Morning Oregonian., January 01, 1902, SECOND SECTION, Page 28, Image 28

28
THE MORNING OREGONIAN, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 1902.
rle. and the plowing -was done In the
Spring.
Wheat is the great cereal staple of the
county. The best results are obtained
by sowing In the Fall on land that has lain
fallow or been planted to corn, potatoes or
other vegetables. Such a crop Is safely
counted on to yield from 25 to 40 "bushels
of wheat to the acre and often still more.
The average yield of Fall wheat for the
past three years probably has exceeded 30
bushels to the acre. Barley, oats and
rye do equally well, and 50 to 80 bushels
to the acre Is no uncommon yield for bar
ley. For these cereals the higher the
lands the better the crops, while the val
ley lands, where Irrigation Is possible, re
ward the husbandman with phenomenal
crops of timothy, clover, alfalfa, roots ana
vegetables. As confirmatory of what has
been said of the productiveness of the
soil of Wasco County I submit the follow
ing short extract from a recent report by
the Department . of Agriculture on the
wheatgrowlng Industry of the Pacific
Coast, which Is all the more valuable be
cause the Government reports do not
"boom" any particular section of the
country, but aim to give the exact facts.
Speaking of Wasco County, the report
says: "The' soil yields well, holds water
admirably and Is practically inexhausti
ble. Heavy crops arc raised without a
drcp of rain from seed time to harvest."
Then speaking of Eastern Oregon in gen
eral the report adds: "Farmers In East
ern Oregon state that wheat can be grown
in all this region for a trifling expense,
come even claiming that it can be raised
and sacked for 20 cents a buqhel."
Wasco Apples Alrrajs Prlxevvinners.
Oregon apples have a world-wide repu
tation. They are shipped to England and
Germany, and bring 50 per cent more in
those markets than other apples. They
are not only known In every corner of the
United States, but they have been shipped
to Siberia and the Philippine Islands, and
Japan regularly buys them in large quan
tltica Oregon apples are the best In the
world, and the best apples In Oregon are
produced in Wasco County, In every
competing fruit exhibit of the Pacific
Northwest for years Wasco County fruits
have carried on, practically, all the hon
ors there were to carry. At the late
Pan-American Exposition, where Wasco
County fruits had a generous representa
tion in the Oregon exhibit, the National
Pomologlca.1 Association awarded this
etate the Wilder medal for the excellency
of its fruits, an award that is the highest
possible distinction that could have been
conferred, while Wasco County fruitgrow
ers received from the exposition three
gold medals, three silver medals and sev
en bronze medals for the superior quality
of their apples, cherries and strawber
ries. Although the land surface of the
resident portion of the county varies
greatly in elevation, apples, pears, peach
eB, plums, prunes, cherries, grapes and
elmllar fruits and berries are grown al
most everywhere, apples attaining the
greatest perfection In quality and flavor
in the higher altitudes, and peaches and
grapes doing best In the lower valleys, and
expeclally in proximity to the Colum
bia River, which bounds the county on
the north to its full extent of about 60
miles. In this latter region the night
temperature Is higher during the season
when peaches are ripening than in any
other district In the Pacific Northwest
Hence the peaches and grapes grown here
are not excelled in size and flavor by any
in the world. Hence, too, especially in
the district nearer to The Dalles, the
county seat, berries and early garden veg
etables mature two weeks earlier than in.
any "other section of the Northwest. These
early products find a ready and profitable
market In Portland, the Puget Sound cit
ies and the Rocky Mountain states on the
east.
