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
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7iie Tbund Cluster
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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
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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
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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. -
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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
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"' 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.