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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1908)
13 Surpasses All Other States in Amount of Standing Timber Millions invested in Lumber Industry THE MORXIXG OREG0NIA3T, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 1908. TWEShS AMONG OEG0 IWWIJABIi Mm By F. C. Knapp. TO thusb with poetic inspirations, as well as to those with only mer- Oregon make strong appeal, and whether Journeying through the yellow pine dis tricts of Eastern Oregon, the sugar pine country of Southern Oregon, among the cedars of ths Port Orford slope, the big spruce of Clatsop County, or in the fir clad hills of the Cascades, we cannot help being Impressed with the magnitude of the Creator's '-handiwork. Oregon has the proud distinction of growing In her forest garden practically 100 different kinds of trees, a fact thatr may surprise some of her own enthusias tic! eltliena and be of Interest to those not entirely familiar with the resources of this wonderful state. Would the cabinetmaker or furniture builder seek new fields? Is the stock of the matah manufac turer running short? Would the owner of charcoal ovens abandon his present location? Would the proprietor of the- pulp wood works and the paper mills extend to life of those Industries? Is the leather. manufacturer looking for bark, light of weight but heavy with tannic add? Would the trunk or coffinmaker locate close to his supply of timber? Does the manufacturer of curtain roll ers or broom handles feel that Mother Nature has turned her back on his busi ness? Is the veneer manufacturer of the east- fern states seeing the "beginning of the end?" If so, then It is for those and "more also" that the State of Oregon wears her sweetest smile as she picks from her lap and holds up for their Inspection her redwood, poplar, larch, spruce, myrtle, hemlock, white and cone pine, ash, man zanita, oak, cherry. Port Orford cedar, and other woods daily utilized in con nection with the world's necessities. When those best posted and others of us with only a few Ideas regarding the timber resources of Oregon think of this subject, we see, or have seen until a very recent change came over the spirit of our dreams, immense sawmill plants, ever a half thousand of them, the build ings of which. If set end to end In a circle, would fence In an area equal to that occupied by Chicago. The Jaws of these huge manufacturing plants fed with logs, the securing of which requires the combined efforts of nearly 10.000 men in the forests with donkey engines carrying wire cable sufficient to reach from east tb west across the state of Michigan; railroad track almost equal In mileage to the en tire amount of track controlled by the trans-continental railroad lines operating within Oregon; drivable streams with splash dams which. If all closed at one time, would raise water In their "flow age" sufficient to float the warships of any three nations of the world; GRAPES THRIVE IN SOUTHERN OREGON All Well Known European Varieties Reach Perfection in the "France of America"--Future of Industry Promising-'Large Acreage Planted I , -. . "jl 9 " ' it I ,' ? - . I I V ' ' ' -v : 7iie Tbund Cluster ... Ross: orpjz&zr Tiedlsrtd Vl'neyc Grants By A. H. Cim, Proprietor Kedland Vine yard. aT the present the acreage devoted to commercial grape-growing in Southern Oregon Is not large. The largest vineyard In this part of the state one of 45 acres Is owned by the writer, and is situated six miles south of Grants Pass, In Josephine County. The aggre gate acreage now in grapes will not ex ceed 2C0 acres in Josephine and Jackson Counties. From the fact the lands of Southern Oregon that are adapted to the vine are the hillsides and slopes of the foothills, the grape Industry has been given no great thought or attention In the development of Southern Oregon's horticultural possibilities. I have realized for a number of years the adaptability of Southern Oregon's large acreage of foothill lands, with Ideal climatic condi tions for growing the grape, were the people shown how. My own modest suc cess is an object lesson of the fact that commercial grape growing will develop, and these cheap hill lands be Improved, and make suuue y&luikbla hnmea lor the J 8 m.JJi"'''k;liii'''''',CT a " , - i . ' - .) it... -j.-.. -y 'T- - these plants with their armies of em ployes are engaged in distributing, we might say, the rough material from a scant dozen of the almost unlimited vari ties of Oregon woods. If 20.000 men distributing a payroll of $15,000,000 a year under ordinary condi r-7 . Tf ' . ? ' :: .. r 4 .;.-:., -i Nil Mfcw'vffW " tions are required to handle the present output from our forests, who will make a prediction as to the future of even this one of Oregoli's many resources after those woods, in a measure unknown, be come revenue producing, and the ma terial now being manufactured Is brought still closer to the finished product? Cluster' f7df(&y Gr&pes. Grown f&OZ &y.f.C5?zspn grants .Pass. Or. - .r- . .jar Bsc r J AM tf i i Photon Miser- Pioto d. Portland! Of- OREGON LUMBER FACTS Of all Oregon's rich and varied re sources, standing timber now ranks first. Of the state's many products. settler who may have the patience and I industry to put them in vines and till them. For the -past three years the' success I have had on these hill lands in growing such superb European grapes as the Flame Tokay, White Muscat, Malaga