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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 5, 1909)
THE SUNDAY OREGOX1AX, PORTLAND, SEPTEMBER 5. 1909. 7 r -ft V 0 X Q Rough Land That Has Been Made to Product $1 COO a Year; History of Pear and Apple Orchards, Costing . -. t? - Of v " . .1 .i f ... ' sr- . . ' - j a & r S 1 m i Ml .o f - BT ARTHUR M. CEART. IF Aladdin bad rubbed the ch&mney of hi ma1c lamp In modern times ho could hava caused no greater changes than thosa which have taken placa In the Rogua River Valley during; the past few years. From a partly desolate land of alternating meadows and mountains, narked here and there by a miner's cabin or Bog-ue River Indian village, the valley baa become one of the garden spots of the world, sending- Its luscious fruit Into all quarters of the globe. On vry hand: In place of the. unkept meadows and timbered uplands now stretch well tended, clodless orchards, surrounding neatly painted homes, barns and packing-houses, all signs of the habi tation of happy, prosperous. Industrious men. t It was only in 15S-1 that the Oregon and California Railroad (now Southern Pacific) built its line down through this region and tha real growth of the country did not begin until long after transportation facilities materialised. True, daring the boom which Immedi ately followed the coming of the rail road, such men as J. H. Stewart, of afedford. and later tha Carter Brothers of Ashland laid tha foundation of tha rrnit Industry. But the tlraa was not yet ripe, tha boom was short lived and tha valley passed Into . nearly two decades of peaceful slumber. It was only five years ago that the Rogua River paars and apples began to toe known in tha world markets on ac count of their fine flavor and rare keep ing qualities. Then the good prices for the fruit came, and tha real throb of life was lc stilled Into the valley. The old sot 'Jem found that they had a fortune In their bearing orchards and set out more trees. Capital and homeseekers wer attracted to the locality and straightway land prleea began to double. The people could not realise the true value of their orchards and many of the old timers sold out to Eastern tenderfeet at what they considered fancy prices only to sea tha buyers pay for their or chards out of tha firrt two or three crops and then, sell at twlca the former figure to other Easterners who would repeat the performance. On account of orchard land being so cheap In propor tion tv the returns a vast number of fortunes have been quickly made, and a large proportion of the Inhabitants of Southern Oregon now possess property worth from $5tf.000 to 1300,000. The people who mads fortunes out of the fruit industry may be divided into three classes: first, the early settler who by the sweat of his brow mads his or chard in the meantime supporting him self by diversified farming: second, the tradesman who plying a business In the town developed an orchard from his net earning?, and third, the capitalist who more recently has been reaping rich ra- turns ' from bis Investments In fruit lands. A type of tha successful orchardlst who has made his way by being first on tha ground and sticking to it through thick and thin. Is John O. Gore the owner of tha heaviest bearing Bart lett pear orchard In tha valley. His orchard, seven acres In extent, is situ ated on the heavy black loam of Bear Creek bottom and Is Irrigated by means of a gas engine pump from Bear Creek. The orchard Is part of tha donation claim taken up by Emerson E. Gore, the father of John Oora In 1861, the trees being set out by tha old gentle man In 1S88. Tha father at the time of the building of the railroad In 1884 had a three acre orchard which during the railroad boom brought him big dividends. This led him to plant hts new orchard. It was remarkable tha judgment with which tha varieties for the new orchard wara selected. Tin block of applea consisted of the Yallow Newtown, SpiUenberg and Bafdwln, while seven acres was planted solid to Bartlett pears. Every one of these va rieties has since then proven itself good and the son Is now reaping the benefit of his father's wise selection. During the 80's tha Oora's 3-acre tract of trees became Infected with San Josa scale. As the old pioneer tells, "We did not know of sprays In those days and when the San Jose acala in fected my appla trees I dug them up for I would mot ralaa diseased fntlt." Although with the knowledge of the spray such an action la no longer necessary, it waa this spirit which made Rogue River Valley what It is. one of the cleanest fruit growing sec tions of the world. The seven acre Bartlett near orchard now brings a princely Income to Its owner, the seven carloads shipped In 1907 bringing returns amounting to over a thousand dollars an acre. Last year the prices - paid for peara were emphatically oft color but even then Mr. Gore's returns from his Bart lets amounted to $645 an acre. This year the prices are good and his harvest Is enormous, filling ten cars. , Mr. Gore has worked hard and used much originality In the care of his orchard and well deserves hla present success. It was ha who Introduced smudging in tha Rogua Rlvar Valley, saving his crop from the heavy frosts In tha Spring of 1(08. His system Is to build woodflres between every four trees. This, of course, takes a great deal of labor, especially if tha eold snap Is at all prolonged. Mr. Gores methods In taking care of hts -orchard are original, many of them entirely at variance with scien tific fruit growing. Instead of keep ing the center of "the tree open, ha packs it full of pears. Thus by keep ing his fruit-bearing limbs close to the tree- Instead