Hood River "Valley, that Is renowned
almost the world over for its apples and
strawberries, occupies about 100 square
miles of the northwestern portion of
Wasco County. This valley has given Its
name to the "Hood River Seeedllng"
strawberry, whose reputation for attrac
tive color, exquisite flavor and superior
tshipplng qualities is known all over the
United States. Here, and in the Mosier
and Dalles districts, this berry attains
such perfection that It has never found
a peer either at home or In the numer
ous states where it finds a ready mar
ket. Just what it is that gives this berry
Its excellence, whether soil or climate,
no one knows. It Is not the same else
where. It can be shipped for distances
of 1000 to 2000 miles and more, and is as
firm at the end of its journey as it was
at the beginning. That the market for
Hood River strawberries Is practically
unlimited, and that their cultivation Is
profitable, may be gathered from the
following report of the crop of 1901, as
furnished by the secretaries of the David
son Fruit Company and Fruitgrowers
Union, two Hood River shipping concerns:
These tw o shipping concerns this j car shipped
2,000 crates of the 40.000 crates of strawber
ries shipped from Hood Rler. or four-flfths of
the entire crop. They shipped 33 straight car
loads under refrigeration, and between 15 and
20 cars by express, or about 50 cars, all told.
' The cash returns to the growers for their 40.000
crates amounted to about $85,000. A deduction
of $25,000 for cost of picking and crates leaves
the growers about $60,000 aboie all expenses.
The entire acreage In strawberries lp Hood
River Valley and White Salmon Is about 350,
which would make the av erage net to the grow
er aboie all expenses something oxer $150 per
acre.
The output of Hood River strawberries should
be gradually Increased until we have three or
four times as many as we have now. The
markets are taking more each jcar than they
did the previous seaon. and thero will be no
trouble about the markets Increasing with the
production. There was no market this year
that got all it asked for. Both the Fruit
growers Union and the Davidson Fruit Com
pany made scleral sales of strawberries for
ehlpment to the Klondike country, and the ber
ries were reported as aralvlng there In good
condition, and selling at $5 per pound box.
The sheep and wool industry is still of
considerable importance, notwithstand
ing that the rapid influx of agriculturists
during the past few years has forced
many a flockmaster to seeek ranges In
less thickly settled districts. The county
has still about 150,000 head of sheep, that
yield an annual clip of about 1,500,000
pounds. The price last year averaged
about 12 cents a pound. The county seat
of Wasco County has for years held the
distinction of being the largest primary
wool market In the United States. Dur
ing the year. The Dalles warehouses and
scouring mills handled about S.000,000
pounds of this staple, while some 3,500,
000 pounds more was handled at the new
markec of Shanlko, a rising town in
the southeastern part of the county, the
terminus of the Columbia Southern Rail
road. Oregon wools carried off first hon
ors at the Pan-American Exposition, and
scoured wools from The Dalles mills re
ceived a special gold medal In competition
with wools from every wool section of
the United States.
The lumber Industry, while yet in its
Infancy, is gradually assuming important
proportions. The county has 14 mills,
most of them small, whose cut for tho
past year Is estimated at about 63.000.000
feet, the average price of which Is In the
neighborhood of 59 a thousand.
The poultry business and dairying have
neer received the attention they de
serve, and a sure competence awaits
those who shall intelligently embark in
either business. Most of the butter used
In The Dalles comes from districts out
side the county, much of it from our
sister state on the north, and some of
it from as far off as Kansas. Thera
ought to bo money for Wasco County
producers in butter at 30 to 35 cents a
pound, in eggs at 30 cents a dozen. In
dressed chickens at 40 to 50 cents apiece,
and in dressed turkeys at 15 to IS cents
a pound, the present prices.
Climatic Condition Favorable.
The climate of Wasco County, by which
is meant tho rain, snow, temperature,
winds and all those phases of the ele
ments which are commonly called the
weather. Is an Important consideration to
those who would seek aNhome here. The
mean temperature decreases, as a rule,
with distance from the Columbia Rier
and with elevation. Covering a period of 20
years, the mean temperature at The
Dalles for July, August and September
was 73, 71 and 62 degrees, respectively:
at Hood River, for the same months, 66,
66 and 56. The mean annual temperature
for the county is 49 and 52 degreees. Tho
mean Winter temperature December
February Is from 31 to 36 degrees, while
the Summer June to August Is from 53
to 73 degrees. During the heat of Sum
mer the highest temperature is from
98 to 105 degrees, extending from May to
October; during Winter, from December
to March, the lowest Is 1 to 19 below
zero. The extremes, however, are seldom
experienced, and these figures afford to
a stranger no true conception of the cli
mate of Eastern Oregon. There Is no
section exactly similar. Nelthen tho cold
of Winter nor the heat of Summer brings
half the rigor and discomfort incident to
other places of similar temperature. A
normal Winter day Is bright and clear
as a day in June. The hottest day in
Flat, a fine stretch ot productive wheat
lands, has long waited for the completion
of a half-finished canal that, if ever fin
ished, will make a garden spot of a. ter
ritory covering about 100 square miles.
