14
THE MORJTiyG OREGOSTA, WEDNESDAY, JANT7ARY 1, 1908.
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By A. W. NeUion.
THEC rapidly growing sugar beet In
dustry of the Pacific Northwest
must ' look to the Grand Ronde
Valley In Union County to learn how the
Industry progresses from year to year,
and how best this valuable root crop can
be increased. For the past year espe
cially, the sugar beet growers of Union
County Invite and solicit "the attention of
the entire United States. Figures do not
lie. and reliable statistics tell a story
surest and best. Here Is the story: The
Amalgamated Sugar Company closed Its
factory the first week of last month after
an unprecedented run, during which the
entire crop of 20,000 tons of sugar beets
grown in this valley was converted Into
sugar that is in demand in all markets.
Modern ideas prevail in all phases of
sugar beet culture in Union County. Field
Superintendent E. Slbbelov has under his
direct management from 100 to 175 labor
ers and from DO to 75 teams during the
Summer months. New methods of seed
ing have been adopted and the best
methods of topping, cultivating and pull
ing are also in vogue. The Knall ranch.
not far from La Grande and still nearer
to Union, is the banner farm of them
all and is managed by the sugar com
pany exclusively. Here are barns that'
house hundreds of horses and boardlng--houses
that make a village. The beet
"dump," one of less than half a dozen
on this Coast, Is located here. On the
field, the pulled beets are thrown Into
a. patented wagon and then hauled to
the elevated contrivance known as tho
dump. Here a lever unloads the beets
into a chute leading to a boxcar or
gondola, which can be brought to the
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JAR&E 3EET JVEZD JXEAR. TLA GJRANDE
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ranch over a branch line of three mtlea,
leaving the main line of the O. R. &
N. at Hot Lake.
While the industry has been estab
lished but a few years, it has proved
Itsr-lf to be especially favored by pre
vailing climatlo conditions and soil
qualities. From & mere experiment it
has grown to be one of the principal
industries of a valley known far and
wide for Its varied trades and Indus
tries. The annual output of the present fac
tory Is about 6,0u0,000 pounds, valued at
J25O.O0O.
Aside . from the 2000 acres that h
sugar company annually seeds to sugar
beets, there are many Individual grow
ers who make "big money" on their
ventures. Every year landowners are
turning tracts of fertile land over to
the company, that expert training and
systematic methods may make better
success and bring more from the ground
given over to beetraistng. Favorable
weather is largely responsible tor the
early closing in 1807, for previously the
factory has been kept busy without
ceasing from early in August until well
along In January. Last season the run
was shortened about 30 days.
MANY FRUITGROWERS' UMONS
Play Prominent Part in Upbuilding of Oregon's Hor
ticultural Industry Act as Agents for Producers
By K. II. Khepard. Editor of Better Fruit.
HAVING spent my early days In an
orchard n California, and for the
last flve'years having been engaged
In fruitgrowing in the Hood River Val
ley, for lour years of which I have been
manager of the associations here, I have
given the subject of marketing of fruit
the very closest of study. In a limited
space I will endeavor to briefly outline
first the necessity for associations to the
fruitgrower, and secondly to show their
benefits.
The production and marketing of fruit
are as essentially different as the manu
facturing and selling of the factory pro
duct. In order to do either well special
ability is required. Nearly every busi
ness naturally divides Itself Into different
departments, and the best success is ob
tained by each department being handled
by an Individual both able and competent
to concentrate his efforts on bis particu
lar work. To Illustrate this briefly It U
but necessary to call attention to the fact
that every railroad has men of special
ability In charge of the different depart
' meats, such as constructlon operation,
freight and passenger traffic.
I feel positive that every grower who
has a large orchard or a small one, will
admit that It requires practically nearly
all of his time. He will also tell you
that his time from Spring until Winter
must be spent la his orchard, either In
doing the work or superintending it, if ,a
large crop of choice fruit is to be pro
duced. This leaves him but Utile time to
attend, to the marketing. In fact, the
busiest time for the orchardist is during
the harvesting period, as It Is most
Important that the grower should be
there to see that the fruit is properly
gathered, carefully handled and packed
In the most perfect condition.
This Is the time when the fruit Is be
ing sold, and the grower cannot be in
two places at once. On the other hand,
he cannot divide his time and get the
best results in his endeavor to d both.
In order to get the best prices, the
seller of fruit must be absolutely posted
in every detail In reference to market
conditions. It Is next to Impossible tor
a grower to devote the time that is
necessary to become properly informed
on market conditions. Furthermore, the
average grower would not be Justified
in going to the expanse that is necessary
to secure this Information. In order to
keep properly posted on market con
ditions It has taken much of my time
and also that of a stenographer through
out the year. During the marketing
period telephone and telegraph bills run
up as high as 960 per day.
The expense of securing this Informa
tion during the busy season Is, In round
' figures, sometimes as high as 11000 a
month. The crop of the average or
chardist. amounting from $1000 to 15000 a
ear, cannot stand such an expense.