of long and tapering. , 4 At ' ' - I he is able to put more fruit upon then, without fear of breaking the limbs. Mr. Gore does not thin to gain in size; his, hr'- y black lvam and plentiful water supply makes this un necessary. He thins Just enough to keep his trees from breaking down. As stated his methods are not such aa can be applied to tha ordinary orch ard, but tha load that Mr. Oore packs into his trees is astonishing and is one of the sights that makes tha Eastern visitors gasp. Mr. Gora describes his method of irrigating thus: "I try to supply at each Irrigation an amount of water equal to a good rain. I do not believe In drenching my orchard nor In apply ing water too frequently. I have noticed certain seasons In which tha fruit throughout the valley was of good size, and from these good years I have learned the proper time to water. A rain In the early part of June spoils the hay, but makes the fruit, If this rain does not come I supply the neces sary moisture by Irrigation. Rains In the fore part of 'July and August also have always benefited the fruit and at these times I again irrigate my orchard if the necessary moisture Is not forthcoming from natural sources. I have been Irrigating- my trees for four years and find that double crops can ba gained by tha limited use of water." The Bates brothers. TVUllam and James, for J5 years barbers in Medford, are fine representatives of the second class of fortune gainers. These men with their father, J. T. Bates, arrived In Med ford entirely without means. But tha sons had their trade and soonwere earn ing good weekly wages. Different from most barbers, the Bates brothers were ambitious, saved their money, and In stead of letting what they heard from the men they shaved pass In one ear and out the other, they retained and digested It J. H. Stewart, the father of tha fruit Industry In Soutltern Oregon, was one of the men fhey came dally in con tact with in the pursuance of their call ing. Ha convinced them of the fortune to be made in the fruit industry. As luck would have, It their father, J. T. Bates, was an experienced fruit man. having owned an orchard near Eld on, la., until the poor crop from fhe cold blluards of that country broke him up In business. In 1900 the Bates boys were able to borrow enough money to buy a 83000 ranch. 115 acres in extent, three miles east of Medford. On the ranch they placed their father aa superintend ent and then with a vim entered Into their - eight-year campaign of develop ment. The land was covered with chap arrel and mansanita brush and scrub oak. This must be cleared, trees must be planted and the young orchard need be. cultivated, pruned and sprayed. This farm formed a savings bank for the weekly earnings of the Bates brothers and kept them frugal and IndURtTious In their habits. But the eight years' grind is over now, and although the sons keep on bartering It Is from force of habit and not from need, aa their or chard has come Into bearing and with another year will bring an Income worthy of tha care that the father has expended upon It. Eight years ago the ranch, as stated, was bought for lJ0O0: now, with a great deal of coaxing, the Bates or chard might be bought for $100,000. . It Is to the venturesome spirit' of Dr. H. B. Picket, a well known physician of Southern Oregon, that the people of the Rogue River Valley owe the opening up to the planting of orchards of tha large tract of land known aa Big Sticky, how ever, better known among fhose familiar with the locality by several unmention able aliases. In Winter the roads through this dis trict are Impassable to a wagon. Even in a light buggy a driver must get out every few rods and knock the mud off tha wheels with a club. To work this I land as an orchard needs to be worked was considered impossible and there was little belief that the land would ever grow trees. In fact grave doubts were expressed as to Dr. Pickel's mental ar rangement when .he. In the season of 1906, set out 8,000 trees, covering 140 acres. But when he followed fhis up by plant ing 4000 more trees tha next year It was freely predicted that Dr. Plckel was head ing for the wall. Little did anyone, even the doctor, think that three years after the first planting the orchard would be sold at a profit of nearly $100,000. The story of Dr. Pickel's buy on Big Sticky, reads like a fairy tale. It appears that the doctor and his wife had nearly completed plans for a trip abroad, but through the influence of Dr. Van'Pyke, of Grants Pass, they became Interested In orchard land and decided that if a suit-, able buy offered Itself they would take it and postpone the trip abroad. One day Dr. Pickel was called on a case over into the Big Sticky district and liis driver who was familiar with the country, pointed out the Bush ranch of 161 acres which waa about to be foreclosed by the state for the Interest on money borrowed from the achoo! land fund. Next to It was the Smith ranch of 240 arres which the driver said could be bought for $4000. Right then and there. Dr. Pickel forgot all his desires to see the cathe drals and art galleries of the old world Instead ha bought both farms, paying J6500 for the 401' acres. The trees set out on the 4S1 Ranch, as the orchard was called, grew fine, despite ths dismal predictions. Tha soil was even found workable if han dled at the right time and In the right way. The second year Dr. Picket bought 160 more acres, but he farm was still known as tha 401 Ranch. Last Spring, feeling that the underr taking was too great for a single man to handle, the doctor 'sold out to a stock company for $110,000. The land, the trees, the Improvements and the labor