Hood River Valley has irrigating systems
completed and in course of construction
that will furnish water for every 10-acre
lot in the valley. With this accomplished,
as it will be In the near future, the fruit
possibilities of this beautiful valley are
wholly inconceivable.
The Dalles is the county scat of Wasco
County. It la beautifully situated on the
bank of the Columbia River, about SS
miles from Portland, and 190 miles from
the riser's mouth. It has a population of
about 5000, and Is one of the most sub
stantial and prosperous towns in the state.
The town derives its name from the rapids
years, and are still Increasing. Still there
are many farms with fair Improvements
that can be purchased at $S to $15 per acre.
If I am asked to name the price of fruit
lands I can only say that any land In
Wasco County that will produce grain will
produce the larger fruits, but berry lands,
accessible to irrigating ditches, range all
the way from $23 to $400 an acre, and I
lately heard of $1000 an acre being refused
for a few choice acres which were highly
improved and in a very desirable neigh
borhood. The ordinary price of Wasco
County land, however. Is wholly dispro
portionate to Its real value as a wealth
producer. It Is no uncommon thing for a
purchaser to realize the full price of his
"arm from two or three crops and some
times from one.
The following table of facts and estl-
It Is doubtful If any other settlement in
the Pacific Northwest enjoys the attrac
tions of scenic grandeur and beautiful
surroundings that are claimed by Hood
River. The view from this point com
mands a wide stretch of the Columbia,
the great river of the West. Directly
south of the townsite, towering upward
till the apex seems to almost penetrate
the dome of the firmament Itself, is Mount
Hood, the most attractive of all the snow
peaks of the Cascade range of mountains,
while to the north the ice-bound summit
of Mount Adams pierces the sky. Hood
River Itself, which empties Into the Co
lumbia at Hood River station, is a stream
of the clearest running water that finds
Its source in the glaciers of Mount Hood.
As a permanent place of residence or as
a charming Summer resort, which now an-
press to cities even on the Atlantic sea-! River, has a cutting capacity of 200,000
board, points which the fruit reached in
perfect condition.
Like the strawberry, the finest apples
sold in the Portland market during the
Fall and Winter season are from Hood
River. The great value of Hood River
apples is attested by the statement that
in the Portland market during the Winter
months this annle brine from S2 to 53
and even more a box (bushel). The Hood I
River apples are of the brightest color.
The quality of the fruit Itself Is unsur
passed, and It possesses keepmg qualities
which commend the Hood River product
especially to dealers. With a full acre
age of, the Hood River Valley planted In
apples and straw berries, there would never
be any trouble whatever in finding a
ready market for the entire fruit prod-
feet of lumber a day. Near Hood River
on the line of the O. R. & N.t Is another
mill with a cutting capacity of 75.000 feet
a day. From the forests of the Hood
River country are cut large numbers ot
railroad ties, cedar posts and cordwood,
the market for which Is found principally
In Eastern Oregon and Utah. In addition
to the above mills are a number of smaller
plants In Hood River Valley, operated by
water power.
The average fall of Hood River is about
60 feet to the mile. This insures an avail
able water power fully equal to that ot
Spokane, Wash., today one of the princi
pal manufacturing centers of the Pacific
Northwest.
