" WPIES-JUID
TOousands or Acres or Orchards nut will BrinJ WealtH to
.tx M fortunate Owners-fruit Lands Still
(Heap Here
While all .of the fruits of the temper
ate sone flourish In the Grand Ronde
Valley, those of chief commercial val
ue are the apple and the cherry.
Pears. peaches, p urns, prunes,
grapes, strawberries, raspberries!
blackberries, etc., are Brown tn some
extent and all do well, but the great
est returns are secured, and will con-
nue to be secured from nnnlo. h
cherries. Nowhere else do these fruits
attain greater perfee.lon, and a suffi
cient acreage Is now In bearing to In
jure the attention of buyers and a
r-t it
V
'- ' l-t I
Jjj Hulse Photo. r
consequent market. Since the earliest
orchards, plan ed by the pioneers some
40 years ago, came Into bearing there
has never been recorded anything ap
proaching a general failure of the
fruit crop, and light-crop seasons have
been few. Indeed.
No great pets are to be, contended
with the va 1 'y being singularly lay
ered In this exemption and a reas
onable amount of spraying results In
variably In the maturing of unblem
ished fruit.
iThe far-famed Hood River apples
Kch r ailily sell for from 12 to $3 a
box to shippers are in no way super
ior to the apples of the Grande Ronde
Val'ey, and the day Is fast approach
ing when equal prices wl'l be paid
here. Even now. se ec ed boxes of
standard" varieties brln? o:chardlsts
as high as $1.50 a box weighs about
45 oounds.
In size, color, firmness and keeping
qualities, certa'n varieties of apples
raised In this va ley bat the world.
The commercial orchardlst must
look well to his varle les. for on that
' selection his financial success largely
depends. The market Is educated (or
at least, thinks that It Is) on what tt
wants, and will usually have no hlng
else. It demands cer aln varieties
allied "standards" and will pay for
Ifem what often seems like an un
reasonable price, when other kinds
fully equal In size and appearance go
begging. H it the market is the arbi
ter, and Hi" wise grower fee's the
necessity of bowing to It" will.
The plone r orchardlsts made the
natural mistake of planting too great
a variety of t ee but this error Is
now belli)? avoided. Practically all ot
the recent orchards have bJen set in
equal parts to Jonathan. Yellow New
ton, Plpp n. York Imperial and nme
Beauty appUs. " of h'ch 1)rln8 t0P"
Mi ch prlc s 1U cvr lots. Among other
iftrletl s Blown here in commercial
A CHERRY ORCHARD IN THE GRANDE RONDE VALLET,
OlOtnES
quantities are the Gano. Spltxen
ber;er, Ben Davis. Bellflower, Willow
Twlj. etc. And among the older or
chards are some 40 or SO other varie
ties. There are in round numbers i 000
acres of apple orchards in the valley,
of which about 80n acres are In bear
ing, and the bulk of the remainder
two years old. Orchards average 75
trees to the acre, so that the valley
has at least 150.000 apple trees In Its
comm rcial orchard
At five years old apple trees her
M.mr . s7 ' .
ft
, A LOCAL APPLE ORCHARD.
produce about five boxes to the tree,
and from then on the yield steadily
increases.
Boxes. Boxes.
Af?e- P-T Tree. Per Acre.
6 5 375
! 15 1125
-0 30 2250
30 60 8750
Were these app eg sold only for
elder and vinegar making (for which
purposi only the cul s are commonly
used) tiny would bring about S5 a ton
and be profitable, at that figure. Tfre
returns per acre would be:
Boxes. Gross.
Age of Trees. Per Acre. Per Acre.
5 375 46.87
10 1125 140.62H
20 2250 281.25
30 3750 468.75
But theie is a vast difference be
tween 15 a ton and from S1.00 to 11.50
per box of 45 pounds, prices eagerly
paid for the best shipping varieties.
Apples In the Grand Ronde Valley
are real y a much etter paying crop
han oranges or lemons in the citrus
belt of California, whore oramse groves
Hie he d at from S5.000 to S7.000 an
acre. Statistics will show that the
apple grower here gets better returns
per acre than does the orange grower,
yet good orchard land can still be had
at about $100 an acre and the record
price paid for a bearing orchard so
far In this valley is only 1700 an acre.
Grand Ronde Valley apples are
shlppitd all over the wor d. The de
mand W always strong, and the mar
ket tancls ready to take all offered.
