Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1915-11-26

which shows how the wind isl
blowing agriculturallv and hor.
.iculturally in Maryland is the
presence at the Maryland Week
show at the Fifth Regiment
Armory of c. E. Whistler, of
Oregon. who is looking over the
ground in the East with the in
tention of settling here and go-l
ing into the Embarrassing busi-
ness.
THIS bare statement of fact
5 .ems insignificant. but when
the circumstances of his coming
East are told, it is significant of
the strides Maryland has taken
in the last few years. Mr..
Whistler comes from Medford,
Ore, one of the boom towns that
were built by fruit growers in
the Rogue River Valley, and he
was one of the towns most en-
thusiastic boomers. Medford now
has a population of about II, 900,
with well-paved streets and ho-
tells that would be more fitting of
. town of 100, 900 souls-all built
ION fruit.
Mr.. Whistler is the man who
shipped out of Medford the high
est-priced carload of pears ever
received on the New York market.
The carload brought 81, 1888, and
it was figured out that the entire
carload was sold at an average
price of 6H cents per pear. That
indicates the sort of fruit grower
Mr.. Whistler is. He is also the
man who. in 1902, went to Pail.
sades, COL, in the irrigated
region and soon after established
small peach orchard of ION
acres, which he sold in 1906,
when the orchard was two years
old, for $1,000 an acre, and which
was sold by its purchaser two
years later. when the trees were
in full bearing, for $4,000 an
acre.
But Mr.. Whistler has seen the
handwriting on the wall and
recognizes that the supremacy of
the West in fruit growing is rap.
idly passing that the big mark
cts Of the country are in the
East and that the West can no
longer compete with the apple.
peach and pear growing sections
Of Maryland. Virginia and Della
ware. The East has beaten the
West at its own game; it not
only raises better fruit, but is
close to the markets. There fore
he is coming East. probably to
Maryland, to get into the fruit
growing game here.
CANNOT COMPETE WITH EASTERN
FRUIT.
You've got US beaten" he|
said yesterday. I'VE can no
longer compete with the Eas-l
tern fruit. We people of the|
West have taught you people oil
the East how to pack and market
your fruit and you have beaten
us at it. You have the markets
close to your doors, the millions
Of fruit eaters are right around |
your orchards, while we have tol
ship our fruit long distances tol
markets. You can raise as finel
fruit as we can raise and thel
iavor is better as a rule. On
'ome varieties peculiarly adapted
% the climate out there we can
beat you, but for the general run
If standard fruits you have the
better of us. l do not think youI
.olks here will ever grow apples
With the sheen on them that ours
lave, but except in a very few
Eases, that does not amount tol
mach. There is no use denying +
he facts or binding ourselves tol
hem-you have us beaten.
You make much of the flavor
If your fruit, and rightfully so.
An Oregon apple ON the Eastern
market will not compare with an
Eastern that has been properly
aised. How much of this !. IS
i flavor is due to transportation
lcross the continent I am not
prepared to say, bit I think it isl
! good deal. But, anyway, our
Eastern markets are rapidly go-
ng, no matter what the cause,
Ind we have got to face that
'ituation. am pulling out and
coming East. The bottom has
lropped out of the fruit situa.
ion out in my country for the
present.