and Red Emperor, marketing them in Port land markets in competition with the same varieties grown in California, sell ing the Oregon-grown grape for more money per crate than California grapes, has attracted the attention of people who have lived here many years. The Flame Tokay reaches perfection on the hillsides of the Rogue River Valley as to color and flavor. When matured, ready to gather, the clusters on an October day look like balls pf fire. There Is no place oh the Pacific Coast where the Tokay colors as highly as it does on the hill sides of the Rogue River Valley. Our soli and sunshine develop the actd and grape sugar in combination so per fectly that the Flame Tokay of South ern Oregon has no rival on the Coast in flavor for the table. All of Southern Oregon's choice grapes are grown without Irrigation. They are firm and stand long-distance shipment The shipping qualities of the Flame To kay was thoroughly tested last season when I shipped grapes to nearly all the Eastern and Southern States without ice. They were" on the road from eight to ten days, and all crates shipped were report ed In good condition on arrival. The fact that non-Irrigated grapes stand ship ment better than grapes grown by irriga tion has awakened the people ot South ern Oregon to the great opportunity now open to engage in grape-growing on com mercial lines and make these foothill lands valuable, not only to the individual .who Improves them, but to the state. The industry in Southern Oregon from now on will expand rapidly. During the next three or four years there will be many thousands of acres of commercial vine yards planted. I expect to see this In dustry grow to such proportions that seven to eight years hence Grants Pass will be the shipping point for hundreds of cars of Flame Tokay grapes. This Winter the acreage that will be planted to Tokays Is limited by the num ber of rooted Tokay vines that can be had of the nurseries on the Coast. Land owners have already filed orders with the nurseries of California nd Oregon for rooted Tokay stock until It is ex hausted. Josephine County will plant about 400 acres of Tokays this Winter, and Jackson County about 100. Men who have failed to get rooted vines are clear ing and preparing land for next Winter's planting. There will be 800 acres planted to grapes a year from this Winter in the vicinity of Grants Pass. In varieties that will be planted, the Flame Tokay will lead all others, with the Malaga, Empe ror and Muscat in the order named, all choice grapes for the table and long distance shippers. As a money-making fruit, the grapa, in my opinion, is among the best It is an annual producer. There are no off veara with the Wraps. I have grown grapes in Southern Oregon for the past 26 years, and during that period have never lost a crop from Spring or Fall frosts.- There Is no spraying to do. for Insect pests and fungus diseases. There is no fungus disease the grape-grower has to contend with, excepting powderly mildew, and it yields readily and cheaply to sulphur In powder form. Southern Oregon has soil and climate adapted to growing the vine on hundreds of her hillsides. Natural conditions of the Rogue River Valley for successful viticulture are the best, and the grape grower's success Is assured If he plants the grape and attends to the necessary details in their proper ae&son. .si,; f w 5 -"M-hti Frr f :'?:..': ;rk ? "' xniwiLim ii-wnww';",wgiiiMiiliwinl"'i' - wiMMMi; which are constantly Increasing; In number and volume, none approaches In value the output of lumber. Oregon Is one of the few great lumber states In tire Union and is destined to be an ever-growing factor In the markets of the world, as forests of the Eastern VITICULTURE IN WILLAMETTE VALLEY Grapes of American Varieties Especially Adapted to Soil and Climate of Western Oregon Industry Long Established and Extremely Profitable. By Walter Hoge. THE pioneers of Western Oregon found here few of the wild fruits n nimmnn fllnnr thn TCAStern bor der Of the continent and that extend even to the great central dividing line of the Rocky Mountains. Especially did they miss the purple clustered vine ho.. i-IV, anrt franut fruit Was eagerly sought through Autumn woods by bird and beast and man. But it they found it not wild, they soon began the Introduction of cultivated varieties, and were not long- In discovering that these would flourish here with rare luxuriance. Some varieties were found better adapted than others to the cli matic conditions prevailing; here; some locations, owing to soil. or slope Of land, seemed more suitable than others to the vine, and out of years of in telligent experiment, tireless labor and loving cultivation, has grown one of the important horticultural interests of the state. How important it has become is shown by the reports to the State Horticultural Board which place the crop of 1907 at 3,945,000 pounds, valued at $124,500. Vine growing is not confined to any particular part of the state. It is the man behind the business, rather than location, that insures success In this Industry, as is abundantly demon strated by the flourishing vineyards at Jacksonville, Grants Pass, Forest Grove, Mllwaukie and The Dalles, as well as at scores of other widely scat tered places throughout the state. Conditions at the various vineyards are largely the same, the variations re. suiting more from the markets to be served and the varieties of grapes