The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1921-01-13
MANY GROWERS
ATTEND MEETING
INTEREST in SMALL FRUITS LIVELY
Experts Advise Horticultural Diversified
tiOn. Gamers and Professors
Assure Growers of Market

While apples will remain the big
show, orchardists of Hood River, judg-
ing by the large attendance and enthu-
siasm displayed at a mass meeting
Thursday, are ready to add to their
horticultural activities the cultivation
of small fruits as no mean-siZed side
show.
While local growers for several years
have been considering horticultural di-
versification by the introduction of
more pears. cherries, blackberries and
raspberries, the freeze of last winter
with the resultant damage, has stimu-
lated interest in small fruits. AL
though from general standpoint the
December, 1919. unprecedented cold
weather but slightly affected the pros
perity of the district, number of IN
dividuals sustained severe losses in
killed or permanently injured apple
trees.
Leroy Childs, who presided at Thurs
days meeting. in an Introductory talk
delivered the keynote reason for the
determination of local growers to plant
small fruits or pears instead OF apples.
Mr.. Childs recently made an extensive
tour of eastern and middle western
apple districts. He pointed out that
the annual yield of the United States
apple orchards is reaching an enormous
tonnage. Growers of the commercial
districts of the east, he cited, have
been aroused to the benefits to be de-
rived from scientific care of their
tracts and in the application of strict
grading rules in preparing their prod
uct for market. He pointed out the
burden that has been placed on north
western growers by the heavy increase
in freight rates.
| Mr.. Chids is warm advocate of
| table varieties of pears to take the
place of many of the winter killed
apple trees. He suggests that local
growers are assured of good market
| for such varieties as ID D'Anjou and
Bose, both of which he says thrive
under local climatic and soil conditions.
Mr.. Childs points out that the produc
tion of such pears in other parts of the
country will always be limited because
of an inferior quality and for the
reason that fire blight prevents plant
| ing of pears in many sections. Mr..
| Childs says that the present tonnage
Of table varieties of pears does not
more than supply the populous centers
of the east. He says that Europe,
where the pear is favoTite fruit.
offers great opportunities for market
DEVELOPMENT. While the Bartlett pear.
Mr.. Childs thinks, will not offer as
| high returns, he thinks it staple va
riety, because of the demands of can
ners. Bartletts, he saws, along with
Winter Nellis, as table variety are
being planted as favorite in Wenat-
chez and Yakima, Wash.
Mr.. Childs believes that growers of
| the mid Columbia section are missing
good bet when they fail to develop a
more extensive market for fresh sweet
cherries. He declares that nowhere in
the world is more appetizing or per.
| feet fruit grown than the Bing or
Lambert cherry in localities between
The Dalles and Portland and in the
Willamette valley. The limited ship
ments of this fruit to eastern markets
have already created widespread
popularity, he says. Mr.. Childs elab-
Grated on methods of cultivating cher
ries, pointing out that growers must
plan on a system of polarization by
putting in a certain percentage Of
| Waterhouse trees, a fruit equally as
desired by Gamers as Royal Annes,
now grown in great quantities in the
state
In the replanting of old orchards Mr..
Childs pointed out the necessity for
plenty of plant food for the young
trees. Because the old tree has used
up most of the plant food, he said.
orchardists have often found it difficult
OF impossible to start a new tree. 1t
can be done. if plenty of care is given
the work. The new hole should be
large. All old roots should be re-
moved, and then the young tree should
receive an adequate supply of fertilizer
and be kept we'll cultivated. Where
an entire tract is to be replanted, it is
urged that the new trees be placed as
far away as possible from plots occu-
pied by the old ones.
Clark Seeding strawberries, which
have won a national fame for their
shipping qualities and for their superb
ofity tor canning and preserve making,
for more than rs years have been
largely grown here. High prices for
this fruit have stimulated strawberry
planting to the point the past three
years that it is difficult to secure suffi
cient plants. Gordon Brown gave
growers at the Thursday meeting fig
ures on 10 acre strawberry tract. on
typical berry soil of the valley. At
the third harvest last year, this tract
produced 2, $50 crates of packed fruit,
which sold for gross sum of Sl2, l65.
Canning berries from the place sold
for 1896. Mr.. Browns figures showed
that the total cost of production for
each crate of berries was S. 55, which
left net return of S6, 049
al have never observed the figures
of any orchard undertaking that have
inspired me any more, said Mr..
Brown, but | would warn growers
undertaking the strawberry business
that a FIVE or 10 acre tract is a huge
undertaking in itself. The preparation
Of the land and the purchase of equip
ment costs money. The grower must
secure suitable soil and set his place
with strong plants. else he may be
robbed Of profits.
]. II. Stahl, of the Puysllup, Wash,
experiment station. gave growers a
detailed address on methods of plant
ing raspberries, lOganberries and black
berries. Ii was asked him if growers
with large families were not the most
prosperous small fruit farmers. Mr..
Stshi declared that such was the truth
he said that women and young girls
make the best harvest hands in berry
districts.
Boys will not do for this work" 4"
said Mr.. Stahl, I'VE cannot tolerate
them up in our district A boy will