Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1920-08-03
Covers Units
And Activities
Show Progress

The mid-season report issued from
the Salem headquarters of the Ore
,gon Growers association indicates
general expansion Of association in
terests throughout the Willamette
valley. Completion of marketing OF
khe 1920 cherry and early berry crops
show that no inconsiderabie part Of
the total yield was handled by the
association. :,ne Salem office reports
that work is being rushed in COM
pleting units at Forest Grove and Dali
las. The Salem plant is also being
prepared for overhauling. An inter-
esting feature of the report is the re-
suit of the associations efforts to sal
wage cherries damaged by the July
rains, This was an unusual situation
in the valley but was met by the grow
ers who hastily put cherry pitter
in operation and dried the fruit.
Cherries Saved
More than 430 sacks Of dried cher
Ties. representing $4,000 pounds Of
fresh fruit were saved to the grower
and to market thru the cherry pitter
Installed at the George Weeks dricr
and operated by the Oregon Grow
ers' Cooperative, up to the close of
the season.
The unusual July rains had caused
much of the fruit to crack, meaning
q total loss to the growers had not
the pitter been placed in operation.
About three quarters of the pitted
crop were dried at the Weeks plant,
the remainder being taken care Of
at the drier OF F. e. Evans. located
about three miles north of Salem on
the river road.
The dried cherries, while not bring
Ing the same price returned by fresh
fruit will mean q substantial return
more attractive to oregon Grower
association members than the loss
from cracked fruit as suffered by
growers not associated with the So
operative group. The dried cherries
will be processed in the associations
Salem plant.
Dallas Plant Enlarged
y, The new drier and fruit processing
plants being erected at Dallas, Ore
gon, by the Oregon Growers Cooper
ative association are nearing compile
tion. The fruit processing plant,
which will be utilized in handling the
large prune crop controlled by asso-
citation members is practically COM
pleted, machinery being installed as
fast as it arrives on the Dallas freight
spur.
j. o. Holt, field manager, for the
association, reports heavy crop pros
poets in the Polk county fruit grow
ing section. Because of the evident in
crease In 1920 fruit yields over all
earl yestimates, the association drier
being built at Dallas will be increas-
ed to 80 tunnels rather than the 16
tunnel type originally planned, The
Dallas plants will also receive fruit
from Monmouth, Falls City and oth-
'er nearby fruit growing sections.
These plants represent an associat-
ed investment Of several thousand
dollars
Interests Mt Forest Grove
Another Oregon Growers associa-
tion enterprise is the erection Of
units for processing fruits grown by
association members in that vicinity.
The fruit processing plant here is
well under way, while contracts have
been let for fresh fruit packing
plant to be erected near the plvces-
eor. s
A very heavy tonnage of apples
and other fruit is expected to make
heavy demands upon the associations
facilities, causing members to take
steps to cope with any emergency
that may arise during the present
season. Field Manager Holt, of the
Salem offices reports 80 association
members in the Forest Grove dis
trict, controlling Is percent of the
crop grown in this locality.
Hearty cooperation by Forest Grove
business men has been the main fac
tor in securing the Growers associa-
tion plants. A large quantity of prunas
cOIImIyERN ma AcuEIQ CO