The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1913-07-03
KLEMER PROSPERS IN
WILLAMETTE VALLEY
(From the oregonian)

All the prophets who assembled un-
der the fig trees and date palms way
back in the days when il was popular
TO take squint at the weather and
issue a bulletin on the probability of
the next stopping place of wandering
tribe of the children of Israel would
have been given another assignment il
they had decorated their stone tablets
with the story of E. L. Klemer and
what he would do in the Willamette
valley in the year 1918.
Even if any prophet Of late years in
the northwest had possessed the temer-
ity TO suggest that right here under
the nose of Portland Senator Paulka-
mus, Of Puyallup, Wash, would be out
Paulhamused by young horticultur-
ist from Minnesota, and that Klemer s
individual plans for fruit development
and marketing would equal anything
that has been accomplished by the en-
massed population of Puyallup, said
seer and revelator would have been put
in the class of those citizens who pre-
dicted the election of William Howard
Taft in 1912.
But after reading this tip, the old
timer who scratches his night ear with
wheat straw and ventures the pre-
diction that young Klemer will soon be
known as the greatest demonstrator of
willamette valley soils the big basin
has ever known, will take his place
alongside of Solomon. And if such a
prophet adds the statement that the
Klemer place, known as Fern Ridge
| Orchards, is the greatest show place in
western Oregon, he would deserve to
be written down as an expert nail
driver.
Klemer is a wizard of the soils. the
Oregon Burbank, an optimistic demon
strator of what can be done, a patriot
who is proving the truth of every
statement made since l843 concerning
the richness of the Willamette valley,
man who has made 500, 600 in real
money from a fern bank while some of
his neighbors have gone on raising
wheat and oats and sounding warnings
of the doom that was about to ring for
this young man who was rending
asunder the farming traditions of the
country. But Klemer is a determined
Dutchman. and he went right ahead
demonstrating practical horticultural
and intensive farming methods, and he
is pouring his spoils back into lands
and schemes for marketing products.
Klemer has nothing more to sell, but
be is aiding to fill the Fern Ridge
country with home building people, and
then he is going to furnish market
for everything they can raise.
The Klemer farm, 1850 acres in ex-
tent, lies 10 miles north of Eugene and
nine miles west of junction City.
''ln l9ll." says MIR. Klemer, 81 dis
posed of an apple orchard at Hood
River and withsthe cash in my pocket,
began searching for land for diversified
farming. | found it here on Fern
| Ridge and secured 20 acres. The analy
sis of the soil satisfied me that it was
peculiarly adapted to my purposes, it
was far from the railroads and it gave
me an opportunity to get in on ground
floor prices.
by bleeding them | easily killed
out the ferns, which had been found to
be detriment to other farmers, and
set the land to small fruits and garden
stuff. One-year-old strawberry plants
produced more than 100 berries to the
stalk, loganberry vines gave me 20 per
cent of full crop the first year, ant
my vegetables proved of good size,
quality and big yield. These results
enabled me to interest persons who
were looking for homes, and they were
induced to come here to investigate for
themselves. My wife worked the type
writer and | showed the lands from the
salesroom on the tower. The result is
that | have purchased and resold 900
acres of Fern Ridge lands, each tr: C.
planted to the variety of tree fruit OF
berries the purchaser desired, have $50
acres left for myself, and have so
planned all these orchards that vege-
table crops can be planted on the same
ground.
''ln the meantime other farmers are
increasing and their produce must have
market if the community is to pros
per. The Pacific Land Company hold
ings now almost surround my farm and
understand that they have been sue
cessful in selling large number of
tracts. These people must also have a
market.
"In solving this problem | am now
planning the erection of a $50, 900 can
merry, cold storage plant, dryers and
juice nils. This plant will be located
on six acres of land along the right of
way of the Portland. Eugene & East
ern railway at the new town of Alva-
dor. and will have them in operation
in time to handle the crop of next sea-
son. The plant will be cooperative to
those farmers who wish to become
stockholders, but | will buy for cash
the produce of those farmers who do
not care to invest in the company. By
this means we will somewhat equalize
the high cost of living and the low
profit of the farmer.