Buyer come from a dls anee; and
there are s vera! extensive home ship
pers. To use an unexaggerated local
expression, the apple-grower can find
a buy r under the trees any time he
Is ready to sell bis crop. Although It
not until litilO tha- app'e ship
ments began In any quantity. In 1905
there was hlpp! from La Grande 95
Hulse
car.oaas or about 67.000 boxes. The
shipments this year will easily reacn
over 1J00 carloads. With In a few
years app'es will leave here by In
train load. There la no danger of the
apple-producing business being over
done. About i per cent of the ter
ritory of the United States Is non
competitive In apple-production, and
he territory capable of producing ap
ples of the highest grade. Is leu than
one-tenth of one per cent, of the
who e. The entirf world Is a market.
There are a great many small or
chards of five and ten acres, and the
following list comprises only a few of
hose Interested In app'e-growlng. al
though It embraces the largest or
chards. Among those In bearing are
the orchards of Acres.
V. H. Hunfr go
J. B. Stoddard E0
Rynea son Slaters , ro
E. Z. Carbine IS
The Lambert Orchard lb
F. L. Coykendall 15
William Hal 16
Orchards 2-years-old Include:
J. A. Thronson 220
Renshaw A Wilson 100
L. Oldenberg '. 95
J. H. Rln 'heart SO
Oregon Red Apple Co (0
E. W. Oliver 40
Dr. Moore , to
Besides a great many smaller ones.
CHERRIES.
Apples are pron able there Is
..r wi
TOY- .
question about that but the "big"
money is In cherries. Nowhere else
In the word Is there a place' so well
adapted to cherry growing as right
here In the Grand Ronde Valley.
The fruit Is unusually large, highly
co'ored, firm and stands shipment
well. Th?re are no blemishes on the
trees, and no pests attack the fruit.
Hulse Photo.
LUSCIOUS CHERRIES, CROP OP
, 11106.
Cherry tree over 30 years old are to
day In perfect condition In the old
orchards near La Grande and at The
Cove. The yield Is tremenduous and
there are no bad years. Climate and
soil unite In making sections of the
Grande Ronde Valley the most destr
uble land for cherry orchards that
money can buy.
There Is practically no competition
to be met in cherry-growing. The
fruit here matures after the Cali
fornia product, and has a clear open
market. The demand Is certain al
ways to exceed the supply.
Buyers offer to contract ahead for
five years at 5 cents a pound, and In
dividual shippers this summer secured
as high as 15 cents a pound.
The leading commercial varieties are
the Blng, Lambert, Royal Ann and
Yellow Spanish, although some of the
pioneer orchards contain many other
kinds probably between fifteen and
twenty.
Bo.h the Blng and Lambert are dark
red In color. large and of delicious
flavor. The Royal Ann and Yellow
Spanl-h are light colored, and speci
ally desired by canneries.
In full bearing cherry trees produce
easily 500 pounds of fruit, and about
100 trees are planted to the acre. Tha
gross receipts will run several thou
and dollars an acre. There are no
very larg? cherry orchards that of
George Thomas company, 20 acres,
are a great many one and two-acre
and a few larger orchards. The Ore-
f A t
l l II I .11 'Ml . ..... . . '
- - I .. i.l.... . I, , I Mf.a,-- , . 111. ! ILUJ1UJ
gon Red Apple company will shortly
put In 140 acres, however, and other!
larse ch rry orihajds wll unques
tloiiab y he p anted in 1907.
Medals for Fruits.
Grand Ronde Va ley apples captured
a gold medal at the World's Fair In
Chicago, the award being made tor
cooking raw, flavor and size.
At the Pun-American Exposition,
Buffalo, N. Y.. Grand Ronde Val ey
fruits took a bronze medal.
A gold medal was awarded this val
'ey's cherrl s at St. Louis, and Its
fruits, apples and cherries, all took
go'd medals at the Lewis A Clark Ex
position' at Portland, Ore.
Union Nurseries tor
.tie Best fruit Trees
Now Ready to Take Orders for De
livery in November of Fruit Tress,
berries, Shads Trees, 8hrubs,
Rojes, Etc
In setting out an orchard It is not
only important that the rgiht varie
ties be selected, but it Is advisable
to secure acclimated stock. The trees
supp'led by the Union Nurseries, of
Union, Ore., of which J. B. Weaver
is proprietor, are certain to give per
'ect satisfaction in the Grand Ronde
'alley, for they are raised right here.