expended cost Dr. pickel $35,000, leaving tha difference as a handsome profit on a three-years' investment. The doctor has si see then bought another place which he is developing. Now, nearly the whole of Big Stickey Is being set out or has been set out to orchard. , ... Hunt Lewis, Walter F- Burrell and Captain Gordon Voorhles, all of Port land; Dr. Page, R. H. Parsons and C. E. Whiskler, from the East, are represen tative of that class of moneyed men who, during the past several years, have gathered rich returns from Investr ments In Rogue River fruit lands. Hunt Lewis, In 1902, bought the fa mous Bear Creek Orchard of 200 acres from Weeks & Orr, for 135,000. Strange to say, the people at that time thought Hunt Lewis had much the worse of the bargain. From the 85 acres of bear ing orchard Mr. Lewis took off gigantic crops, averaging In receipts $1000 an acre, during the good years. In the Summer of 1908 Hunt Lewis sold to a company composed of John D. Olwell, C. lb. Whiskler, Clarke & Meyers, for $160,000. These men now hold the property at $350,000. and 3udglng from the returns expected from this year's crop that figure is a reasonable one. Fifteen Varloads have already been shipped from the 21 acres or Bartlett pears, and the picking Is not yet com pleted. .... The Burrell Investment Conipsny, which has 600 acres In trees and nearly 200 acres of the tract In bearing. Is composed of Portland capitalists. Cap tain George Voorhles bought 1&3 acres from J. H. Stewart in 1900 for $22,000. This piece of land contained soma of the oldest pear trees In the valley, which, in the banner fruit year of 1907, yielded $2000 worth of pears to the acre. After a few years Captain Voor hles turned his Interests Over to the Burrell Investment Company, which Is now the largest single fruit grower In Southern Oregon. One of the prettiest apple and pear orchards In the valley is the Hill Crest, four miles east of Medford, which was sold by Will Stewart in 1900 to J. W. Perkins for $23,000, by whom In July, 1908, It was resold for $75,000 to a stock company. In which the majority of shares was held by It. H. Parson, of Seattle. This year the Hill Crest Company counts on a $35,000 crop, -as Its trees are loaded to the limit. Medford, Or., September 1. How to Dispose of Harry K. Thaw Dr. Owens-jtdair Declares Cure She Advocate Should Pa Employed. WARRENTON, Or., Aug. 28. (To the Editor.) The following clipping was sent to me from North Yakima: Gam llenlsU think Harry Til aw an enough ta b release!. Valuable testimony might b obtained trem Lr. owena-Adair. Oregoaian. Had I not failed to see It, I would have replied at once; but it may not yet be too late, as Harry Thaw, "like the poor," will be with us at least for some time to come, as the question of his Insanity will be in dispute. But the most Important question to my mind is, that he should not be allowed to reproduce himself. We have enough and ean Prison Association Congress today an the "Indiana Plan" for preventing- the propaga tion or criminal and i.ltou was bosun by th dissent and davalnned In an alinust unani mous sHntiuit-nt in favor of tha plan and was according to president J. T- Oilmen, of To ronto, one of tha moat profitable discussions that association has) held for years. I thank (iod that Washington has an able woman in Mrs. Foster to advocate this necessary reform. Last January, after my bill was In the hands of the committee and printed, 1 went to Port land and before the Merllral Society, asking them to Indorse my bill. One doctor said he had seen a report of the It has been established that he has I york of a similar law In Indiana. In the been a worthless, lascivious libertine, j American i Medical Journal. We could I have stated before that every well- not find the journal, so I applied to the informed phyisleian knows the intimate i hiate Librarian, lip searciied diligently, relation eirlstln between the brain and ! but could not find the law. I nesged the reproductive organs. So well is , him to try again, and under dlff this fact known that many insane women have been restored to sanity by the removal of the ovaries. I have alwo referred to the fact that the most virions animals have been rendered gentle and docile by exsectlon. And I believe that through this simple rem edy Harry Thaw could be converted Into a harmless and decent man, and perhaps beeoma a comfort to his mother and last, but not least, give the reading public a rest. Why should the whole country be wrought up over a case like this, when a simple remedy, properly applied, would settle the question for all time? In conclusion I will add that I am delighted and made happy to know that the work that I dtd last Winter in the Oregon and Washington Legislatures Is already bearing good fruit, as shown by the following debate: Eeattle, Aug. 19. The debate la the Amerl- erent heads. He did so. and found It under Prison Reforms. ! took the law to the committee and begged thorn to sub stitute the Indiana law for my bill, which waa very similar, but more drastic. The Indiana bill became a law In 1907, the same time tlmt 1 had my first-bill Introduced In the House. I felt that a law that had been tested for two years with good results would carry weight with It, and It did. On the first day of February, 19n9. two-thirds of the t-enate voted yea and on February 17 there were only five dissenting votes in the House;' and had Oregon hsd a Governor who valued his pledge, she would today have a latv that would prevent thousands of ln sano and Idiotic children being forcd upon her protection, and many of th Inmates of the asylum would be -rendered self-supporting. DR. O WENS-AD AIR.- '