best suited to them, than from any other cause. For that reason the vineyards of Forest Grove may be taken as typical of all others throughout the state, and of them I write especially. For more than 20 years grape grow ing for market has been in progress near Forost Grove, and experience has taught growers many practical lessons. One of these Is that hill lands are bet ter for grapes than valley lands, not because the soil Is richer, but because .it is better adapted to the vine. Then it Is found that a southern slope is better than any other. The Spring sun warms it early and Autumn rays linger there long and lovingly, ripening and mellowing the Juices of the fruit, giv ing a sweetness and delicacy of flavor unequalled in fruits grown In less favored locations. For that reason, David's Hill, a southwestern extension of the Coast Range that juts oui into the valley Just north of Forest Grove, has long been a favorite site for grape growers, and year by year new vine yards are added, until now it Is prob able that no other equal - area in the state is so largely devoted to culture of the vine. The hill rises with irregu lar surface to a height of about 1000 feet above the valley, and It is found that the upper reaches of these slopes produce the best grapes. It Is noticed that often clouds and fog are thick over the valley while these uplands fwlll be radiani wnn apnugr or auiuiuu sun. and early and later frosts are much less liable to damage cioom or 2 Jig -Jt , states become exhausted and the lum ber Industry is still further developed in this state. According to Government estimates, Oregon's forest wealth attains the al most 'incomprehensible total of 300. 000,000,000 feet, board measure. A. B. Wastell, secretary of the Oregon & ripened fruit than at the lower levels. The pioneer of the business on this hill was F. W. David,' who began to plant the vine there commercially about- 30 years ago, but he has had many follow ers and now much of the two-mile stretch of southern slope is dotted with vineyards. Other fruits are not neglect ed and flourish there, but the grape Is the distinctive crop. A. Reuter, who has been in the business for 21 years. J. A. Peterson, 19 years, and A. Anderson, F. Blied, R. Holischer, William Koppel and others for less times, now have large and profitable vineyards. A vineyard once brought Into bearing goes on for many years with seldom a failure of crop. The amount of yield varies somewhat with the different va rieties of grapes, some being heavier bearers than others, but growers on David's Hill estimate their crop at from five to six tons per acre on the average. There is always a hungry market for them at Portland, Seattle, Tacoma, Spo kane and -other Western trade centers, at prices generally quite remunerative, the net rturns for th last crop being es timated at Zhi to S cents per pound. Oregon vines are remarkably free from all diseases and pests, especially those that have wrought such havoc among the vineyards of Europe and California. County Fruit Inspector Harris, who has seen much of the ravages of the dreaded phyloxera in other places, says he has found none of it here, and he attributes our freedom from it in large part to cll matlc conditions. In Europe they have found the best way to fight phyloxera is to flood the vineyard for a time while OREGON'S 1907 By I. J. Kern. OREGON has many and varied nat ural resources, which are of - im mense value, but it has none from which the working people receive greater returns or which .means mora to labor direct, as well as to those who have their capital Invested, than the fisheries of the state. The principal salmon fisheries of Oregon are on the Columbia River and have their headquarters In Astoria. Here the main ashing season extends from April 15 to" August 25, but little over four months, and still during that time there was expended In 1907 by the Astoria pack ers among the men who labored to catch the fish the enormous sum of over $1,000, 000, to say nothing of . the amount , spent "for labor in transporting and packing the fish after It was caught Owing to adverse natural conditions, the output of the fisheries last year was somewhat less than usual, but still dur ing the main or Spring season about 200, 000 "cases" of salmon were canned on the Columbia River, but these were "as they run," many of them being half cases. What is commonly known as a case of salmon is 48 one-pound cans, and figuring on this basis the season's pack on the river was in the neighborhood of 193.500 cases. Th cold-storage pack of pickled fish amounted to about 7910 tierces. As each tiarca of pickled salmon contains an aver Washington ' Lumber Manufacturers' Association, declares that this estimate Is tod low. From the result of recent cruises, he says that the figures given evidently do not include much of the secondary torest, where the growth is not so heavy, but nevertheless valu able. Mr. Wastell believes that 400, 000,000.000, Is a more exact estimate. Although the lumber output Is now Immense, the mills have hardly made a gap in the great body of standing tim ber. The Douglas fir, which com prises 40 per cent of the timber wealth of the state, is of rapid growth, and It Is believed that the forests will be self perpetuatlng;. Barring losses by fire, the supply is virtually Inexhaustible. Authoritative estimates for 190J place the lumber cut In Oregon at 2.000,000,000 feet, with