The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1915-10-07
APPLES NOW
BEING PICKED
ORCHARDS SCENES OF ACTIVITY
Orchard Boxes GliSten in YiStaS Of Trees
as Army of Harvest Hands Attack Trees
Bearing Red and Golden Fruit

Bearing Red and Golden Fruit
Pickers are busy now in the orchards
Of the Hood River valley. Pesched
on their strong ladders, men and
women, boys and girls are clearing the
trees Of their attractive apples. After
the trees of the earlier varieties, such
as Jonathans and Shows, of which the
local production is limited. the New
towns and Winter Bananas are st
tackled. The latter variety is now very
nearly harvested. Every orchard is
the scene of activity. Rows of field
boxes may be seen glistening white
up and down the vista Of the apple |
trees. Wagons, with their fiat tops, |
resembling the trucks that one may |
see at railway stations or in the whole |
sale district of city, are driven IN
and out of the orchard fields, bearing |
the fruit to the private packing house |
of the owner or to some nelghborlng
cooperative warehouse, where the
fruit will be sorted aud packed. After
the last process, having been carefully
inspected by officials OF the valley S
shipping organizations, 1t is ready for
the markets of the world. If 1t be a
Newtown it will in all probability be
eaten by an Englishman: If an extra
fancy Spitzenburg, the bet may be laid
that it will travel to New York to
grace the breakfast table of some
wealthy American. or 1t may find its
way on the stand of some fancy fruit
merchant to allure the passerby.
In the autumn months, after the first
rains have washed away the summer
dust from fruit and foliage. and the
deep red Arkansas Black, the vividly
colored Spitzenburg, the Golden Ortley
and red flushed Winter Banana are
nested in the green of the leaves, the
Hood River orchard communities are
very beautiful. Indeed. many people
prefer the trip through the valley at
this season of the year to that of the
spring. when the orchards are sea of
white and pink blossoms. But before
the army of pickers, who now number
in the thousands, the beautifying
spheres of red and gold are fast dis
appearing.
A number of nomad families of the
Northwest harvest strawberries here
| in the springtime. They remain for a
norton of the summer to thin apples
| Then they will load their canvas COW
cred wagons on boats of the Columbia
and drop down to enter the Willamette
valley and participate in the picking OF
the hops. They are here again now,
and their tents and wagons are on the
same spots where they might have
been found last year this season. Some
of the families have numerous chill
dren, cleanly, we'll dressed little fel-
lows. One might wonder how family
could be cared for under such condi.
tions, every gipsy-like member OF
which seems happy, healthy and con-
tented.
The tasks of apple harvest time fol
the orchardist's wife, may be compared
TO those of the grain rancher's wife IN
eastern Oregon or Washington. The
men are fed and housed on the orchard
lists places. Some growers as yet
have no permanent quarters for theli
extra help, and numerous tents now
dot the valley. Most growers, how
ever, have made provisions for theil
pickers and orchard Iaborers. and com
Portable hunks may be found in the
packing plants.
In the past two or three years. too
there has been shifting of the meth
cd of caring for apple crops, 1t il
predicted that in time none except th'
larger orchardists will harvest his ap
Piles for himself, the smaller mel
banding together as have been done IL
the Oak Grove district. Here the Plo
neer Packing Co., a cooperative con
cern, composed of orchardists of th'
immediate vicinity, have combined t
harvest their fruit. This season th
company will pick and pack the crop
of IL growers.
In the Van Horn district, five of tn,
largest growers have combined in tn
construction of one of the most com
pete packing houses and storag
plants in the Northwest Ihe fruit
after it reaches the plant of this com
pany for the most part is handled b.
labor saving machinery,
The apples are taken from the field
directly to the packing houses, excep
| in the case of the Van Horn storag
| plant, where large percentage of tn
apples are placed directly into col
| rooms, to be packed out later in th
| season. At the packing houses, the
| are sorted by the packers, themselves
or by the use of mechanical devices
The latter, because of their accurac
and the moderate prices for which the
are now being made are coming int
general use.
The last handling of the fruit is don
by the packer. Be it understood a
apple grower of the Hood River vale
cannot pack his own apples. The rule
of the association are made on tn
theory that if he is honest. he shoul
not be tempted. The fruit is placed
boxes by licensed packers. Each pacl
er is given a number and a rubbt
stamp bearing the impression of th
number the first of each season. E'
cry box of apples he puts out bears Ii
number, and if bad reports come bac
| relative to any of those boxes of frui
II it is probable that the packer involve
will not find job the next year. II
| stamp of each grower, too, IS put
] the box. and he is held responsible ais
for poor packing.
q As the fruit is packed it is store
III away into the growers packing hou'
II or barn. Some of the prepared produ
II being hauled to the huge storage hous
II and refrigerating plants of the cit
II In a few weeks the activity of the o
II chards will give place to that Of the
i houses. At the busy hauling seast
IL lines of wagons reaching for sever
IL blocks may be seen drawn up to unloi
II their precious loads of Hood Riv
II extra fancy apples.
HI Frost prevailed over the Hood Riv
II valley Sunday night. The weathe
HI according to orchardists, is ideal. I
III cool, snsppy nights following the ra
iii of last Friday night will give the col
iii desired for red varieties of apples.
HI Saturday. from reports that ha
iii come in from different parts of the Vi