The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1913-10-09
TRUCK PATCHES
RETURN PROFIT
BRUNO FRANZ HARyESTS TSPRODUCTS
Intensive Farming Keeps Three Men Busy
on Tract West Of City-Celery, Pep
perS and Tomatoes Grown

Located on the old home place of E.
l.. Smith. tract of 40 acres of which
was purchased by MIR. Franz five years
ago, Bruno Franz has one of the most
productive truck gardens in the state
OF Oregon. Mr.. Franz, by the produc-
tion of his sweet, crisp celery has made
that product as famous in a limited
way as the Hood River apple is in the
world market. In the springtime the
Portland housewife calls for the cele-
brated Koberg asparagus and when
autumn comes on, she will have moth
ing else than the Hood River grown
celery.
But celery alone is not grown by Mr..
Franz. He has tracts of tomatoes and
sweet peppers, and this year set out a
small plot in asparagus. 81 viii con-
tinue to plant the latter" he asys,
until have substantial amount of
this product.
OF his 40 acre tract Mr.. Franz now
has seven acres in cultivation. 81 keep
three men going the year rouud," he
says. From the half acre planted in
the big sweet peppers, he harvests a
ton each week,
81 will get ten tons from the pepper
field" he says. 81 supply all the Hood
River city and valley stores and ship
all the remainder to Portland. The
peppers are packed in strawberry
crates, 20 pounds net to the crate. The
half acre of peppers will net Mr.. Franz
the sum of $500 this year.
1t is worth mans time to visit Mr..
FRANCS acre of celery where the 65, 900
lunches of the deep green plant rear
themselves to the height of Is inches,
and so closely together are the leaves
that the earth is entirely obscured.
A half of the acre is planted in drills
very close together: so close that the
light will be kept out by the leaves
themselves, and the stalks will soon
begin to blanch. In the other half of
the field the drills are set more than
foot apart and the blanehing process
will be FASTENED by broad planks,
which encase the stalks. The celery
patch will net the owner $1,000. The
celery is sold locally by MIR. Franz for
so cents per dozen lunches, while he
gets 65 cents per dozen foor his large
shipment to Portland.
From his experience with this aro-
matte plant, that fills the atmosphere
around the fields where il grows with
spicy odor, Mr.. Franz has found that
Golden Self Blanching does best in the
Hood River climate.
The celery is already fine, but in a
few weeks, after the first frosts have
fallen, 1t will become crisper and will
/ acquire that swaet aiauor. fer whiahs sths
I Hood River product has become re-
nowned "a dry freeze does not hurt
celery, says MIR. Franz.
During the past summer MIR. Franz
has been selling four tons of tomatoes
a week and he expects to harvest rs
tons from his acre tomato tract. He
raises poultry and pigs. Sometimes
have as many as 100 pigs" be says,
"and | always find ready market for
them."
Mr.. Franz has an ideal truck farm.
The remainder of his 40 acres is de-
voted to hay and grazing. He has all
the water needed for his vegetables
and plenty TO spare. The community
surrounding his place shows great
promise for such industries as have
been proven a success by his ventures.
Water is cheap and abundant. and the
soil deep, rich black loan.
81 started in very small way five
years ago, and prospects looked far
away as tackled the rocks and trees
and began my clearing, but IL man
works hard enough, he can reach his
goals. says Mr.. Franz.
On the place are number of ideal
building sites overlooking the Colum-
bia. On one of these Mr.. Franz is
planning to erect handsome bunga-
low home.