Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1910-04-08
THOUSANDS OF ACRES OF BUSH
LAND BEING CLEARED
SETTING OUT MUCH FRUIT
The War on Orchard Pests-Fruit
Growers Union Will Be of
Great Service.

The agricultural development
which is going on in Josephine coun-
" this year surpasses anything in
its past history. Thousands of acres
are being cleared of timber stumps
and brush and the land put under
the plow for orchard, vineyard or
general agricultural purposes. These
improvements mean much in the way
OF additional value to all the land
cleared. The cost of these improve
ments runs from SIS to $35 per acre.
These figures indicate that much has
been added to the intrinsic value of
thousands Of acres which heretofore
have been nonproductive.
The demand for lands ready for
the plow is greater this season than
In the past and men of large means
are constantly looking over the coun-
ty with a view to the purchase of
extensive tracts for orchard pur-
poses. Shrewd buyers are not slow
TO see the opportunities to purchase
farms which will make orchards or
vineyards and at price way below
those of other sections of the Rogue
River valley. When our irrigation
system Is developed values will
double and treble the present asking
price, All things point to the fact
that this is the opportunity to pur-
chase at prices which are clearly safe
figures.
The important work to be attend
ed to in the future Is caring for the
new orchards that have been planted
within the last few years. The
trees will need pruning and spraying,
the latter to be attended to often
enough to protect them from any
and all OF the numerous pests. When
our fruit growers reach that point of
understanding that care is the one
important thing that brings success
TO the orchardist, fruit growing will
become evenly profitable each year
There Is no crop in the world which
will equal that of a well cared for
apple or pear orchard, and the own
er who will give proper attention to
the business must succeed. There
will always be men who will have
what they call bad luck, but in real
ity this only occurs from neglect or
lack Of knowledge.
After growers acquire experience
in all the lines of work in the or
chard or vineyard there will be but
few failures. Today the great trouble
comes from the neglect of the past
years and It will require time to
overcome the evils for which careless
individuals are responsible, but we
are satisfied that the worst Is past,
for the future will be looked after
by able fruit inspectors, who will de-
mand clean orchards and the law
VIII be so amended as to insure pro-
lection against those who have here
tofore spread the numerous diseases.
Josephine county took up the work
of inspection in earnest the past year
and from now one there will be a Wig
orous enforcement OF the law. That
a brighter day Is dawnlng for the
fruit growers there can be no doubt
The recent organization OF a Rogue
River Valley fruit growers union Is
a long step in the right direction.
Hereafter this noted valley will have
its representatives in the great cities
of the east and there will be fair re-
turns for all fruit sold. The growers
will no longer be Obliged TO sell his
pears and apples for 81 to $3.50 a
box and the dealer dispose OF them
at from $3.50 to $3.50. This kind
of stealing among the dealers OF the
east has grown TO be fine art. but
the sale OF our fruit by the strong
union OF the whole valley will put
a stop to the wholesale frauds per.
petrated on the growers
Grants Pass Hardware Co. has lust
received q carload OF up-to-date bug
,vie- and Road Vagina t-I.lt