The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1916-06-22
SCIENCE TAKES HAND
WITH HOOD CULLS
(From the Oregon Farmer)

Hood River fruit is famous for its
beauty and perfection, but all the ap-
Piles grown there are not perfect in
every particular. There are some culls.
Hood River orchardists are anxious to
have the best 90 out to carry its ST.
lehtly eloquent testimony of merit
abroad, but what are they to do with
apples which are sound and good, but
which are i'll shaped or not fully col
ored?
Probably some such thoughts intiu.
enced the men who established the
Hood River Apple Vinegar company.
At any rate, the company started oper-
ations some seven years ago. The first
quarters we're small and not exactly
adapted to the needs of the business,
and as time went on additions were
built, until today the plant is a consid-
erable one, with storage capacity of
500. 600 gallons and an output close to
10, 900 barrels of vinegar.
"Our instructions to the sorters,
said Manager Calkins, ''are that they
reject any apple which they would not
be willing to take home and put on
the table for family use. Not perfect.
ly shaped. yes. but no wormy or rotten
apples are allowed here. They 20 in
to the discard"
Most of the operations are done by
machinery. This IS partly for sanitary
reasons and partly because possible
bacterial matter might interfere with
the proper development of the process
of making vinegar.
The pure apple juice is allowed to
ferment and change into alcohol. AT.
ter this change has been completed
bacteria are introduced which change
the alcohol into acid. So accurately
have the processes been worked out
that when apples of a certain degree
of ripeness are crushed. the office force
can predict with fair certainty how
much cider will be produced, and when
certain quantity of cider is turned
over to the foreman he is expected to
produce a given amount of vinegar.
There is just SO much sugar in the ap-
Piles, and this is the material out of
which vinegar is made.
The product is not filtered, but is
beautifully clear and of an attractive
color. 1t won the highest awards and
gold medals at the Portland land show
and the Panama-Pacific exposition last
year.
'We are glad to have inspectors
come to our place" said MIR. Calkins.
1--WE wish the state had more inspect
ors for this work. 1t is important that
creameries and dairies be looked after,
of course, but vinegar is an article of
food and should be attended to, also.
We make good product and as clean
a product as can be produced.
The company also produces cider in
considerable quantities. The manager
believes they have solved the problem
of preparing cider so that it will keep
fresh and sweet for an indefinite length
of time. Here and there in various
parts and corners of the factory he has
stored cans of cider and there they will
stay, some in hot quarters, and some
in cooler places. until the testing is
complete. He is not ready to say yet
whether they have succeeded, but he
has high hopes. This cider is not
boiled nor does 1t contain any preserv.
alive.
The company also puts out consid-
erable quantity of evaporated apples.
The output last season was about 12
tons.
They pay the growers of apples at
the rate of Sc ton for good fruit, and
a seasons supply amounts to about
$500 tons.