The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1922-02-16
CALIFORNIA HAS
new APPLE SECTION
(By A. D. Moe)
Pomona. Calif., Feb. Z. Is

Riverside, going east OF Redlands sil
or eight miles into the Yucapa valley
Redlands at an elevation of 400 feet
grows citrus fruits. Yucaipa, at al
elevation of 2,600.to'3, 600 feet, grows
deciduous fruits. Here we have a rea
competitor of Hood River apples in the
southland. Unlike the Watsonvillt
district, which grows the cheaper
BelIefeure and an inferior Newtown
Yucaipa grows the Winesap, Rome
Beauty and Delicious which compares
very favorably with the Yakima anC
Wenatchee product, and the fruit is
finding a ready sale near home al
about the same prices as those from
the northern states. They are even
shipping to the eastern markets, while
also supplying the southern markets of
Arizona and Texas.
The Yucaipa valley is about six
miles long by five miles wide, lying
in the foothills of the San Bernardino
mountains. A few miles to the east is
Beaumont, a little higher elevation,
and smaller area. also growing apples,
while still farther east is Banning, the
summit of the pass through which the
highway to the Imperial valley passes.
Banning also raises some apples.
In the Yucapa valley 5000 acres of
apples are coming into bearing, while
ZOO acres more will be set out this
spring. The district also grows very
fine cherries, peaches and pears. Raw
land sells for $500 an acre and bearing
orchards $500 to 81, 900. Irrigation is
supplied by limited gravity system,
the water being stored in the noun
tains by reservoirs. In addition many
wells are being dug. Water is found
almost uniformly at depth of $50
feet, and rises in the casing 200 feet
1t is apparently an inexhaustible un-
derground lake. 1t is pumped by cleo
trio power, the well flowing from 65 to
$50 inches The water company is
owned by the farmers, both gravity
and well systems.
This is a new country. The first
commercial orchards were planted on
the desert mesa IL years ago. The
first good crop came in in 1919 and the
1921 crop is reported by the county
horticulturist as follows: Apples,
500, 900 packed boxes, l,400 tons of
culls 400 tons of pears 275 tons of
peaches Is tons of plums 20 tons of
grapes, and 25 tons of cherries. The
cherries compare favorably with the
Oregon fruit and find a ready sale in
Los Angeles at Is to 20 cents pound. |
The Beaumont district is much larger,
short of water, and has only
a fourth of the apple acreage of the
Yucaipa district in trees.
The YUcaipa valley has a population |
Of only abJut 1,200, including the |
Tho xYnllag 20.
newness. The farm houses are mostly |
Of temporary character, small build |
lngs, with an occasional one of a per |
manent character. One of the more |
bungalows is owned by |
q. A. Hover, formerly a resident of !
Hood RIVER. We called there, but did |
not find him at home.
The packing is all done at the pack
ing houses of the local cooperative as
sociation and other large dealers, none
Of the farmers as yet having their own
equipment. The fruit is.athen hauled |
to market by trucks, mostly to Los
20 miles distant. over a paved
road.
The large crop this year found the
farmers mostly unprepared to handle
It. Very little thinning was done,
,ausing many small apples and
breaking down of many limbs, also
leavy drop from wind. The trees also
show lack of proper pruning and
care. A meeting is being held this
week to discuss methods of marketing, I
pruning, etc. A vinegar plant is also
20 be built to take care Of the culls.
From the comparatively level plateau
If the mesa which comprises this val
ey can be seen the orange groves and
he city of Redlands in the distance, /
and also the lights of the city of Col
on, II miles away, where an immense
Portland cement plant is located.
The freeze in California this year
was the longest continued cold spell in
he history of the fruit industry, ac.
ording to the old inhabitants. The
Effect of the cold is very apparent as
me travels along the many miles of
which line the highways, and
n the dropping dead leaves of the
more tender seml-tropical plants
Smudge pots have been used exten-
lively and have saved much fruit and
rees. Where not used, many OF the
'oung trees, especially lemons, are
apparently killed. while the new
,rowth on the larger trees resemble a
crest touched by FIRE, the ends of the
ranches looking as If scared by
lanes. The fruit has suffered more or
ess damage. How much will not be
determined until it has been picked
nd inspected. Some orchards will
ave very little loss. while others are
pparently heavy losers.
In the gardens, parks and yards of
esidences, delicate and tender plants
nd shrubs are killed. Long rows Of
vergreen hedges and border flowers
resent brown, dead appearance. and
lany plants and shrubs Of many years |
rowth will have to be cut back to the
cots or replaced. Snow fell in all
his district, and increased in depth on
he roads into the mountain passes to
epth Of five feet The ground froze
o a depth Of two inches in the Pomona
istrict.
However distressing this picture may
eem, the frost damage is not so ser
Jus taken as a whole. IL is the un-
sual sight Of blackened vegetation in
he land of perpetual green that dis
resses. The flowers and shrubs killed /
I'LL bloom and be green again next
eason. The fruit trees that are killed
re almost entirely the young ones,
nd only an occasional unprotected
rove. The partial damage to the
Ider trees will be pruned off and re- l
ait only in a slightly diminished crop
ext year and the unfavorable season /
lsrged to the profit and loss account
s one Of the hazards that happen 20
ny business Undertaking. There is
b encouragement 10 the citrus fruit
.dustry OF lack Of confidence in the
ItUre.