No better quality of trees can be
bought anywhere. They are true to
name, and are in all respects every
thing they are represented to be.
Prices will be found as low or
LOWER than the same varietlei can
be obtained from distant nurseries.
Mr. Weaver's trees have an envia
ble reputation for hardiness,- and the
percentage of loss from tren properly
se out Is Bmall indeed.
The nursery uiges advance o.'dera
this year for the Indication now Is that
there will be very extensive orchard
planting in the va ley this fall. First
come first served, and while the Union
Nurseries' stock for fall djlivery Is
very heavy, It Is only the part of wis
dom to order as soon as you con
veniently can.
The following list gives some Idea
of t ie diversity and high quality of
Mr. Weaver's offerings In fr '.It trees:
APPLES Rome Beauty, fork Im
perlul, Jonathan, Gano and mar.y other
varieties. The ones named are the
money-makers In commercial or
chards.
PEARS Burtlet t, C app's Favorite,
Flemish Beauty and many others.
CHERRIES The Blng Lambert and
Royal Ann.
PEACHES Elberta, Early Craw
ford, Triumph and Admiral Dewey, the
last-named being the new fav trite
early peach.
BLACKBERRIES Early Kinr
Rathbun, Snyder, Meraereau.
STRAWBERRIES Clark Seedling
(the favorite at Hood River), Senator
Dunlap and the Magoon.
All kinds of berries and many other
kinds ot fruit trees besides these men
tioned are In stock.
Another strong Item Is Shade Trees.
Among those Mr. Weaver U ab'e to
supply In quantity are Box Elder,
Carolina Poplar Soft Maple, Black Lo
cust, Catalpa, etc.
He also has a nice assortment of
shrubs and rosea.
A price list will be furnished on
application.
The Union Nurseries are admirably
located on the outskirts of Union,
within easy wa king distance, so roti
iegtlve patrons can go over by train
from the western end of the valley If
they wish to personally Inspect the
stock. You are absolutely safe, how
ever to order by mall, for Mr. Weaver's
reputation for absolute fair-dealing Is
well established. Whether your order
be large or small It will be appreciated
and satisfactorily filled.
Canneries snd .vlnegnr factories
have a grand opportunity In this val
ley. rr -v-
'it,.''. 4'-'"- .
1 . - A -. J ,k
PICKING STRAWBERRIES IN THE GRANDE RONDE
TIMBER
INTERESTS
LARGE 8AW M1LL8 HERE WITH
HEAVY PAYROLL8.
In no Industry does the future seem
to hod more promise of continued
prosperity than In lumbering. Prices
have materially Increased this year,
and In the nature ot things must
steadl y do so. It Is at least generally
r allied that even the Pacific Coast
forests will not last forever.
S 111 there Is a vast amount of Um
ber In Unldn county tributary to La
Grande sufficient to Insure the oper
S'.loa of lite miiiit, ui me present rate
of cu tlm. for more than 50 years.
Adjacent counties also all heavily tim
bered, and there Is consequently a big
source of supply.
Next In Importance to agriculture
and stock-raising In this valley Is
lumbering. Saw mills are scattered
throughout) the timbered regions ot
the county. The two largest mills are
those of the George Palmer Lumber
company at La Grande, and the
Grande Ronde Lumber company locat
ed three miles west of La Grande at
Perry. The former Is now In course
of erection and when completed will
have a dal y capacity of 160,000 feet.
Large timber holdings Insure ample
log for the operation of this mill for
a long period.
The Qrand Ronde Lumber com
pany's plant at Perry cuts between
15.000 000 and 20,000 000 feet of lum
ber annually. It a'so has large tim
ber holdings which will be steadily
added to.
The Central Railway of Oregon and
the Wallowa extension of the O. R,
N. bo'h of which roads are now be
ing bul't. tap heavily timbered coun
try, and a large proportion of this tim
ber will be manufactured by mills to
be located In Union county. There
are more than 40 mills already In
operation. .
GRANDE R0MDC LUMBER CO
C. W. Nibley, Pres.! Geo. Stoddard,
Vies-Pres. and Gen. Mgr.) F. 8.
Murphy, 8eey. Jos. Niblsy,
Treasurer.
This Important Industry gives
steady employment In the camps and
ut the mill to about 200 men, and Its
annual cut Is between 16,000 000 and
20,000,000 f-et of rough and dressed
pins lumber, which Is marketed
throughout the United States.
