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About The Medford mail. (Medford, Or.) 1893-1909 | View Entire Issue (March 9, 1906)
4 THE MEDFORD MAIL, Friday, March 9, 1906. ROGUE RIVER VALLEY PEARS ON TOP. A Medford Fruit Grower Breaks the Record on in the New York Market What He Says on the Subject of Fruit Growing. Tbote cau be no question, lu the i cbe fruit is shlppnd from or what tte mind of any one who baa carefully posted himself ou the uubjsut, as to the uuequaled quality of Southern Oregon pears, and In particular pears that are grown lu the famous Koffue River Valley. The Boverest test tnnt fruit oau be put to, in the mutter of quality and peek, oonBlsts in its sulo upon the open market and its pur obase upoD its own merits by a class of buyerB and merchants who, for sharp brains and a perfect knowledge of fruit In its every state, uio not equated or at loast are not surpuBsed among fruit men in the United States Jinurlng the above in mind, 1 would oall attention to a certain side of fanny pears made in the onstoru markot this full. On October 0, 1005, a car uf Cornice pears from the Kugue River Valley, shipped from Alodfcrd, Oregon, was sold at auotion in New York City, on the open market, by Mofsrs. Sgoble & Day, oomiuissiou merchants, and real ized the sum uf 83,429.00, being an uv erago of 3G 85 per box. Tho car con tained live hundred boxes of fifty label is on the box, as 1' is quality cf the fruit that they are after and tbat they are wil'ing to pay tbelr money for. That is exuetly what is produced in the Rogue River Valley, in the state of Oregon quality, and this one word answers the above questions, namely, quality. Tho next question tbat naturally arises Is, why Bucb fruit upphreutly oau be grown aloue in .the Rogue River Valley. Tbis is a more diiiioult question to nus.ver. but basing'oi.r belief on the uutural luw of cauie and effect, we think tbat it 1b 'not be yond solution. I3y taking a oirtls-oye view of the Rogue Klver Vuliey you will Hud that it is located in the extreme southern and western portion of Oregon, be tween two parallel ranges of the oouBt range of iuouiitn(iiu, huviog u leugth north and south of about twenty-five mik'B and a varying width east and west ot from six to ten n:l'e. It Is ostimatud to oonttiin ovet a half mil lion acres of laud tbat could be profit- ubldy put into orchard. Its southern t iani, and bard at times tbo ground heomes thoroughly saturated but during the rainy season we al ways have uuys, weeks and even a month at a time of the most delight ful bright, clear, mild weather. Ths temperature during the winter season ranges from 30 to 70 d- grees ne'er approaohr zero, uud as to snow, it is not beie Sometimes we have a sl'gbt flurry of snow, but It is air. ays grne by uoou Ice we sometimes Hud early in the mo"nlup perheps to the extent of u quarter 'f an inch, but no more Sur ly Providence hao been rery grac'nns in givi: g us a perfect climate p. ui'ld. short winter, aud a delight ful Bummer We have none ot tho e humid H-griay? in mid-summer whlub u.ake the eastern part of our fanoy fruit In faot, by by analysis has proven the richest Boil known. Imagine a soli that without a drop of rain trom May until October, with the mercury ranging from DO to 1C0 degress in the day time, f. iow?d by oool evenings aud nights, ran retain enough moisture to raise premium oorn and "nubbins " That Is what is done right along in Rogue River Valley To return to the origfiiRl question under disousslcn, I auswtr tl e Bame by stating tbat Rogue River Valley rroJuces pears which bee the v orld, becuuu- of its geographical Iccr.tion, its or rreot altitude, its perfect cli mare. U9 p-culiar soil aud finally yet of the utmost importance, its auib.t- reauits and ing prevents di. ease and wormy fruit; fanoy pioking pleases the eye and makes a eonirlete whole tbut oommunds the buyer. Were we uot so particular lu every detail, would Wo be holding the hotiors today? judging by the pr'co that our pears command on the market? Just a word about the apple produc tion of Rogue River Valley before en- to profit. Only in a very few serous in the United States are these oadi tious to be found, and yet, they jxlut In Ro!ue River Valley. Due tO uu tural blessings that we enjoy, ills a well known fact tbat both pearsaud apples grown in this valley are uiex celled as to flavor and keeping uiali-ties. To return to the pear question, you tering more into tne detail of pear will Hnd upon olose examination jtbat culture in this distriot. ' fauoy boxed pears wbloh comicanl the Think of seven and a half acres in highest prices on tbo market are Yellow Newtowu Pippins that gross ! grown in three sretions: Rogue fiver every year from 87,000 to id OVO to I Valley, California aud Idaho; aid as the owner, with buvprs Hocking to already stated, Rogue River Villey him for the fruit Tjis has been the. produces the fauclost of all. I The r"omdofiMr A D Holms, who has an orchard about lifceeu miles south of Medford, and is a record that has pounds each. This Is the highest I terminal is witnlu u fuw miios of the price ever paid in the. United States for a oar of pears. As eaob box aver aged betwoen 00 uud 100 pears to the box, tho prloo per pear was botween 7 and 8 cunts. Compared with pricos paid lu the east and othor sections for pours, these figures may seem beyond belief, yet hundreds of jars of pears from tho Roguo River Vulloy have boon sold on the open markot ut priuoB which ap proximate the ubovo. Tho question immediately springs up Why this vast dlllooruoe lu prices? Why does Rogue Kiver Val ley fruit bring euuh Ugures and why do merchants uud dealers pay luoro for It thuu for fruit from