VOL,. XXXIX.
rORTLAND, OREGON, SUNDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 19, 1920
NO. 3S
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BT DE WITT HARRY.
(Copirlgt. 1020.)
ECE.NT heavy rains were ex
pected by Oregon hop growers
as their annual picking show
ers, for each season they have a dark,
dreary period during their harvest.
Just a few short years back they were
confronted with storm clouds presaging-
a period of stress with the advent
of prohibition and the spread of the
wave throughout the United States
Infected them with such a feeling ot
gloom that many of the Oregon fields
were plowed under and given over to
other uses.
However, the late showers were in
terspersed with fleeting periods of
sunshine and an occasional rainbow
helped to make pleasant the moisture,
the pickers are happy as their work
was worth more on account of the
gain in weight and the crop is being
placed in the dryers in firsb-clase
condition. In. marketing conditions
somewhat a similar occurrence has
' taken place for the clouds of poor
demand have been banished and the
present day market is better than ever
before. Neteen hundred and twenty
seems to be year of paradoxes and
one of the most extreme is that in
this Oregon crop for, with the coming
of prohibition, has come wealth for
the growers of that essential element
for the preparation of malt beverages,
the hop.
Market Dream Surpassed.
At one time, about ten years ago,
Oregon had 30,000 acres in hops to
day there are between 12,000 and 14,
000 acres producing in the state.
" When the industry was at its climax
here the production ran about 160,000
200-pound bales a year. This year
Oregon will likely place about 60,000
bales on the market. In the old times
it was a gamble of the biggest type,
this growing of hops, with the varied
fluctuations in price and no stability
Today the grower seems to be play
ing a sure thing, if such exists.
Twenty-five-cent hops used to be
the dream of the rancher of old and
he made good profits at 6 and 7 cents
a pound. Talk of 25-cent hops today
and you will be met with a sneer,
even 45-cent hops have been reached
and passed and the indications are
that this year's crop will market at
60 cents or even better, depending on
narket conditions. What the profits
are may be figured by the average
man who can keep track of rising
costs in production and keep sight, at
the same time, of the fact that the
growers of old made good money at
8 cents. Hops have sold as' low as 2
cents a pound in Oregon, or $4 a bale.
At $30 a bale the grower seemed to
have reached the limit of his imagina
tion, but with today's possible crest
price of $120 per bale the rainbow's
cud and the big pot of gold. for the
Oregon grower seems to have been
reached.
Panic Causes I'OBt Fortune.
Four years ago none of the men in
this state who had made it their life
work to grow hops and had their
acreage planted would have given
even the shortest of songs for their
chances of gain.' The onward engulf
ing sweep of prohibition threatened
to smother them in its dry dust. Cali
fcrnia. to the south of us, only last
year bad a similar experience, only
on a greatly magnified scale, when
the citizens of that state wept in
horror of their fate with the despoil
ing of the wine grape industry when
the nation became an arid desert.
Grape growers there, like hop grow
ers here, sold their vineyards for
song, as the hop ranches had gone be
fore them, or turned their land ove
to the scarifying, Diaaes or gang
plows. Blind, unreasoning fear af
fected them all and they got out from
under, dodged disaster by a hair
breadth as they both thought, and
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today all who became Infected by the
panic are busily engaged In. kicking
themselves or trying to get back in
the game they abandoned.
Prices unbelievable have been ob
tained for the hop and grape crops,
both real essentials in the manufac
ture of malt or spiritous beverages
now under the ban of this nation.
It remained for the wine and beer
ndustries to be ruined for the pro
ducers to make fortunes. Where .do
the bops and the grapes go?
Other Aatlona Have Drink.
Prohibition has not been world
wide, this is the main answer. The
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explanation of the different phases
of the market ' on similar- grounds
ceases here as far as any similarity
between hops and grapes exists.
Grapes have found other uses, for no
matter how spirited may be the con
tention that' a great proportion of
the product of the vineyards and
ranches is being used in the sub rosa
creation of unlawful beverages, the
producers agree that only a small
proportion of the . output is . being
used in this manner.. With the ad
vent of prohibition people have de
manded some substitute for the drink
that used to cheer, something that at
least was palatable and would sub
due thirst, if not quench it. Long
accustomed , to the taste of certain
standard types of drinks, manufac
turers got busy and created new
concoctions that in appearance and
taste resembled the beverages of
yore. If minus their kick. These
drinks have proven exceedingly pop
ular and a new class of drinkers
have sprung up, for the woman of
today has her lnnocous tipple in com
pany with man, and a host of soft
drink palaces and bars have been the
result in all sections of the nation,
catering to the new demand. It is
the concensus of opinion among pur
veyors that quantity fluid consump
tion has Increased In the country to
day, and manufacturers of the mod
era sott arinK are getting more
money for their product than was
paid for the snappy potions of 1919
(Oregon 1915)
This newly created business is ab
sorbing the major portion of Califor
nia's grapes. Dry, they are shipped
broadcast; the juice, unfermented, to
day has an almost insatiable market,
and-the raisin industry has also taken
a new Jease on'life. .Whether the
bootleg manufacturers or the home
wine plants absorb enough of this
output to be a serious element for
consideration is a matter of doubt,
though it is admitted that dry grapes
are freshened and used in wine mak
ing. Raisins are the favored mode
for imparting some little tinge of
wild life to the home product, and
even the unfermented Juices are made
use of by those who work them over
with the addition of certain carefully
guarded Ingredients for the produc
tion of draughts that have a real
punch.
