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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (June 1, 1883)
June, 1883. THE WEST SHORE. 39 AGRICULTURE. FRUIT. The Walla Walla fruit cannery it making larpe preparation! for putting up vegetable! and imafl fruitf. By purchase and contract the proprietor! have secured a large supply. A similar cannery will probably he built at Yakima City by business men of that place. The farmer! of the Yellowitone valley believe firmly in the possibility of the tucceisful cultiva tion of fruit in that region, and many of them are planting orchard!. If their opinion it well founded, a valuable industry will ipring up in that fertile valley. Rogue river valley leemi to be an exception in the matter of fruit thit season. While the balance of the itate will have an exceedingly ihort crop, Jackson county promises an abundance. A local paper says ; " The peach crop here will be the largest ever seen, while prari and plums will break the limbs all off the trees In many orchards, unlesi props or pruning shears come to the rescue. Cherries and other small fruiti are abundant." With the completion of the road, the orchard! ol Rogue river valley will find a market for every pound of fruit they can produce, and within a few years fruit growing will no doubt become the leading industry of that delightful region. The Northern Pacific ii making special prepa ration for the transportation of fruit In refrigerator cars, and the man in Oregon or Washington who owns a bearing orchard will find that It It a veritable gold mine. In speaking of thit matter Mr. C. W. Sleeper, superintendent of the re- ' frigerator line of that rotd, says : " These cart have proved a great success. They are of use both wayt and carry westward eggs and dairy products amounting to a very large quantity. Other cars are now building to take care ol the fruit on the Pacific slope when the transconti nental is completed. The fruit trade will com mence at once upon the joining of the divisions. Last year the Central Pacific turned over to the Union Pacific more than 900 cars of fruit. The Northern Pacific proposes to have Its share ol that. The orange belt stretches from Lot An grles into Northern Pacific territory, and it 400 miles wide. The Northern Pacific, you must re member, wiH also have direct connection with San Francisco and Sacramento. Oranges art ripe In the lower regions by May 1, and at you advance northward the sessn is later, until In the upper portion of the leh the fruit is not ready lor market until July 31st. Then, loo, there are the fruits of the Oregon valleys, back from the coast. These are acknowledged to be firmer and more luscious than the growth further tooth, We have repeatedly urged our farmers to plant orchard! of the most marketable fruits, and we again urge it upon them as the most profitable in vestment they can make. HOPS. A strip of tide flats at the brad of Commerce mcnt baj, near New Tacoma, amounting to fifty. our acres, is being dyked, with the intention of converting it into a large bop field. The acreage of hops along Puget sound In iSSa, was about 1.000 acre, producing 1,600,000 pound. Thia rt swp has been mmOf doubled, and taking into consideration the fact that the new roots will not produce as well as old ones, the crop is estimated at 1,400,000 pounds. The average price will be almut fifty cents, giving tlie lo giawars $i,ju,ouo (or their work, the bulk of which will be clear profit. In speaking of the crop and its prospects, a Tacoma paper says 1 " Washington Territory hnit are still quoted at 85 to 90 cents per pound. Dealers are ready and anxious to make contracts at 17 cents, but the most of the farmers prefer to take their chances until the harvest. I jut year at this lime few ot no hops had been contracted for, and as late as July large fields were offered at a J cents. Although the hop crop is a reasonably sure one on our rich bottom lands, there are still important contingen cies to be considered In any estimate of the results, The large increase of acreage will not only enable the pickers, of which there was last year a short supply, causing considerable competition among the farmers to obtain sufficient help, to dictate terms, but will render It difficult to harvest the entire crop in the proper season. There It no crop made which requires closer or more timely attention than that ol hops. To pick loo early or loo late is equally disastrous, and picking must commence and proceed continuously, so that neither the first nor the last harvested shall lie loo premature or too ripe to retain to a large e tent the essential qualities of the plant. Last sea son some of the Indians from down the Sound who had been accustomed to assist In the Puyal lup harvest, were said to have ,lieen frightened away by a smallpox