The town of Hood River is the chiet
trading point for the White Salmon settle
ment In Washington, directly opposite
this point on the Columbia River. The
White Salmon district Is one of the moat
fertile sections of the State of Washing
ton. Hood River itself contains today
a population ranging from 700 to 1000 peo
ple. The established line traveled from Port
land to the northern slope of Mount Hood
during the Summer season Is by way ot
Hood River. A line of well-appointed
stages coers the 23 miles of distance
from Hood River to Mount Hood during
the Summeron schedule time.
HOOD RIVER, OREGOJi.
-fr-0 MMtHtMMMMMMtMMMMMMMMt
Summer is generally tempered by a cool
ing breeze, and sunstrokes and prostra
tions from heat are practically unknown.
The precipitation occurs principally
from November to April, except at Cas
cade Locks and a few miles east, where,
owing to local cause's, there Is an annual
precipitation of 80 inches. In the Hood
River Valley the annual precipitation is
3S inches; at The Dalles it is only 15
inches, while south of The Dalles the
precipitation increases with the distance
and elevation, till In the great wheat,
belts of Dufur, Klngsley, Victor and
Wamlc, it probably exceeds 20 Inches, al
though no accurate data has ever been
kept. It may be said that we have only
two seasons, the wet and the dry, but
even this must be modified by the ex
planation that tho wet season Is never
wholly wet, and the dry season is seldom
wholly dry. Trom April to July show
ers occur, but the total precipitation for
any one of these months seldom exceeds
an Inch. Snow falls in Varying depths
from December to March, but seldom re
mains long, owing to the prevalence of
warm Chinook winds. Stockmen seldom
expect to feed longer than two months.
The streams of Wahco County have suf
ficient water power to turn all the ma
chinery of the state. That of White Riv
er, 30 miles south of The Dalles, Is now
being harnessed by the Wasco Warehouse
Milling Company, a wealthy local corpo
ration, and the power will be available
in a few weeks for running the electrical
machinery for lighting The Dalles and for
running the company's new 500-barrel
of the Columbia, at this place. These
were called La Grande Dall de la Colum
bia (the great trough of the Columbia) by
the early French Canadian voyageurs of
the Hudson's Bay Company. Situated at
the. head of navigation on the Middle
Columbia, It has occupied an Important
place in the annals of the Northwest since
Lewis and Clark camped on Its site In 1806.
Before the advent of the railroad It was
the single shipping entrepot for the vast
territory now known as the Inland Em
pire, and notwithstanding that the
changes Incident to new facilities for
transportation have deprived It of that
prestige, it has never ceased to grow in
wealth and population. Having three
competing lines of transportation and an
open river to the sea it is the best market
for the producer in all Eastern Oregon.
It has unsurpassed warehouse facilities
and, through the wealth of Its bankers
and merchants, abundance of home capital
to handle its enormous business. At this
writing there is not a vacant dwelling In
the city and real estate agents assure the
writer that hundreds of houses could bo
let at a good rental if they could only be
had. The school facilities of The Dalles
are unsurpassed and the -advantages of
a good common school education are ob
tainable everywhere throughout the coun
ty. The churches are well, and often ably,
represfnted and few districts, however re
mote, are deprived of the privilege of a
weekly religious service. The people are
peaceable, law-abiding and industrious,
and in intelligence and culture will not
mates, which I have prepared with care,
and have endeavored to make as nearly
correct as It Is possible to do with the
available data, will give some Idea of the
resource? of a county that 40 years ago
was practically a wilderness, with a little
hamlet forming a trading post and way
station for travelers up and down the Co
lumbia River gorge, where now stands a
solid, well-built city, and here and there
in favored spots In. the lower valleys the
lonely log cabin of the frontier stockman:
Value.
