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THE MORNING OREGONIAX. WE
Triic Sprfinn . nf Orpioron is Fast
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Regaining the Reputation It Enjoyed
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By J. C Couper.
T1IK Willamette Vallry has aga-ln
come into her own as a producer
of apples of the highest quality.
In pioneer days this beautiful valley -was
known an "the. land of big red apples,"
because of the luscious quality and the
exquisite form and eolor of its fruit.
Hut the great development of the fruit
industry in California and the lack of
transportation to more distant centers
robbed the valley of its markets. Then
the Interests of the farmers became so
varied that those old orchards were neg
lected, forgotten and soon passed Into a
ghostly semblance of their primal glory.
But .with ample transportation facili
ties; the opening of new markets and the
neglect of trees In the apple-growing sec
tions of the Eastern and Middle States,
' new commercial ' orchards have been
planted In many localities' throughout the
valley. The recent apple fair held In
Portland has demonstrated conclusively
that apples of the very highest grade are
raised In the valley, and growers have
become Infused with new vigor and en
thusiasm for their work. A new Inter
est is lent to the planting of trees, and
several thousand acres will (be planted
in the valley this Winter. Many resi
dents of other apple-growing sections are
flocking Into the valley, attracted by the
magnificent showing of fruit made at
the November fair, and the next two
years promise to be record-breakers In
the planting of apple trees.
- The largest commercial orchards In the
Valley are the Wallace orchard, in Polk
County, managed by C. A. Park, and the
Lownsdale orchards, in Yamhill. The
m narly juays
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Wallace orchards are almost wholly of
Spitzenbergs and are great producers of
high-grade fruit. The crop of 1907 was
very light, but in IflOS 15.000 boxes were
marketed through Hood River channels.
Mr. Park expects an enormous crop on
his trees this year and is making ex
tensive preparations for handling it by
up-to-date methods.
The paraphernalia of a large apple or
chard, the complex operations during the
Summer season, the pageantry of gather
In and caring lor the fruit after it
leaves the tree are as spectacular as in
any .of the large orange groves of the
South. The great u36-acre orchard of M.
O. Lownsdale. of Lafayette, Or., is a fine
example of advanced method and system
In orchard operations, and probably con
tains more labor-saving devices than any
orchard on the Coast. This is in fact
the largest individual apple orchard west
of the Rocky Mountains, and to the de
velopment and carrying to .maturity of
this great undertaking its owner has de
voted the best years of his life.
The orchard consists of Baldwins.
Ppitzenbergs, Yellow Newtowns and Ben
Davis the leading, commercial apples of
the wrhj. The chief characteristics of
the fruit of Yamhill County, where this
orchard is situated, are the great size
and beauty of 'Baldwins, the brilliant
scarlet and high flavor of Spitzenbergs,
the solidity and at the same time juici
ness of Yellow Newtowns and the excep
tional keeping quality of all varieties.
Many innovations and improvements
have been devised by Mr. Lownsdale. in
cluding new cultivators, new methods of
spraying, the handling of a crop by ma
chinery after It reaches the warehouse,
new methods of storing fruit and of
handling it in the warehouse, new styles
of packing to present fruit in 'the most
attractive manner to the buyer. Mr.
lownsdale is a pVst master in these mat
ters and is a leader in all that pertains
to the apple business. His methods are
copied widely by apple-growers through
out the. state.
The romance of a crop begins in Mr.
Iownsdale's orchard when five spraying
machines, mounted on wagons, with tiieir
crews and attendants, are among the
trees just previous to blooming time. A
crew consists of two men spraying from
a platform over the engine, seven feet
from the ground, and one man following
the team with a lead of hose to spray
underhanging fruit, and what is missed
by the overhead men. Another "man with
a team delivering spraying material to
the tireless engine complete the crew.
Three sprayings are given during the
Summer in this orchard, though many
sections have hitherto thought it neces
sary to spray six and seven times. Thin
ning of overloaded trees, constant culti
vation and watchfulness during the Sum
mer; great care in picking fruit and in
hauling to the warehouses, make it nec
essary to employ an army of men and
women, whose handling of the several
operations are intricate as well as stately.
All fruit is thoroughly washed and grad
ed by specially constructed machinery
before being stored. This is an innova
tion found n no other apple warehouse
in the world. The apples are stored on
ventilated trays, through which circulate
draughts of air, controlled by special in
ventions of Mr. Lownsdale. This care
ful work is the secret of the keeping of
fruit by Mr. Lownsdale until apples from
other orchards are off the market, en
abling him to secure high prices for his
output.
There is no question about the keeping
quality of the Willamette Valley apple if
it is properly handled. Apples in this
valley are of extremely high flavor,
which is due -to the extraordinary amount
of juice and spicy oils they secrete.
After the apples have been stored on
ventilated trays, through which is a whirl
of draughts, they soon begin, to sweat.