. Hop la Real Ontlaw.
Enough for the grape. It has a
side of respectability that makes it
possible for marketing in all recti
tude. Not so the outlaw hop. It is
used in making beer or similar drinks.
Oregon hops, bright in color, have
been in great demand the world over,
especially In the preparation of light
ales, for which they are especially
adapted. In England many of the
brewers would be lost did they not
have their stock of Oregon hops for
their necessary blending, .and it - is
just this little Ingredient from far
across the sea that gives them their
little endearing touch of palatability
that lingers on the tongue of the
drinker.
Henry Gulness & Sons. Ltd.. of
Dublin make what is admitted to be
one of the best brands of stout in
the world. Their plant is a model
one, visitors always welcome. Unl-
lormea guides take charge of the par
ties, tell of . the greatness of the
Guiness family, and then exhibit the
plant in its entirety. Entering the
malting room, the tall, uniformed
Irishman 'in charge will gather his
party together and ask them' to come
close while he exhibits the compo
nent parts of the finished stout.
Tribute Paid to Oregon.
"Hearr in thes kase he extolls
with an inimitable brogue, "we find
th' ingredients that go to th' makin'
of Guiness famed stouts and porthers
This is the rale Orish malt, this th'
corn, these dark, hops are th' Kentish
hops and these brite ones1 are th
rarest, and most select hops In th'
worrold, th' Orregon (with a most de
lightful- roll that makes you home
sick) hops from th' staate of Oregon
in the United Shtates of America,
which is far on th' wastern coost of
that land across th' sea."
And today it is England that is
creating the market for Oregon's
hops. It is the buyers from that
country who are after the product of
the Willamette valley yards this year,
and they early invaded the district and
contracted for as much as they could
Many farmers, of course, held out for
more money, 60 cents a pound did not
appeal to them, and come may have
gat more. Anyhow, they had hopes
that the market would reach a 75-
cent peak this fall and they might
not have been such bad guessers if
the trouble with exchange had not
dropped up at this time. With the
English pound sterling quoted today
at practically one-third off. It Is
nearly Impossible for the buyers from
that country to compete in the open
arket, as this means that they have
to pay 60 cents for hops plus one
third off in exchange, this meaning
that by the time they get their prod
uct laid down In their own breweries
they have easily reached more than a
dollar a pound with freights and
nacklnir charges. No matter how
much the Englishman loves his beer,
it is doubtful if he can afford to pay
such an exhorbitant price for It, In
other words starve in order to drink
Grawen Are In Quandary.
This has put the Oregon grower be
tween the devil and the deep sea, for
he Is in a real quandary. There are
a number of dealers who are willing
to take a chance and contract hops
at the prevailing market, but the
rancher, sometimes, does not care to
deal with them; he Is holding out for
more. If rates of exchange are ad
Justed he will doubtless get It, al
ways providing he does not have to
sell at the market In order to get the
cash. In this event the dealer will
either get the raise should it come,
or get it in the neck if it falls. The
market situation is in an Impasse
today, both sides trying to wait the
other out.
, Hop picking in Oregon has always
had its side of appeal to many as a
source of ready and substantial in
come at a" time when it was needed.
Professional pickers If people may
be called who work at the trade
for only a few weeks each year
flock to the fields each fall and get
their winter, stake. Strange compan
ions are met in a hopyard.
The tall harvest season in Oregon
may properly be said to start with
the hop picking. Of late years some
families have made It a practice to
take their automobiles and camping
outfits and follow the fall work from
place to place. Taking to the open In
the middle of September, they have
been able, to go nearly steadily Until
late October, about six weeks of good
moneyed work. First came the hop
gathering, then the prunes, apples, i
other fruits and finally haying and
the grain fields. Many mothers In I
this state who have to fend for their
own take to the hopflelds in the fall,
sometimes with their children, and
make enough money in the short sea
son to keep their youngsters in
school for the winter.
Field Conditions Show Change.