Population 15,000
Acres under cultivation.. I03,4u
Bushels of wheat SOO.OOO
Bushels of oats, barley and
barley and rje 111,000
Bushels of potatoes 100,000
Tons of Ha" 20,000
Pounds of butter and
cheese 25,000
Value of salmon catch
Bushels of apples 100,030
Dried prunes
Green Prunes
Blackberries
Strawberries ,
Peaches, plums, cherries.
pears 30.000
Garden vegetables 15,000
Eggs and poultry 20,000
Sheep 60.000 165.000
Wool, pounds L350.000 182.000
Cattle 15.000 525.000
Hogs 20.000 240.000
Horses 2.000 103.000
Lumber, feet 65,000.000 5S5.000
Cord,wood 50.000
Slab wood 20.000
Cedar posts 100.000 6,000
This makes a total Income for the yeai
nually claims the interest of large num
bers of Portland's people. Hood River is
one of the most attractive towns of the
Pacific Northwest.
First Impressions may go far in claim
ing that recognition which is not without
Its advantages as bearing directly upon
the commercial supremacy of any populous
center of country. The man who views
the townsite of Hood River for the first
time wants to stop there. A closer exam
ination of the town Itself, Its many beauti
ful surroundings, and the rich section ot
country from which it derives Its support,
will lnevitaTHy make an enthusiast out ot
him who from passing Interest alone
started In to make a casual observation ot
a point that had impressed him favorably.
Extending for 20 miles or more Inland
from Hood River station Is the most won
derful stretch of fruit lailds in the United
States. Hood River strawberries today
are the finest strawberries sold in the
Portland market. The carloads of these
berries that were shipped East during the
past year opened the eyes of the Eastern
people to the possibilities of fruit produc
tion in the far West. The Hood River
strawberry Is the largest strawberry
raised in the world. It is firm In texture,
it is delicious In quality and It Is espe
cially adapted to shipment over long dis
tances. All of the varieties of small
fruits grow equally as well In the Hood
River Valley as does the strawberry.
The market value of a crop of 350 acres
of strawberles in Hood River Valley in
'91 was 575.000. The net nrofit to crowers
of $2,894,000. or $193 for e ery man, worn- I ot this fruit product averaged $150 an
$400,000
42,000
50,000
160.000
6.000
32.000
100.000
DO.WX)
21.000
5.000
70.000
uct of this section at profitable prices.
The climatic conditions of tho Hood
RI er Valley are especially favorable. The
average annual precipitation is 3S inches.
There Is practically an entre freedom
from, any extremes of either heat or cold.
Residents of this valley suffer none or
the rigors from cold during the Winter
months nor discomforts of extreme heat
during the Summer season.
Hood River Valley extends from the
mouth of Hood River to the, foot of the
Cascade range of mountains. It Is about
20 miles In length, with an a erage width
of five miles. It contains a total area of
about 64.000 acres. It is estimated that
about 50,000 acres of thi3 land are tillable.
Here all kinds of fruits are raised without
Irrigation, yet In some sections the quali
ty of the fruit Is greatly Improved by thu
aid of water during the dry season. With
a view of affording Irrigation facilities
Hood River has been tapped 14 miles
above Its mouth, and from this point a
large Irrigating ditch with a capacity or
20u0 inches supplies water to the principal
part of the west side of the valley for ir
rigating purposes. The construction of
this ditch Involved an expenditure ot
$28,000. On the east side of the valley
there is now in course of construction an
other large Irrigating canal which will
cost when completed about $12,000. This
canal will irrigate fully 15,000 acres of til
lable land.
It is as a fruitgrowing section that the
Hood River country makes its principal
appeal to settlers. A man can come to
this point, plant an orchard covering a
AT THE DALLES, OREGOX.
Great Poiver Plant and Flonrlnpr 3IH1
of Wasco Warehouse Milling- Co.
One ot the most prosperous cities of tha
West today Is The Dalles, Or., located
on tho Columbia River and on the lino
of the Oregon Railroad & Navigation
Company, SS miles east. of Portland.
The Dalles is the seat of tho heaviest
woof produotlon In the world. The rich
country directly tributary to The Dallea
possesses wonderful powers of production.
and tho hundreds ot square miles of thla
tributary district, in the diversity of its
rosources and in the extent ot its pro
ductive powers, Is one of tho most favored
parts of the United States.
