The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1911-11-02
AFRICAN APPLE GROWER
STUDIESLOCALMETHOD

No more enthusiastic horticultural
ist has recently visited the Hood River
Valley than F. J. Harper, an English
apple grower of Clocolan, Fickersburg
district of the Orange Free State OF
South Africa, who has been touring
the Western apple belts Of the United
States to make a study Of the methods
used in the packing and grading Of
apples. Mr.. Harper is the owner OF
about 500 acres of land in this district,
which he says produces an excellent
fruit in quality and flavor.
"Our land is a heavy red loan, said
the English fruit man, very similar
TO your red shot soil in this valley, but
heavier. Our fruit districts are sim
liar to yours in that we plant and get
better results on the hillsides and in
valleys surrounded by protecting rang
es. At present our principal market
is johannesburg. Our apple orchards
are young yet, having been out but
short time over FIVE years, but from
the products that they have borne, We
feel assured Of success.
"The American varieties that DO
best with us are the Jonathan, Rome
Beauty and York Imperial. We cannot
raise the NewtoWn TO advantage.
However, we have two excellent yarle-
ties of yellow apples that we have
secured from Australia, the Cleopatra
and the Munro Fayorite. The London
Pippin, another yellow apple from
Australia, does very well with us. All
the yellow apples have fine favor.
The Missouri Pippin, an American
apple, does fairly well.
"The district in South Africa, where
we have our orchards is fine for all
kinds of fruit. Pears do well and
cherries grow like weeds. Walnuts,
too, do well, and in time the district
will supply large quantities Of nuts.
However, we are not attempting TO
raise small fruits in any large guam
titles for the European market is well
supplied from Cape Colony. They are
closer TO the European markets. We
are handicapped because Of being so
far inland, and thus we are going to
pay attention to the raising of hard
fruits, such as we can store and ship
to advantage. We can raise as fine
peaches as any other region in the
world but because Of the greater ease
with which they can get them to mar
ket, Cape Colony supplies the Contl-
nent and England with peaches.
"The visit to America is certainly a
revelation to me. Especially that to
your Western districts. Before
began my tour | consulted DR.. White
of the United States Pomological de-
partment. He advised me to visit
Watsonvile, Rogue River and Hood
I ~ AatunnnilIn for fhp
Apple Show. They can raise fine Belle
Fleures there, but Oregon surpasses
them on everything else. The growers
of that district need to learn some OF
your cooperative methods and some OF
your lessons at pack 1t seems to me
that they were growing careless down
there about those things. ] like Med
ford and Hood River very much. But
you have il over Medford, when it
comes to the management. II seems
that yon have better business men at
the helm of your affairs here. Your
business methods of pack and market
ing here | consider ideal.
"My visit was more for the purpose
of studying such things than anything
else. We practice the same methods
of care for orchards, muning and the
like that prevail here. ! am going to
take home with me the ideas of the
Oregon pack and endeavor to cause
them TO prevail in our South African
region.
"While in Medford made a study
of the smudge pot system of heating
orchards. We have frosts in our
country. and while they have never
a. as,t,lAo ~ tArtaIlu |
to be prepared for emergencies. We
cannot use oil there; for we do not
have it. We will be forced to use coal
in our pots should it become neces-
sary."
MIR. Harper is the secretary of the
Orange Free State Board of horticul-
ture. I'VE do not yet have government
supervision of such matters, he said,
"but when | return | am going to
make an effort to have laws similar to
those of this state passed. The gov
ernment at present is favorable TO
them | think and it will not be any
difficult matter to Secure beneficial
legislation.
81 wish we had the wonderful natu.
raj resources that you Northwestern
people have, such as great power sites
and electric plants. We have nothing
of the kind. However, we do have
better freight rates to European mar
kets than you have. Our rates. to Lon
don permit us to sell our fruit great
deal cheaper than you do and yet real
ize larger profit. When our orchards
come into full bearing we are going tC
be Australia's strong competitor. We
will be able to put our fruit on tn,
London market, Just as the American
fruit is going Off three weeks earlier
than the Australian can do it. be
lieve that our apples are going to bet
terEand we will beat the Australians
a., l,,,l