scare, ami doubtless there will be great comelilion next fall among the ho growers to obtain reliable help. As the suppl) of Indians used to this business Is not targe enough to meet the increased demand for I hell services, other help will have lo be obtained or I considerable proportion of the crop will remain In the field unpicked. Doubtless the labor of children and of families cnu'd be utilised for this work, if wages commensurate with the value of the crop were offered. Last year the planters paid at the rale ol $1 a box of 100 pounds, and it may be thai a higher price will be demanded this fall, should the maiket price of hops continue at any thing like last year's figures. STOCK. In Montana the slock men find It impnttihlr to maintain their herds try natural increase and keep the market supplied. IWef cattle are t valuable that calves are rarely killed for veal. The Importation of young cattle to fatten on the ranges and help maintain the supple of maiktbls beef would be embarked In on a large scale II the rales of freight were made low enough to permit il to be done at a sufficient profit. We think the railroads will find It lo their interests to make a low tarriff on all ttk coming west want, as the increased shipment of fal cattle to itiarki 1 will amply compensate them. More than 100.000 sheep have been sold In Umatilla county this spring at an aversge pore of $1.1 1 per head. TVy were all driven oul of Oregon lo tr.arket or la range further east. This it yjfi emit higher than the price received last year. Though it appears lo have sff.cted the aaJe 0 sheep but link, the tim k tbe vale of Ue stock has tUeittued the aaswbtw or bswf cattle driven from the country. The Grant county AVmi estimates the value of live stock ex ported from Katter Orrgon In iSHi at $j,ooo,. 000. I hree-louilns ol tiiee were driven lo eastern markets, vti.t 4,000 horses at $15, 55,000 cattle at $18, joo.ooo sheep at $1.(15. Notwithstanding the price of cattle hat nearly doubled, stock men are not anxlout to sell, pre ferring to increase their herds, with the eipecia lion that the market will continue firm for the future. In regard to ihe shipping of diesaed beef from Montana, C. W, Slrrper, superinlendrnl of Ihe refrigerator line ol the Northern Pacific, In a re cent Interview with a representative of the Si, Paul Wire frtu, said llist companies had lieen organised to establish slaughter houtrt at Milts City and Hillings. After showing that Ihe hide, horns tallow, bonrt, etc., could lie ullllird there nrarly at profitably at In Chltagis he gave the following valuable tlalittlrt t "A tleer at Hilling or Miles City averaget 1,100 pounds on the hoof. UmI il into a car ami send It Ihe l.joo miles ui more lo Chliago, It shilnki 10 percent, or IK) pounds. This Is agreed lo by all slock men. Kill II near the range and the steer will diets to per lent, in the loo, or 710 pounds lo the 1,100, The dressed beef, killed, cooled and quailerrd, and then sen! 10 Chicago In our relilgrraior cars, only lows I lcr crnl. 01 7.1 pounds, I he 110 pounds lul on the live sierr at $5 per loo, Ihe pi ice on ihe hoof in Chicago, would amount lu $6,1 The 7.1 pounds ncl al 9 cents would represent a lot of 64 4-5 cents, ui in round numbcis $5 55 more loss on lbs hoof than dressed. Hut this is not all. The railway chaige on a car load of live lurk it $7 r head lo this odd 50 Cents pet hesd commission In yards, costs of attendants, food for live limes In transit and yaid charges, and all stock men agree Ihai llie Mai cl is $10 per head, rsclusive of slinnkage, or $16.10 shrinkage Included. Now lake Ihe tame animal, laugblercd and dicssed al Hillings or Miles City. The 7)0 xundi cottt lUul $1 per loo or $7. jo 10 Iranipoil, then (here It 65 cents shrinkage, commissions the c ndslin is usu ally 1 pel cenl. on Ihe piice psld for Ihe beef, which, al tf cents per pound, would make $1 67 add 1$ Cents (about $10 per est of lolly animals) for ke, making the cost $ 77 laid down In Chicago. You can tabulate In this way 1 Oaib kW f rtlfbl foall, l '" urMlsftM fbf fsc mwiwf value. ...,,...... t4, iUiiUism an 1 yard ebaigai ,17 Ml M Total IlfMM.1 six! aiitrUrtd-T.I) (wuatU tt filhl IT IB i'ommUm IH "I 1 brUtiest-MonT vsIm. ,..,.... JJ ! for !rMrvatlu ... ToUleutt. - )ifssM In fs M tlrt4 hf M H " In the Jit, Paul w Chicago maikel there Is o much diff-rerre, aitd Ihe aversge prke tie glen ihe sterr shipped on Ihe hoof sod shrinking from I.Joo pounds lo ,o!o in Usn.il, would I worth $54, al 5 rents tier pound. The dressed 7M pounds, luting J pounds, would le woilh $65 65, al 9 cent per pound. I Minor reck a train loaded with live tn.k and yor salvage I liable lo be very tmalt ( but accidents lo a Irtia laden with die-ted beef tie no more seriout than 10 no hvb-n with peeked pork. Ynt) save imiM orijihirig. II a truss