Son: Because the ground amt
black, its redder than Uncle Tobys
nose, and, besides, they don't have
cold winters here like they do In
Illinois; no Ice, no skating; the frogs
sing all winter"
Father THE red soil, my son,
Is the most fertile fruit land as de-
termined by expert government hor-
ticulturists, as well as the longest
lived, 1t gives the much sought after
rich. red color to the famous Spltzen-
berg which outbears and outsells
any other apple in the world"
Son: What is 1t good fer, papa,
besides raising apples? like to
raise wheat, corn, red clover and al
falfa, and don't see anybody rails
! Ing any around here now"
Father: Right you are, my son.
but do you see Rogue River there?
Well, an irrigation company COM
posed of city men and all the farm
ers In Rogue River valley are build
ing fifty miles of ditch for the pur-
pose OF irrigatlng the finest body OF
farming and fruit land in the world
and water will be on the land for
use this year, then you will see all
OF these crops grown in abundance.
Son: "Yes, papa, seems to me
you said back home at Fowler, Col,
that you had raised your last crop
OF alfalfa, and now you have
brought all of your hay tools along"
Father: well, well, my son,
alfalfa is a crop of gold here, while
out home it was only sold at straw
prices. s4.00 per ton does not COM
pare favorably with $1,000 per ton,
the price it brings here. With three
to four cuttings a year, most any
farm in the Rogue River valley will
pay for itself in two years, and be
raising an orchard right along"
Son: Then, papa, let's plant an
orchard and let them grow up to be
real sure enough big trees OF fancy
richly colored, red Spitzenberg ap-
pies"
Father: eve are planning to do
just that thing, my son, and we shall
grow potatoes for about four rows
next to the trees and alfalfa, wheat,
corn and oats in between"
Son: How long before we could
begin picking apples that would
bring money to burn? / mean ap-
Piles like we saw at the fair last fall
that took the premium over all
others, some man named Hamilton
they said raised them near Grants
Pass"
Father: II should say that an
orchard properly cared for under the
irrigation ditches would come into
bearing in six to seven years, and be
able and very certain 10 bear better
apples than those at the fair because
Of their having had plenty Of water
when they needed IT,"
Son: What would the orchard
yield per acre. papa, and what would
the land be worth at this time?
Now honor bright. papa"
Father: "As to the first question
| must say that II would be a poor
showing indeed II II did not do
as well as / have heard OF
six-year-old orchards doing. and that
was $4,000 per acre; and II this
were true then the orchard would
fetch. should say. .l,500.OO per
acre"
Son: Isn't that a whopper, pa
pa"
Father mo. my son. And yon
must not forget that no orchard will
compare with the new orchards 10
be grown under irrigation with up
to-dsts methods OF care and treat
ment."
Son: The land n alright then.
papa, and ! want 10 make a bargain
with you. Why not put the whole
farm into orchard and grow alfalfa.
red clover. potatoes and water
melons 10 pay all expenses and send
us 70 college while the orchard is
coming into bearing. and then you
and mama ran quit work forever,
and let me be the apple king oi
Rogue River valley Why don't
everybody come 70 Grants Pass 10
live psps2"
Father Simply because they
tor't know Of the great possibilities