A representative corporation of Tha
Dalles is that of tho Wasco Warehouse
Milling Company. The Dalles, like Port
land, is a city of large accumulated
wealth. Its business enterprises are con
ducted almost wholly by the support of
local capital. The extent of the business
enterprises at The Dalles Is best shown by
the statement of the Wasco Warehouse
Milling Company that in earning out
work in the purchase and improvements
of these properties they have expended
no less than $350,000.
This company during the past year ac
quired the ownership and all the rights
of the local electric-light plant from the
French Bros. The new owners Immediate
ly perfected plans to greatly enlarge tha
capacity of this plant- The main Incen
tive for the extension of the facilities
of this electric-light plant was the ef
fort to provide power for the large flour
ing mill owned by this company, and to
furnish light and power for miscellaneous
purposes at The Dalles. Tho source of
this generated power will be at White
River Falls, some 30 miles south of the
city. White Rler at this point makes a
sheer fall of 135 feet.
The plans of the Wasco Warehouse Mill
ing Company contemplate the eventual use
of the entire 3000-horsepower which can be
developed at the site of these falls. Their
present plans, however, will provide only
for tho use of 1300 horsepower, 250 horse
power of which they will use for running
their now flouring mill, while 1050 horse
power developed at the falls will be used
for running 'the electric-light plant and
for furnishing power for general purposes
at The Dalles. The plant and all of Its
equipments will be modern in every re
spect, and neither pains nor expense will
be spared which will In any way conduce
to an economical U8e of the electrical en
ergy the company will transmit to The
Dalles for general use.
The new flouring mill of this company
Is one of the finest and most modern
mills on the Coast. The machinery Is all
new and of the latest pattern. The com
pany will manufacture two brands of a
high-grade family flour and special brands
of flour for bakers, for the manufacture of
macaroni and for export. They will also
manufacture a very high grade of whole
wheat flour.
The special high-grade wheat of Sher
man County, directly tributary to Tho
Dalles, will be utilized by this company
for the manufacture of their best family
brands. The present capacity of the mill
is 600 barrels of flour per day. Facilities
have been provided, how ever, for the easy
enlargement of the plant by the install
ment of1 additional machinery to double lt3
present capacity.
The size of the mill building on the
ground floor is 70x100 feet. It Is four
stories in height. Every facility has been
provided for receiving and storing grain.
Grain at the warehouse is received direct
from the wagons. The company enjoys
ample facilities for easy handling ot
this grain under cover and for shipping
by rail.
During this season the company has
handled about 2.000.000 bushels of wheat.
They own 14 warehouses In Sherman
County, one In Klickitat County at North
Grant, an'd big warehouses at The Dalles.
From a single warehouse at North Grant
last year tho company shipped 400,000 busff
els of grain. The warehouses at The
Dalles are 100x300 feet In size. They are
built of brick, and are two stories in
height. These warehouses have 20-foot
porches, extending the full length and
abutting on the tracks of tho railroad
company. The Dalles warehouse has a
storing capacity of nearly 500,000 bushels.
The Wasco Warehouse Milling Company
handles one-half of all the wheat raised
In Sherman County, and a majority of
tho wheat produced in Klickitat and
Wasco Counties.
The people interested In the Wasco
Warehouse Milling Company are moneyed
men and representative citizens of The.
Dalles and Wasco County, the principal1
among which are French & Co., bankers;
B. F. Laughlln; E. O. McCoy, the wheat
king of Sherman County: Seufert Bros.,
the big cannerymen of the Upper Colum
bia, Smith French, and the Johnston
Bros., of Dufur. Mr. W. Lord, an old and
respected citizen of The Dalles, is presi
dent and manager.
A great deal of the heavy wool business
formerly handled at The Dalles Is now
done at Shanlko. the present southern
terminus of the Columbia Southern Rail
way Company. Mr. Lord and a number of
his business associates have built at Shan
lko the largest wool warehouse on the
Coast. It is 400 feet long by 92 feet wide,
and Is two stories In height. The storing
capacity of this warehouse Is from 3,000,
000 to 4.000.000 pounds of wool.
