The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1921-12-29
APPLES WORTH
ABOUT $3,OOO,OOO
ORCHARDS SHOW PROFIT FOR 1921
Prices, However, Have Not Been Up to
Expectations of Growers Dis
ease Loss is Less

River valley growers on the 1921 apple
crop will reach $1,000, 900. While
profits for the season will be far less
4 than anticipated by orchaEdists, who
for the past summer, as they contem-
plated the extreme shortage of fruit il
the big commercial orchard centers OF
the east and middle west, were prone
to place an average price of 81 per box
on their apples. Shippers now, how.
ever, do not anticipate more than an
average Of ST. so per box when pools
are closed next spring and final returns
are made.
Compared with 1920, when the aver
age price returned by the Apple Grow
ers Association, the dominating factor
in the local apple DEAL handling about
| rs per cent of the tonnage, was $l.3
per box, the 1921 returns will be
cheering. The difference in profits to
growers will be far greater than the
difference between 81. 35 and ST. so, for
it is estimated that the cost of produc-
ing a box of apples the past year has
been from 35 to As cents less than a
year ago. With the low prices of 1920
some growers, where thev employed
efficient methods and raised crops that
ran largely to good sizes and extra
fancy quality. made money. All grow
ers will show profits on their activities
the coming year.
Thus, while the price will show an
aggregate return of about 1000, 600
less than growers anticipated three or
four months ago, UrchaTdists of the
valley, when they contemplate the
status of other agricultural interests
in other parts of the country, 90 not
feel downhearted. While corn, wheat
and cotton growers and raisers of live
stock are passing through a period of
depression, the grower of apples the
coming year will feel material pros
perity and the progress of the valley
will be noted in new homes, the paying
off of mortgaged Indebtedness and the
construction of new fruit warehouses
by individuals and storage space by
shipping concerns.
The cost of placing a box of apples
into the hands of shippers, after all
work of cultivation is over and the
harvest IS ready to begin, will reach
35 to 40 cents. Segregated, harvest
costs are as follows: Picking. five
cents per box; packing, five cents per
box; warehouse expense. five cents
per box. To this must be added the
cost of the box, about l8 cents this
year, and paper wrappers and the
heavy paper liners that are placed be.
tween each layer of the higher grades
Of fruit. 1t is estimated more than
2, 500 transient harvest hands were in
the valley from Portland and out of
town points the past season and that
during the 80 days they participated in
the harvest they were paid $225 600.
Many of the expert sorteTs and packers
remained for twice that period, and
the additional sum paid for them for
labor would probably swell the total
to $500. 600.
The Hood River valley apple crop,
generally speaking. was one of the
best ever harvested Most growers
have cooperated very closely the past
several years with the Hood River Ex-
pertinent Station and the county fruit
inspector in fighting disease pests and
such diseases as scab and
anthracnOse and such pests as codling
moth. Except in a few districts the
apples this year were remarkably free
from worms, and no scab has pre-
vailed, although several years ago loss
for apples marred by this fungus dis
ease reached heavy figure. In some
sections, where growers were inditfer-
ent, growers this year sustained heavy
loss from wormy apples. Their losses
will teach them the value of investing
in spray material and practicing scien
tifc applications as urged by the eX-
perts of the experiment station.
In discussing the economy of the
work Of the Experiment Station Le-
roy Childs recently stated:
"In 1918 the loss on apple scab
here was very severe. 1t resulted In
fruit going into cider grades Of being
packed in lower commercial gra5es.
The average loss would run to Is cents
per box. Consider what that would
mean on an average crop of 1000, 600 |
boxes, estimated at 81 per box, a loss
of $500, 900 TO the valley. The first
year | was here | observed orchards
and found that worms were running IL
to Ia per cent of the apples. The other
day | asked County Fruit Inspector !
what he thought the worm
damage would be this year. He told |
me two per cent. ! will double his |
estimate and say four per cent, but a
saving of eight per cent on 1000, 900 /
box crop will mean 1920, 600. Of
orchards in some districts, /
where growers have not properly
sprayed, will run much higher"
The great strides made in apple cul- |
ture and means of harvesting the fruit |
have resulted in a great degree from I
of gasoline-driven machlH- |
ery and the introduction Of the motor /
truck. Tractors are now utilized by .
nearly all growers in the plowing Of 4
their soil in the fall. They draw har-
rows and other implements Of cultiva-
tiOn. Spraying machines are driven I
by powerful gasoline motols. TIE old .
fashioned spraying machine was not .
more than an improvisation IN compar-
ison with the up-t0 date rigs utilized
in orchard tracts today. Pumps must
be such that an enormous pressure can .
be obtained Formerly trees were .
merely drenched. Now the orchard .
scientists say that the spray must be
broken into fine PARTICLES thus form
ing a mist TO cover trunk, branch. foli-
age and fruit.
Despite the bumper yield Of this sea-
son. when an estimated 81. 600 tons Of +.
grade and Gull apples were .
taken from the trees Of the Hood
River valley, most Of these apples,
picking Of which did not commence in
any considerable degree until Septem-
Der 20, were removed to warehouses,
cider and vinegar plants or into stOr-
age By November I5 Indeed before
the middle Of November. the operation
Of motor trucks had made possible the
shipment 20 eastern points more than
50 per cent Of the entire crop. The
valleys tonnage Of extra fancy, fancy
and C-grade apples, figuring 80 pounds
70 a box. will run 81 600 tons. The
Gull apples will reach y, 600 tons.