The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1919-12-25
GASOLINE PLAYS
PART IN ORCHARDS

uat TINS IS an age of gasoline has
oeen demonstrated W tn sbsol,fa c,D
slusINeness IN the Hood River vsllay
tle past two months. Indeed tbnse
VINO stop 70 pcnder wonder iust ,vbat
Would have been the fate of II VA Piv-
& apple growers this wear. with its
+ olmper yI5ld Of fruit. rera fba, D y
W" Vpo 51pound boxes To he moved
from orchard and packing plart ~
stotase warehouse and shipning point
Il motor trucks had not solved the
/ situation.
This has been a season To try the
SouIs OF apple growers and SINNERS
Inc blg weld was more than 80 rer
esht IN excess of preharvest estimates
a-d as a result a shortage of labor.
o'A sh9ohs wrapping paper and cars
eA1s'eu. t0nsternatIOn would have
relghed II, on top Of all these troubles.
oIehdrdists had found it necessary 10
uepend on their own comparatively
small number Of motor trucks and
horsedFawn vehicles to transport the
big ample cr0p.
Ihe seasons apple crop is now all
under cover, and the major portion of
IL has been delivered to shining
points. To date, according to esti-
mates. 81 per cent of the apples have
neen transported on motor trucks.
" lth local motive equipment insuhici
eht to handle the huge fruit tonnage.
batteries OF motor trucks from Port
iahd and other neighhoring cities were
attracted here by the possibility of
revenue. II IS estimated that between
90 ana q motor trucks were here for
apple harvest, and their drivers earned
a handsome revenue for their work
An average price of five cents. before
the fall rams began. was charged for
delivering apples to the city from
Lower Valley districts. AS the slope
Is toward the city from the orchards
atd no grades are encountered. the
truckmen We're prone to load to double
their listed capacity. Thus a ton truck
would haul 50 boxes of apples at
trip. Three and four trips daily could
De negotiated, the truck driver draw.
ING down SIP and SIC for his work. In
many instances the truck men were
abIe TO carry return loads Of box
shocks, wrapping paper or other sup.
Plies back to the orchards. MANY of
the larger trucks not only carried
loads IN excess of their listed capacity,
but each hauled heavy trailer with
burden almost equal to that of the
truck body. Following the steady rains
that normally prevail over the mid. CO..
lumbia at the close of apple harvest.
truckers increased their per box charge
from the Lower Valley to six cents.
The charge was increased as the motor
truck was forced to proceed to the
higher attitudes for freight.
Following the heavy rains, the pro-
portion of fruit being transported by
gasoline power has been on the de-
crease. Action of county authorities
in invoking a law adopted by the last
legislature has materially effected mo-
tor truck hauling. This law, providing
that no motor truck shall carry a bar.
den in excess of its rated capacity nor
in any instance more than 600 pounds
for each inch width Of tire measure
ment. has cut the burden of motor
trucks in half. 1t has aroused loud
complaints from fruitgrowers who de.
clare that it viii double their cost of
moving fruit from orchards to shipping
point. Other citizens, however, take
the stand that it is as well or better to
pay the added expense in hauling APP
pies instead of having to provide addi-
tional taxes for road improvement.
The seasons apple harvest, Just as
surely as it has demonstrated that the
age is one of gasoline, has also pointed
out that the soft dirt road is the an
tithesis of the heavily burdened motor
truck. Whether trucks are to carry
their rated capacity or greater bur
dens. orchardsts have been made to
realize that the Hood River valley
must have some hardsurfaee highways
As winter progresses the Hood River
highways, already in many spots
turned to quagmires, this idea of bet
ter roads is going to bubble more mer
rily in the think-pots Of ranchers and
fIuitgroWers.
Automobile dealers lost golden OPP
portunity for sale of motor trucks this
fall by failure to have supply on
hand They sold all available machines
about the time harvest was begun. but
the influx of out of town motor truck
men dem0ralized further business. AS
it was a total of sc motor trucks were
sold to orchardists the past year.
More than half of them were of ton
capacity, sold to owners Of smaller
orchard tracts. Year before last Hood
River had an epidemic of converting
old passenger cars to trucks by adding
to the chassis one or the other of the
rear axle attachments on the market.
A great many cf thee converted
trucks have proved their worth and
have hauled he Wy teanal g Of apples
this fall.
1t may be added in passing that not
only does gasoline play part in apple
production in furnishing motive power
for TRANSPORTATION. The Hood River
valley has an estimated 500 power
spraying machines. driven by gasoline
engines. Each applies an average of
six sprays per year, and during seasons
of spray application the orchard dis
tricts, with the steady put put of spray
motors, simulate battle fields with ma
chine guns spouting bullets. Orchard
lists, too, have begun to take serious
interest in tractors. First tractor de-
monstrations, following the initial en-
thusasm that swept the nation, left
fruit growers Indifferent. The earlier
machines were too large and unwieldy
for work in the confines of rows of ap.
ple trees. Manufacturers, however.
have evolved machines that today meet
the requirements of the fruit grower,
and next season many tractors will be
owned by valley growers. AT the
present time more than 80 tractors are
operated by orchardists.
Formerly" says K. B. Bennett,
announcement of tractor demon
stration failed to elicit much response.
Fruit growers, however, at fair last
fall. when some half dozen of the
smaller sized machines gave demon
stration, displayed more interest in the
tests than in the district apple
show.
The presence of motor trucks here
from Portland to aid in transporting
the districts heavy apple tonnage has
.il Tr.,,r .lIau t,otat errouprs in