The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1915-05-20
BERRY HARVEST
Is UNDER WAY
ASSOCIATION SHIPS CAR LOADS
Transient PickerS Crowd Community
Davidson Says Cool Weather Retard-
ing Crop is Beneficial

The strawberry harvest is on in full
blast. As twilight settles down over
the valley. and Mount Hood begins TO
show witehlike in the last glamour Of
the sun as it sinks in the Pacific, scores
of vehicles. wagons drawn by one and
two horses, buggies and automobiles,
may be seen moving toward the city,
all carrying burden of luscious Clark
Seedlings. Since last week the streets
have taken on the usual activity at
tendant on berry harvest season. The
hundreds of pickers may be seen con-
gregated on street corners. Bevies of
indians, bucks, squaws and papooses,
have sat and chartered on curb stones,
hulling parched peanuts or eating
bright colOred candy.
No small commotion was created on
Oak street last Thursday afternoon.
when three young ladies'. neatly attired
IN blouses, and overalls, walked, ap-
parently unselfconscious, down the
sidewalk. They had no trouble in Sc
curing places as pickers.
The first carload of fruit sent out
from the valley this season was routed
east last Thursday evening by the Ap-
Pile Growers Association.
An unusual sight was seen in the city
last Friday afternoon. A big Indian
man, accompanied by'two squaws, hired
double-seated rig from the Fashion
stable shortly after noon, explaining
that they wanted to take a ride over
the valley. The threetreturned to the
city in the course of couple of hours,
and the horses alone were sober. They
had evidently secured,a quart of liquor
at The Dalles, and when the horses
pulled their rig again into the stable
all three were having heap big
dreams.
While the bloom of the berry fields
has not been as heavy this year the
weather conditions have been better
for good yield and those who have
looked over the fruit tracts predict that
the yield will be all that can be ex-
pected.
The name of the Apple Growers As
socation will be burned in ali cups
handled by that agency. The crates
will bear the famous "Blue Diamond"
label.
The plant of the Hood River Canning
Co. is being rapidly made ready to
handle the years strawberry crop.
New machinery has been installed. A
new receiving platform has been built
and a new shed to De used for the stor-
age of empty cases has been erected at
the west end of the canning plant.
The name of the company was re-
Gently changed from the Cloud Newton
Co., Mr.. Newton having retired from
the business. The authorized capital
stock was also increased from $4,000
to $25, 900.
The Fruit Growers Exchange is now
making daily shipments of strawber-
ries. A bulletin issued by the Ex-
change follows:
The opening price was $3.50 per
crate, f. o. b.. and we have been ship
ping on firm orders since the opening
until now, when the quotation is $3.50.
We have been conflicting with the Ken
newick berries, while in ordinary years
these berries are off the market before
ours come on.
However, we have found no cause
for alarm, or losing our heads by con-
signing our berries, and our orders
have been coming in so rapidly that we
have been unable to fill them all.
strawberry growers, please keep in
close touch with the office at all times.
''We have established firm connec-
tion with the trade as far east as Chi
cago, with the intention of selling all
our small fruit at profit and will han
die the direct sales, as we are doing
the strawberries, without the aid of
central selling agency, except in car
load lots"
II. F. Davidson states that the recent
cool and rainy weather has been of the
greatest benefit to Hood River straw
berry growers, since it has retarded
the maturity of the fruit.
Mr.. Davidson says: "The Hood River
crop is two weeks earlier than normal.
Despite the heavy rains and the wash
outs on railways, California has been
shipping carloads of fruit into Spo-
kane, Seattle and Portland and other
northwestern markets. Several days
supply sometimes arrives on single
train.
''In normal seasons the Louisiana and
Arkansas fruit is all marketed before
the Hood River product begins to roll
in carload lots. The Missouri crop is
likewise cleaned up. The marketing
of fruit from these districts does not
interfere with local shipments to Colo
RADIO, Nebraska and Montana. At the
present time, however, Arkansas ber-
ries are arriving in Montana points
and are selling at prices that should be
received for Hood River fruit at Hood
River The Arkansas and Missouri
crates contain each "a full quart boxes.
''While our crop is early this season,
the Missouri crop is just beginning to
move. Early shipments will be on the
market this week. The districts there
raise two varieties, Klondikes and Aro-
mas. On a normal season the fruit is
markted over period of three weeks.
1.-The kennewick crop this year is
one of the largest in the history of that
district. "