This expense In an association, divided
among several hundred growers, becomes
a very small Item, but the result from
such information, on the other hand, is a
very big one.
The individual who sells fruit must be
thoroughly posted as to the standing of
all the firms with whom he expects to
do business. In order to get such in
formation it Is necessary for an asso
ciation to be a subscriber to all the mer
cantile agencies. This is an expense that
each grower cannot stand as an indi
vidual. Furthermore, the man who is
selling fruit should know personally
every Individual to whom he Is selling
and be familiar with all of the condi
tions In each city where he expects to
sell his fruit In order to sell it to the
best possible advantage. Such informa
tion can only be .obtained by a personal
visit to the large cities, where the fruit
la sold, and a personal call on the firms
who sell It. It Is evident to any one
that the Individual growif cannot af
ford such an xpense. This Information,
however, Is absolutely necessary, and
when this expense Is paid by an asso
ciation the Individual amount that each
grower has to pay is comparatively very
small.
Lastly, but perhaps the most important
necessity. Is business ability. The aver
age grower is not, and does not claim to
be, a business man. The man who sells
fruit sells it to buyers in big citlea and
these buyers are shrewd, keen business
men whose aim In business is the same
as that of any other business man's to
buy as cheaply as possible, sell as high
as possible, and make the biggest pos
sible -profit. To do business with theae
buyers so as to obtain the best possible
prices growers are compelled to employ
a man of good business Judgment, good
business experience and good business
ability, and above all a man that It
shrewd.
I think any orchardist will concede that
very few growers possess all these char
acteristics. I is therefore "up to" tho
growers, I! ney expect to obtain the best
prices, to form an association and em
ploy a man possessed of such character
istics as I have' outlined, to sell their
fruit for them.
The benefits resulting from association
are many. - A great saving can be made
through an association by buying sup
plies, such as paper, spraying materials
and boxes in carlots. The saving to
growers In Hood River on these items
alone amounts, annually to several thou
sand dollars. The greatest benefit, of
course, is the higher prices that growers
obtain. In order to convince the unin
formed that associations do obtain higher
prices, I will cite an illustration:
At Hood River before an association
was organised Spltzenbergs brought the
grower 85 cents. Since the association
was organised they have brought from U
to as high as IS.274 per box. Other dis
tricts, like Southern Oregon, La Grande,
Yakima and Wenatchee are getting far
better prices since they adopted the as
sociation plan than ever before. H
There sare many reasons for thj. but
the ui on t Important Is that In the large
Eastern cities and European markets
fruit is handled in carload lots and Im
mense quantities are sold at auction.
When fruit is sold at auction all the
boxes with a single mark are piled to
gether. A great number of marks in the
auction sale means confusion and lack of
confidence anr- low prices. Buyers cannot
remember 100 different marks from one
district, but they can and do remember
a single label from a locality. It the
ftTiit put up under that label is fair and
of uniform grade It will command a fair
price. If the association does Its work
well It establishes a reputation for uni
formity and grade which means fair
prices.
In addition to this there is confidence In
an association, because an association
guarantees Its pack and grade ind
stands back of that guarantee. The as
sociation is run on business methods and
the buyer knows that should a car not
be up to standard he can get redress.
And the buyer knows that if he has
bought and paid an Individual shipper tor
a car of fruit. If it is not up to standard
his chance of receiving a concession Is
really very small indeed.
Again, when a buyer buys a car of fruit
from an association he knows It is put up
under rules and regulations, and that
every box In the car, no matter what
grower it comes from, is of uniform
THE SCHOOI, POPULATION OP
PORTLAND.
Although a larger proportion
of children attend private and
parochial schools In Portland
than In many other cities, the
attendance in the public schools
Is large and rapidly growing.
Several new school buildings
and additions are erected each
year to keep pace with . the In
crease, which has been very
steady, as Is shown by the fol
lowing table of enrollment dur
ing the school years ending in
June:
18DT 10, 82
1898 11,345
1SS9 11.893
1BOO 12.280
1901 12.874
1902 13,239
1S03 14.211
1904 14.909
1003 13.877
1908 .'.17.031
1907 20.389
190S (eat.) 22,400
grade and quality and that both are guar
anteed. He can therefore sell this car
without Inspection and with confidence,
and he Is willing to pay a better price for
such a car.
There was much opposition on the part
of buyers to associations in the beginning
for the reason that buyers were unable to
purchase, at as low figures from associa
tions as they could from individuals. But
all this is -hanged. The following state
ment may seem strong; nevertheless It
Is a fact. Growers will get bettery prices
through an association, ard buyers will
pay better prices to an association, than
they will to Individuals. The reason for
this Is that the buyer is assured when he
purchases from an association that he
will get a uniform pack and a uniform
grade and that both will be guaranteed,
and that the association will live up to its
guarantee.
In conclusion I make one statement,
which I do not believe will be refuted by
any reliable firm that buys fruit in car
load lots, and that is that every buyer
will pay a better price for association
fruit with a guaranteed pack and under
one label than he will to an individual
grower who does not guarantee his fruit
and puts It up under individual labels.