The draughts take care qf the moisture
by rapid evaporation and soon anoil ar
pears on the surface of the fruit, giving
1t an appearance of having been dipped
In varnish. This is the fruit's preserva
tive. These jspicy oils and juicy secre
tions (the very elements that produce
delicacy of flavor), if given off while
apples are stored in bulk, will tend, to
hasten the ripening of fruit. But if
tiaporatlon be provided for by "proper
methods of handling draughts these high
flavored apples will keep longer than the
drier fruit of many localities.
"When the fruit is brought from the
orchard It is emptied into a vat of
water, whence it passes Into a revolv-
ng brusher, a machine six feet in dia
meter, which, revolving under water;
carries and turns the fruit over and
over among a combination of brushes
and then dips it out where It is run
over a sizing machine. The fruit is
then clean and free from evidences of
spray and other objection's bt matter.
It is then carried, to the sorti'is tables
where off-grades are taken out, to be
sent to the evaporator.
Prunes are sorted as to variety and
put upon trays to be run into the ware
house, where they are stacked upon
each other, 30 high, to await the pack
ing season, which ordinarily com
mences after January 1.
McLownsdale claims to produce the
highest type o Spitzenbergs grown on
the Coast. : which means in the world,
and his fruit is well known among
the commercial handlers. , The apples
from this orchard are taken "year after
year by the same customers who ex
press great satisfaction with them and
with the daintiness of their pack. A
recent letter to him said: "Your mag
nificent fruit is packed superbly. In
fact, during our 30 years' of handling
apples, we have never seen as fancy
a pack of fruit," Mr. Lownsdale's crop
was very light last season, but this
scarcity was general all over the
United States and prices for fancy
fruit ruled very high. Mr. Lownsdale
sold his fanciest Spitzenbergs for $5
and his next size for $4 per box..
"Yet," he said recently, "the quality
"of "fruit this year is - not up to the
average apples are too large, too fat,
and abnormal physical conditions of
fruit are everywhere evident. It is a
mistake to say that because the crop
was light It would be of high quality
give me a tree comfortably filled and
normal in all conditions and I will
alwavs gather from it the fanciest
fruit."
Mr. Lownsdalo. is the president of
the Willamette Valley Apple-Growers'
Association and has been the most
potent factor in bringing the Willam
ette Valley to the front rank as an
apple-producing section. .
APPLES IN LINCOLN COUNTY
By C. B. CroHno.
AT this time the world's consumers
of good apples are looking to Ore
gon' for their supply, and thus creating
t hearty rivalry between the different-).
sections of Oregon as' to which locality
produces the best . apples. Lincoln
County does not lay claim to the ban
ner nor profess to produce the best, but
Is proud to be recognized as part of
Oregon, and its locarion places our
county In the ranks as a producer of
good', sound appies as good as the best
on a commercial scale. Being situated
on the western slope of ,the Coast
Range, facing the Pacific Ocean, the
codling moth and worms that are the
pests of other sections are unknown in
Lincoln County
Once our people planted only small
orchards for family use; there are
many such orchards in Lincoln County.
A number of these orchards have been
bearing annually "heavy crops of fine
apples for over 3J years, with little or
no care or cultivation. The bodies of
these old trees are as smooth as the
alders, with no moss .or dead limbs to
mar the beauty of tho tree. The fruit
each year is large, sound and well
colored; no trace of worms or other
pests a test sufficient to prove that
Lincoln Countysis simply immense In
its possibilities.
But the idea of commercial orchards
is new toour people. In J906 a. few
carioads. of apples were shipped., -This
Winter 14 ears are being sent over
the- Corvallis & Eastern Railroad, and
large quantities have been sold to con
sumers in Portland and the Valley to
people who appreciate a good thing
when they see it. One man who is
shipping ten cars would ship twenty
were it not for the recent little panic.
He brands each box of apples with
Ills name, locality, and guarantees thu
fruit sound and free from worms.
O.ur people are coming to a glad
awakening regarding the great possi
bilities of the country tributary to
Yaquina Bay. and are planting com
mercial orchards and incorporating a
horticultural unjpn to work for better
pruning, cultivation, packing -and mar
keting of their apples. Our appKs
grow without Irrigation. All varieties
known in Oregon do wefl here, though
the hill and bench lands raise the best
apples. We have thousands of acres of
such lands, which are still cheap and
can be easily -cleareo. .
In one three-acre orchard on
Yaquina River, last season, there were
packed 1X34 boxes of shipping apples.
The owner also sold 200 bushels of
apples out of the same orchard to peo
ple in the Willamette Valley who de
sired an apple they could eat in the
dark. Vet this orchard had very little
care. With what nature has done for'
us and with cheap land, a good harbor
and a railroad, the prospects for apple
growing in this district are very
bright.
S. G. Irvine, of Xewport, made an
exhibit of apples at the recent fruit
fair at Albany, and though his exhibit
was in competition with an extra fin!
display, it attracted much attention and
had the favorable mention of various
Willamette Valley newspapers..
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PANORAMIC VIEW OF EXTENSIVE COMMERCIAL PEACH ORCHARDS NEAR THE DALLES, OREGON, THE COLUMBIA RIV
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