The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1921-03-31
STRAWBERRY
CROP REVIEW
600 ACRES ARE SET IN HOOD RIVER
If Weather Conditions Are Right the 1921
Crop Will Reach 100000 Crates
Fertilizers Applied


part of the city of Portland in the
early sos, the Clark Seeding has be-
come the most popular strawberry in
Oregon and has won an international
fame for its keeping qualities. The
Clark Seeding, developed from the
Wilson, is known in some localities as
the Early Idaho or Clark's Early. 1t
is also known in parts of the country,
name originating from its exclusive
paintings here for many years, as the
Hood River.
Almost Immediately after propaga-
tion the new variety of strawberries
became a general favorite in the Hood
River valley, just then finding itself as
fruit producing section. The district,
now known through world mart for it
annual crop of extra fancy apples.
won it's first general fame from the
Clark Seeding strawberry. 1t has
been supposed here that the Clark
Seeding berry derived it name from
the late Newton Clark, father of w.
l.. Clark, at present local grower.
This is an error. Mr.. Clark did, how
ever, interest himself in early and sue
cessful experiments with the fruit
here. The acreage of Clark Seeding
strawberries in the Hood River valley
this year will approximate 600 acres.
About 25 per cent of the bearing tract
will be new paintings, planted last
year, this percentage replacing an
equal acreage of old vines that were
plowed under. The Apple Growers AS
sociation, which handled practically all
of the packed berries from the district
last season, shipped GA 463 crates.
Probably not more than 5000 crates
were handled by other concerns. al
though the high price of canning ber.
ries last year caused many independent
growers to ship their berries unpacked
The Association in addition to the reg
ular Gull berries, shipped an unprece
dented tonnage of field run berries to
canneries last year. The total cannery
berry shipments reached 355, 900 pounds,
the price ranging from 10 to II cents
per pound.
Weather conditions last year cut the
crop short by more than 20 per cent
Frosts nipped green fruit and resulted
in understood berries. With seasonal
weather the coming spring the Hood
River valley strawberry crop should
exceed 100,0 crates, for which a
keen demand is expected in the Dako
tas and Rocky Mountain districts,
where the crop is largely all consumed
The canning demand. too
it is expected will be as keen as in
former years for all local canning con-
Germs declare that no variety of straw
berry equals the Clark Seeding either
for mere canning or in preserve max
ing. The Hood River Canning Co. has |
developed considerable market on |
Clark Seeding Strawberries, |
now used as centers for chocolates in |
stead of maraschino cherries.
BY experiments with fertilizers ex-
tending over a series of years the Ex- |
pertinent Station has developed a |
formula that will, it is expected, |
greatly increase berry yields and yet |
not produce soft berries and thus ham |
per shipments to far distant points.
"Growers here," says Gordon 6. |
Brown, "have increased the yield by |
application of nitrate of soda, but they |
have found their berries growing soft |
on them during hot seasons. The sta |
tion has been testing mixed fertilizers, |
making fall or spring applications or a |
of both. BY our nitrate |
of soda tests we found the best results |
from 440 pounds to the acre, applied |
a half early in the spring and the other |
half at blossom time. Virgin soils on |
which clover has been sown have re-
sponded literally to applications of this |
kind. The station is at present recon- |
a mixed fertilizer containing |
six percent nitrogen, seven to eight |
per cent phosphoric acid and six to |
y,nfagk nhfa 10 r,naAa |
up as follows: 500 pounds Of nitrate |
of soda, 800 pounds Of superphosphate |
and 400 pounds of sulphate of potash or
beet char. Nitrate of soda runs from |
Is to l6 per cent nitrogen; beet char, 80 |
per cent potash; analysis of potash |
varies greatly according to method of |
refining and source. Generally it runs |
from 80 to 40 cent, but some brands |
test as high as 80 per cent. In order |
ing potash the brands that test high |
should be purchased, in order that
charges can be lowered. |
The quantities of ingredients in the |
mixed fertilizer, of course. will vary
according to their test. "
Mr.. Brown recommends that the fer
tilizer be applied at the rate of 500
pounds per acre, a half TO be placed on |
the soil from March / to 20 and the |
other half Just after the plants are
topped in August. While this applica- |
ton may be heavy for Pacific coast
regions, Mr.. Brown states that it is |
light in comparison with eastern com |
mercial berry districts where from one
to two tons of fertilizer in addition 10 |
liberal quantities of barnyard manure, |
are often used.
Due to the graduated elevation Nf |
the berry tracts in the Hood River val |
lev the average harvest extends over |
four weeks. In 1916 the harvest lasted
over a period Of as days. Transient |
harvest hands start in on patches Of
lower elevation and gradually work |
back toward the tracts Of the Upper |
Valley where carlOt shipments are
still moving usually on July 4.
While the quality Of Clark Seeding
strawberries is uneXcelled, their yield |
is not near as prolific as other com
mercial varieties. Experiments have
been conducted for a number Of years
in an effort TO find heavy bearer that
would combine the firmness and keep
ng qualities Of the local fsvoTite.
The Oregon Agricultural College gave
Do tests after trying $50 varieties.
The Experiment Station is now testing
he qualities of 50 different varieties.
Plants have been gathered from all
larts of the country, but chiefly from
New York. Ohio and California.
Clark Seeding are grown exclusive
v in the Underwood and White Salmon
districts. These two districts have a
ombined acreage Of about 200 acres.
Heavy settings have been made IN
10Th sections the past two years be-
.suse Of the high prices realized by
-rUwers. The Kennewick, Wash. dis
rict, in eastern Washington. grows
he variety heavily. The Kennewiek