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TTPICAI, O EEC OX TTOFYARD.
LEADS IN PRODUCTION OF HOPS
Oregon's Output' of 130,000 Bales for 1907 1s
Nearly Half of the United States Total Crop
By A. W. Prescott.
REGON Is the leading hop-growing
section of America, this
state having produced In 1907
approximately 130,000 bales, while Ihe
total crop of the United States was
about 295,000 bales. Of the crop out
side of Oregon, California produced
85,000 bales, Washington 40,000 bales
and New York 40,000 bales. A bale of
hops weighs, on an average, 188 pounds,
making the crop in Oregon 24,440,000
pounds. Of the total crop, probably
14,000,000 pounds has been sold, at an
average price of about 10 cents a
pound, making the returns thus far
$1,400,000. The remainder of the crop
Is In the hands of growers.
' Owing to- the peculiarly favorable
conditions of climate and soil in this
state, hop-growing has been a very
profitable Industry and in the laet two
or three years the acreage has In
creased somewhat taster than it has
decreased In other states, thus bringing
on, for one season, a condition of over
production. Experience has shown,
however, that Oregon can produce hops
cheaper than any other state and the
future of the Industry In this state Is
not In doubt. The grower who lives
upon his farm and gives his growing
crops his personal attention, can pro
duce hops at a cost of about 8 cents a
pound. Though this has been an "off
year" In the hop Industry, the crop, so
tar as sold, has yielded a profit to the
grower.
In other years the price has ranged
from 16 to 25 cents a pound, when
Immense profits were realized. It has
frequently occurred that growers have
sold a single crop for enough money to
pay all expenses and pay for the land
upon which the hopB grew. The largo
profits induced growers to Increase
their acreage too fast and prices de
clined. Many of the poorer yards are
'now being plowed up and It Is cer
tain that another season will find a
normal production, with prices that
will yield a good margin of profit to
the grower.
The hop Industry Is valuable to 'the
state because of the large number of
persons employed in harvesting the
crop. ' Hops mature early In Septem
ber and must be picked by hand.
Thousands of families go to the hop
yards and live In tents during the three
weeks of hop-picking, thereby secur
ing pleasant, healthful, outdoor work
at good compensation. Pickers are paid
SO cents a box and an average Indus
trious picker can gather four boxes a
day. Exceptionally rapid pickers make
as high as 84.50 and 85 a day. Where
whole families go to the yards, a con
siderable sum can be made In the brief
harvest season. This Industry, like
that of fruit-growing, distributes the
money paid out In wages among a
very large number of people.
Hop yards vary In size from 10 t
800 acres, about 20 to 80 acres being
the most popular area. Oregon has the
largest hop yard In the world, that of
Krebs Brothers, at Independence, Polk
County, where there are 400 acres of
hops In a single yard. A thousand
pickers are required to harvest the crop
TILLAMOOK'S APPLE INDUSTRY
By Fred C. Baker.
THE large crop of apples raised In
Tillamook County last Summer
proves that this county can raise as fine
a crop of apples as any county in the
state for size and flavor. This, however,
la an Industry which has not received
the attention It will on the completion
of the railway, for at present there Is
a ' greater supply than demand for ap
ples. Although dairying Is the principal
industry In this -section, orchardists have
of late taken more interest in their
orchards, with the result that they have
raised splendid apples whlh are good
keepers and free from blight.
The best apples raised In the county
come from orchards on the bench lands or
near the mountains, where they are pro
tected from the northwest winds. These
latlds contain a large percentage of
phosphoric acid, which makes them valu
able for apple raising. There are thou
sands of acres of land now unproductive
In Tillamook County that are admirably
adapted to apple growing which Is sure
to become an important Industry as the
county develops and is settled by new
people. One of the most raccessful orch
ardists In the county is Fred C. Skomp,
who resides near the Trask River, not
far from the mountains. He Is one of
the few who have made a spe'cialty of
raising apples in Tillamook county, with
the result that he has a good apple crop
every year. He asserts that this Is on
account of the soil, which is peculiarly
adapted to apple trees and perpetual
bearers. The apples from It bring a much
higher price than those raised In other
parts of the county, being highly flavored
and free from pests.
A remarkable thing about apples raised
In Tillamook county is that they are
free from worms. There Is no fign of
codling moth here. Other orchardings In
the county who have taken more care
of their orchards, pruning their trees and
putting the orchards In good shape, are
well pleased with the past season's crop,
the size and flavor of the apples more
than repaying them for the trouble they
have taken. The apples which do well in
Tillamook are the Ben Davis, King,
Waxen, Baldwin, Bell Flower. Northern
Spy, Gravenstein and Yellow Newtown
Pippin. Sweet apples also do well and
bear heavy crops every year. As soon aa
the railroad is completed and shipping
facilities are available Tillamook County
will be able to send to market appl
that will compare favorably with anjr
J grown in the slate.