any kuowu distriot lu tho United States? It is to be assumod that thoso mor ohants aud dculers are not in the hubit of paying out largo sums of money merely for u label or for a uamo. It is a business with thorn uml they aro willing to pay fancy prices only for striotly luuey fruir, it makes no dilforonoe with theso buyors whero stato of California. To the south is California, with Its suuuy skies aud long, dry, hot sum mer, while in tho oppoalto direotlou is tho "web-foot" northern Oregon and Washington ollmute, consisting of a rainy season from seven to nine mouths duration. We are thus mid way between tho two opposites, the dry and the wet. and from each wo draw the best. California gives us from four to six months of hot, diy aud sunny period, so ueoessary to the produutlon of rnnoy fruit aud the moisture that California lacks is fur nished us by tho north. Ordinarily we bavo heavy aud oopious ruius dur ing tho winter season, which often lasts as long as May or ovou June. It then olenrs np with no more moisture or rain until the lust of October or Xovombor. Tills year our rains did not start until the last of November. Tho rainy susou Is our wiut.r. By rniuy seasou Is uot meant a stoady downpour of raiu or a steady drizzle during tho entire period. To be sure . A$!&mm wit OriCHAKD OF J W PERKINS, MEDFORD, OREGON. country altiot nnnudurable at times, tu n!i oi sl-p ih; nadir a blanket lu J ly; Au xat uud September. Our H.tUudu ruigott from 1.300 to 2.0C0 ft ei Hbovo 8'ti ievel. Any ouo fuuiiliar with tho rabitiK of fauuy fruit will appreciate the t ati of ulti tutle the rifrK altit uric uml chat mouDtaiu or bill ido fruit is consider ed the very uhoioctit As to soil, iv u also clnim u reat ad vautao Nature has provided us with a rich, black uoby oil. known locally as "stieky. ! analysis to ious and progrosrivo orobardists. io- aepeated itself yeLrly for tho liwt Hve a PeP famine where are tbuy etcellud, nor aro j yeai-B, with no oif season and oonse- j tau future. orchards bo well taken care of aud so j quout short crops. This year his There is uo known remedy for this Krorjs receipts are aoour ta.mju, 'mere disease. Uulitoraia for yera has had are mauy apple orcburds in Kogue j salaried experts at work endeavoring River Valley that cau tell the same to remedy the trouble. The United main varieties grown In this ulley are Doyenue du Cornice, Ben r re jlosc, lieurre d'Aujou, Winter Nellis, jlow ell and Bartlett, There is uo fruit known thatls as delicate and as exacting in tie re quirements of sail and climate, but more especially the latter, as the )ear. Unless all conditions are perftotly adapted, the raising of pears can not be a successful venture, for which rea son the greatest of care should be used in planting a pear oroharri, to know to a certainty that these condi tions exist, otherwise a disappoint' ment is probably In store for you. The worst enemy to be found in the production of pears is the pear blight, which in the last fow years has been i wiping ont many of the choicest pear , districts in the United States. It it j estimated that forty por cen of tne i pear trees in the stato of California have been killed in the last three years by this dread orchard peat. The result, although to be greatly de j plored, is very apparent, as California i bus heretofore furnished at least ulne , ty per cent of all iho fancy boxed pears produced in this country. The ; California pear production is growing less aud less each year, with a corres ponding advance in the prices of fancy pears. If the present fatality of the pear blight continues, thero will jure- ln the not dis- up-to-dato in every minute detail. Here you will find cultivation, prun ing, spraying and packing demon strated in its most perfect and scien tific form Are we not borne out in tn'.s claim by results? "Tho test of the pudding is chewing tho string," which also applies to pears. With us a wormy pear is a cull which baa no comiuerciul value The It ivid been shown by j same is true of any imperfection, be exceedingly rich in j cither of shupe,sizo or coloring. Cul- lrou, potash, lime, nitrogen and other ( tivatiou, pruning and tu nniug the elements neceseai y to fruit ruigiug fruit produces sizo and color j epray- stoiy. Here are a few facts in general con cerning aprle prtductiou wnich I thiuk yen will find in the maiu cor rect. The two vaiietics of apples universally conceded to bs ihe most difficult of production and honco the hignest pricad aro tho Newtown Pip pin. Certain climatic aud soil con ditions are required in order to grow those apples to perfeetiou aud hence States government, at all of the exper imental stations, has been endeavor ing to solvo the question, but with out success, other than the use of the kuifo aud the ax. Finally, California in tho extomity of her loss, amount ing to millions of dollars, appealed to tho government at Washington and there was sent from Washington to California one of the most brilliant niiids in the hoiticultural world, who OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS. W.I. Vftwter, hvskkmt; U. F.'Adkins, Vice President; G. R. Lindley, Cashier; L. L. Jucohs, Assistant Cashier; K. H. Whitehead, T. W. Hutchi son nnd A. A. Davis. if So I Founded by VILLIAM I. VAVVTER, in 18S8. Corner C and 7th Stoeets, Operating Under State Charter. Capital Fully Paid $50,000 Surplus, $30,000. THE MANAGEMENT OF THE Jackson County Bank Ever since its Organization has endeavored to pursue a progressive policy; to be liberal in treatment and to adhere strictly to the legitimate lines of banking. Nearly twenty years undergone" management and the oldest financial Institution'in the City. ! 1 r.O ,.o ! I '
