The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-11

Copyright, 1911, by Frank G. Car
 penter)
 Washington, D. c. ' write of the big red apple. It is
 creating almost as much trouble x for us as did that into which Mother Eve, at the advice of the snake, sank her pearly teeth when she lost us the Garden of Eden. It is more precious than the three golden apples which grew in the garden of Hesperi- des, and for which Hercules upheld the globe on his shoulders when he sent oio Atlas to get them. That was the second time that the apple upset the world A third was when Juno, Venus and Minerva contended as to their beauty for the golden apple offered by Paris, the grafter, who, being bribed by Venus with Helen of Troy, thus brought about the long ten-year war which laid that city in ashes.
 Big Money in Apples
 Even the Bible speaks of apples of gold in pitchers of silver. Well, that is what we are having in some parts of our country. The apple crop is revo- Iutionizing whole districts. It has lifted the prices of lands to the clouds and has made it possible for the clodhopper to walk upon velvet.
 What would you think of country where nearly every farmer owns his automobile, where his house is lighted by electricity and he has water on tap; where scores of families go every year to southern California to get away from the cold and where you cannot throw a stone without striking a man who has money in the bank? That, I am told at the department of agriculture is the condition of half dozen differ ent districts In the Pacific northwest.
 Take the Hood river valley in Ore Eon where the apples and pumpkins arc of about the same sizei Orchard land there is worth from $500 to 5000 an acre and orchards already set out will bring $3000 and upward per acre. Said one of the department officials to me: q was recently talking with an or chardist who had ten acres. of bearing trees in one of the best districts of Wash ington. I asked him what his land Wa. worth He replied
 It ought to bring me In at least $10,- 00
 .''Well,' said I, after thinking a mo- ment. 'r don't know that that is too much. You have ten acres, and that would be just sl000 per acre
 But I mean $1000o an acre. said the man. Tt will bring a good income OF that and leave 8 fair sinking fund And thereupon he took out his pencil and showed me that he was making big ps.- centage on his own valuation.
 A Farmers Utopia
 The Pacific northwest is the Utopia or the farmer" said another of the agricu- 5 tural explorers. "rhe apple growers are mostly educated men and the social con ditions are high Tn Hood River, which Is a town of 5030 there is University club to which belong 150 college graduates North Yakima looks for all the world like a New England city, and it's houses are more artistic than those of the eas.. The Wenatche valley is a great farm town covering thousands of acres di- ctded up into patches Of five and ten acres 1f orchards. Each patch has it's house. v.htch is equipped with electricity, ana lighted by q common plant. Every home has running water and a telephone and scores of the farmers own their own motor cars.
 Near southern Washington crop of eight acres was sold on the trees for s15,000. and the purchaser did the pick ing and marketing. They had anN apple show at Spokane last fall where theySgave