a value of S30, 000,000. Early in the year it was be lieved that 1907 would exceed this amount'. And so- It undoubtedly would have done so, had not the "railroads ad vanced rates on lumber shipments. This movement resulted in a curtail ment of the cut -whloh la estimated at 1,500,000.000 feet, of which approxi mately 400,000,000 feet was sawed in Portland. Some, however, declare thai the increased cut at the beginning: of the year will offset the reduction in the closing months and that the total for 1907 will be as high as that of 1906. Although the rate troubles are still affecting the sawmills, lumbermen be lieve that these difficulties will soon be adjusted, resulting In Increased out put. The mills of Oregon have a ca pacity of 4.000,000.000 feet a year, and with favorable rates and adequate transportation facilities, It Is thought that It will not be long until all mills will be running at full capacity. Under usual conditions 20,000 men are em ployed In "the lumber Industry in this state, with a total payroll of more than tll.BOO.000. What these figures will reach when favorable traffic conditions are restored, can only be conjectured. Portland has the distinction of being the largest lumber producing city in the world. There are other ports where greater ater shipments are made, but in the combined shipments by rail and water, Portland stands at the head. Some of the largest sawmills in the world are here, and they furnish employment to thousands of men. It is probable that before many years the mills of this city will be cutting 1,000,000,000 feet each year. Portland possesses many natural ad vantages as a lumber manufacturing and distributing center. Great cargoes are sent to the Orient and the South American cities, and these markets, to supply which Portland is so well situated, are bound to become larger buyers as time goes on. In addition to this, Portland is in a strategic position . to compete for the Eastern and South ern trade of this country. The ad vance in rates has handicapped the city and state In both markets, but if the old rates are restored on the hear ing before the Interstate Commerce Commission, as is confidently expected, shipments to both districts will at once increase. The lumbermen are making aKtrong fight for reasonable rates, and If dis- . crimination against Oregon is with drawn, no state has a brighter future in this industry. " the vines are dormant In Oregon tha Winter rains seem to furnish the needed flooding to drown the Insects which prey upon the roots, thus protecting the vine from them. Most of the varieties of the vine grown elsewhere in this country and Europe have been tested in Oregon and the kinds best suited for cultivation here have been ascertained. Probably the Concord leads all others for general purposes, but the Niagara, Moore's Early, Worden, Dela ware, Red Mountain, Sweetwater and Black Hamburg are all popular and largely planted. The last two are es pecially chosen as wine grapes, though very few are grown for that purposa about here. One vlneyardist who ha given considerable attention to that In dustry made 110 barrels of wine this Fall from six acres of grapes, mostly Sweet waters. He finds that it takes about GOO pounds of grapes to make a barrel of wine. y Now as to the qutdity of this fruit that Oregon can produce In such abundance. Connoisseurs give it a very high grade. At the Chicago Exposition an exhibit of grapes from David's Hill was brought into competition with fruit from Califor nia, Lake Erie and elsewhere, and re ceived the highest . award. At Buffalo wines from the same place received the gold medal for highest excellence. In all markets they rank high as a table grape for their delicate flavor. They are mors tender and Juicy than the Califor nia grapes and are almost universally preferred when brought into competition with the product of the Southern vine yards. SALMON PACK age of about 800 pounds of cured fish, and as one-third the weight is lost In clean ing, this cold-storage pack represents 4219 tons of raw salmon, and as 30 tons of fish are required for each 1000 cases, the cold-storage pack is equal to 140,600 cases of the canned product So the fatal out put of the fisherlesv - if all had been canned, would have amounted to 236, KiO cases. The prices for the raw fish ranged from S to 7 cents per pound, with an average of over 6 cents, during the entire season. Figuring on SO tons to 1000 cases, the can nery and cold-storage packs represent a total of 10.085 tons of raw fish, for which about $120 a ton, or $1,210,000, was paid to the gillnetters, trappers and seiners, the greater portion going to the gillnetters. In addition to this, fully 400 tons of freh salmon were sold in the open markets. During the Fall season on the' Columbia River four canneries were in operation and a total of about 62,000 cases of canned salmon was put up, while the 11 canneries on the Oregon coast streams packed in the neighborhood of 104,000 cases. Figuring the market value of the Co lumbia River Spring pack at $7 a case, this year's output was worth to the can ners $2,368,500. Figuring the market value of the packed salmon at 15 cents a pound, the Spring cold-storage pack was worth $949,200, and figuring the market value of the Columbia River Fall pack and the pack of the Oregon coast streams at $4 a case, they were worth $248,000 and $416, 000, respectively, thus making a total of $981,700.