The extensive timber holdings ot
the company In Union and Wallowa
counties Insures operation for many
years to come.
The saw and plaining mills are ad
mirably located on the Grande Ronde
river at Perry, a stotlon on the O. R.
A N. railroad. Every facility for the
economical manufacture of lumber la
enjoyed. The mill site, Including the
storage yards, lakes and ponds, covers
80 acres. A half-moon lake whicn
ages ago was probably a part of the
river bed, has been utilized In mak
ing a saf harbor for the logs which
are floated down the river In the
spring freshest. About 30 miles up the
Grande Ronde river Is a large "splash"
dam, used for driving the logs In the
spring. Two dams arrows the river at
Perry make another lar?e storage pond
for logs, and con rol the water In the
lake. Hide tracks from the main line
of the O. R. A N. railroad pass di
rectly through the mill site, and un
usually excellent facilities for load
ing lumber are thus afforded.
The output embraces alt kinds of
rough and dressed lumber, lath, pick
ets, etc. About two million feet are
manufactured each year Into boxes
and crates for fruit and canned goods.
The plant was built In 188 and baa
yiVAy ;.
k GIUNCF RONriF VALLsTT FAB1C
VALLEY,
always been a profitable property. It
equipment has been kept right up-to-date,
and Is today thoroughly modem,
George Stoddard, vice-president and
general manager, who resides In Ls
Grande, is also Interested In the Ba
ker City w ml I of Stoddard Bros,
which has about half the capacity of
he mill here.
THE CLIMATE.
The climate Is dry and healthful,
here being sufficient rain to preserve
h moisture of the soil and mature
the crops. Snow seldom falls to the
depth of one foot In the valleys, and
never remains longer than from two
to three weeks at a time.
The mean temperature for the win
ter months Is about 20 degrees above
freezing point, and for the' summer
months about 70 degrees above aero,
the heat ot the day being offset by
cool nights that ensure refreshing and
Invigorating sleep.
The winter season usually hertna .
u'uuui 'iite nrat of January and lasts
tin the mldd e of February or first of
March.
From March 1 to Julv 1 the drr
weather Is broken by frequent show-
rm furnishing sufficient moisture to
the ground and tempering the atmos
phere so as to assure an abundant
yield from the soil.
During the months of Julv. Aus-ust
and September, which, are the har
vesting months In this county, the
weather Is usually dry and adanted
to the successful gathering of crops.
Enough rain falls In autumn months)
to moisten the ground sufficiently to
permit the farmer to prepare the
for his fall grain.
FRUIT 13 FAVORED.
Oregon will alwaya be noted for
growing the largest and handsomest
frul s ot ail varieties which thrive la
this latitude, but there Is a wide dif
ference In the consistency and flavor
of fruit from different sections of this
state. In some years the western
counties produce fruit of excellent
flavor, firm and sweet as can be da
s'red. But If the rainy season hangs
on until July, as la often the case, the
fruit, while iarje and handsome, Is wa
ery and sour, will not stand trans
portation, and the flavor Is Impared.
As you go east these conditions disap
pear, until In Union county you find
the climatic conditions so fixed, year
by year, as to guarantee the grower
a good crop, while the flavor of the
fruit Is always fine and quite equal. If
not superior to the richest flavored
products ot Ohio or the Empire state.
MONEY IN MILK.
The ml'ch cow here attains per
fection. The dairying business In the
past few years has developed Into a
'arge snd profitable one, the country
being especially adapted to It by rea
son of the milk producing qualities ot
the grasws, the large quantity of bar
and grain raised per acrs, the health
fulness of the animals the large wa
ter supp'y and the quick market for
butter and cheese. It Is said more
profit can be realized per year from
a milch cow In this country than In
any other in the United States, ono
Instance being given of a single cow
for one year, yielding s net profit to
the owner of $175 besides the calf.
MR. HOMESEEKER.
it you are luuKing lor m Dome. IX
you wish a small fruit tract If you
wish a hay ranch or stock ranch. It
you wish a new business location. If,
in fact, you wou'd like to locate In s
land of plenty, where the Almighty
has showered his richest blessings,
where there are Ideal home conditions
pure water, good churches and schools
If you wish to change your location
with a certainty ot bettering your
condition and getting Into a country
that Is on the verge of great develop
ment and advancement, come to the
Grande Itonde Valley, Union county,
Oregon.
The MiiffAf hm.t Inrinatrv la nnMl
" " - J mm f W.
growing. ;