The Dalles Is prosperous, and Its pros
perity Is doubly assured by the same kind
of enterprise that has contributed to the
development and maintenance of the im
mense business at this point now handled
by the Wasco Warehouse Milling Company.
WASCO WAREHOUSE MILLING COM PAST, THE DALLES, OREGON.
Photo by Gifford, Tho Dalles.
flouring mill, now practically ready for
operation. The same power will be used
to run an Ice plant, now in course of
construction, while the company has still,
unappropriated, nearly 1000 horse-power,
which outside capital could obtain at ad
vantageous rates to run any desired ma
chinery or a woolen mill, for example.
In one of the best locations for such an
enterprise in the Noithwest.
Irrigation for berry culture, for garden
ing and domestic uses has received con
siderable attention and should receive
more. In the Wamlc district two or three
ditches taken from mountain streams have
contributed much to the comfort and ma
terial prosperity of the settlers. Waplnltia
suffer In comparison with any similar com
munity In the United States.
The books of the United States land
office show that Wasco County has still
512,403 acres of land open to entry under
the existing land laws. By far the larger
portion of this is timbered and moun
tainous and unfit for homesteads. All the
most desirable claims -were taken years
ago, yet, from the number of entries made
In the local land office every week, one is
forced to conclude that there must still
remain, some tracts in this half million
acres of unappropriated lands that are
worthy of the attention of the intending
settler. Improved lands have creatlv in- River, between Portland and The Dalles,
creased in value during the past tw 1 Is the charming, townsite pf Hppd Riyer,
an and child in the county, or $1053 for
every voter at the last National election.
Some countries may beat this record, but
they are not lying around promlacously.
HUGH GOURLAY,
The Dalles.
THE LAND OF FIXE FRUITS.
The Charming Resort and Rich Val
ley of Hood Ulver.
Situated on the line ot the Oregon Rail
road & Navigation Company, 66 miles east
of Portland, and also on the Columbia
acre. The Hood River district last year
exported 40,000 crates of strawberries
alone. Eight cars of this product were
billed to Montana, seven cars to North
Dakota, three cars to Winnipeg and one
car each to Duluth, Denver and Omaha.
Only about one-quarter of the acreage
specially adapted to strawberry culture is
now in cultivation In the Hood River Val
id'. The value of the Hood River strawberry
may be appreciated by the statement that
in the Middle West when placed in compe
tition with the Arkansas and Missouri
strawberry, it readily commands a price m
advance of the Southern product. The
Hppd River berrjes haye been sent by ex-
few acres of ground and live the balance
of his days happily and In a contented
frame of mind. A small orchard well
cared -for in a good fruitgrowing district
will produce a revenue that farmers cul
tivating three or four times the amount
of land devoted to raising grain can hope
to enjoy.
While fruitgrowing Is today the princi
pal Industry of the Hood River country,
it is stilt a section that Is rich In the di
versified industries of agriculture, lum
bering and manufacturing. There are to
day three lumber mills In the valley
which manufacture lumber for shipment
East on an extensive scale. One of these
jniiis located near the mouth of Hood
SHERMAN CQUNTY.
Transportation Facilities Are Good
and Farming Land Is Ckenp.
Two years have rolled round since we
wrote an article on Sherman County for
the great annual number of The Ore
gonlan, and this year It again falls to
our lot to give a brief review of thla
county and its resources, showing tho
Inducements It offers to Eastern men who
contemplate making a home in the Gold
en West. The county, which Is one of
the smallest in the state, comprises some
340,000 acres of what may be classed as
rolling prairie, interspersed with canyons
and small watercourses and advanta
geously situated with three large rivers
forming the eastern, western and north
ern boundaries. The Columbia, which is
destined to become one of the great
waterways of the Nation, bounds the
county on the north. On the west we
j And the Deschutes, a splendid river from
I'