An outing in the hop fields is not
an exceptional thing, though more
and more people nowadays are prone
to take it as an experiment. The
old-timers know what it means and
go there for what there Is In It. Ten
years ago, when Oregon raised bump
er crops, the pickers came from far
and wide, brought their own blankets,
foraged for themselves, had their own
tents or slept on brush beds in the
open and were content to pick the
cleanest kind of hops for SO cents a
hundred. Today they get model
camps, their firewood is furnished
them, stores and supply depots are
at each camp, - they are taken from
their homes to the fields and returned
and paid at the rate of $1.50 per nun
dred. Last year there was a scarcity
in pickers, this year the labor situ
ation is excellent and managers of
yards have had to exercise discretion
to prevent overloading with help
Water is piped to several of the near
by model camps and the shed houses
are well constructed, separated from
each other to insure privacy and even
straw furnished for bedding. Ped
dlers and wagon dealers visit the
yards several times daily with all
manner of foodstuffs and the man
agement places an automobile at the
disposal of the pickers' to run their
town errands. Mail service is usually
of the best.
The season generally lasts from 10
to 22 days, depending on the help and
size of the crop, and is well under
way now. The pickers stop between
showers but do not seem to mind the
moisture and are right at their job as
soon as the rain has ceased. Early
morning picking is favored by many.
as they hold that they get better
weight when the dew is on the vines.
The same belief governs those who
get out right after a shower. The
practice in the yards In this section
Is to plant the hops in hills and then
train the v'nes so that they will
climb posts and then run along wiree
with, the blossoms hanging down.
When it comes time to pick the wires
are let down and the picker has the
crop right at hand and in easy reach.
The rule is usually that each vine
must be stripped as the picker pro
gresses and that no leaves or bits of
brush are to placed with the hops.
Clean picking Is the aim of the yard
owners, but in many cases the picker
wants to get weight and quantity.
Many a torrid battle has been waged
just over this little difference.
Winter Fonda Amassed.
Good pickers In the fields should
gather from- 400 pounds up dally. An
average of the dally wage would
ikely show about J5 each, though
many go far in excess of this figure.
There are no stated hours and some
of those who are keen for the cash
work long shifts. Almost anyone
should be able to gather 300 pounds
dally and many couples in the fields
earn $11 a day or better. Take this
amount for three weeks and then
follow on to the next open harvest
and through the six weeks of the
season, the winter exchequer has sev
eral hundreds of dollars and those
who did the work a good healthy
tone with little expense.
There are certain people In Oregon,
women especially, who get out on the
hop harvest each year. They are
usually well known to the ranchers
and are in demand. Floating labor
has been proven not nearly as effi
cient as are these people. Neighbors
or nearby residents also are a great
help and in many places look on the
money earned In this way as a wind
fall. The city people who take to the
open and follow the harvests seldom
have any definite programme or
schedule and just make their way
along as their fancy dictates. Indians
who used to come and help are seldom
seen nowadays, as they are not en
couraged. The old-fashioned Indian
hop picker came in state with all his
family, dogs and cattle and the owner
of the place had to care for them all.
However, the gypsy life of the free
harvests will always be attractive
and there will always be people who
will take it up and the healthy labor
It brings. The problem In Oregon
now Is to get more city people out In
the fields if possible.
Amateur Brewer Waste Hops.
Not having the skill or ability of
the professional brewer the home ex
pert of today, at least until he has
progressed far enough along to master
the art, manages to use twice the
quantity of hops necessary in the
making of good beer. This causes a
waste, but how much of the crop
goes into these channels is a matter
of doubt. Hops are a queer com
modity and many bales have been held
in storage by breweries all over the
country that are just being released
and placed on the market. It is pos
sible today to go into several places
that cater to the home trade in Port
land and. buy hops in various sized
packages. Some of the sales are made
Ioobb in bags, some in pressed cubes.
In South America they have an ex
cellent market.
In the treatment of the crop at the
yards it does not make a great deal
of difference about the weather, and
despite the rains of the past few days
the reports are that this year's crop
Is one of the best yet. On the hops
being picked they are weighed and
the picker given a ticket calling for
the amount gathered. The loose hops
are then taken to kilns and there .
dumped on a level floor and dried in
an even temperature for from 14 to
hours. This is the time they are
given sulphur treatment, which has
the double effect of bleaching the
hops and of killing all vermin. This
year's hops, an extra prime crop that
will likely be in great demand for
their excellence, have been pronounced
exceptionally free from lice.
After the drying is completed the
hops are taken to a cooling room,
where they are again returned to nor
mal temperature and then the crop is
picked over and baled, ready for mar
ket. It Is at this time that the buyers
come after the crop and the 200-pound
bales are then the standard of com
merce and they make their journeys
to the world markets in this form. In
some few cases expensive presses have
been installed for reducing the bulk
of the crop, but the usual practice is
to sell loose. South America, however,
prefers the compressed output. The
Oregon bop can usually be easily
spotted on account of its brightness.
In a good yard the pickers can har
vest between two and three 60-pound ,
baskets from one hill and when the
clusters are prime, as is the case this
year, the harvest may be even better.
This year's crop Is one of the best
the state has ever had In Its history
and the only thing that is bothering
the growers is their market. If it
will hold, and this seems to hinge
mainly on the exchange situation.
they will indeed find their pot of
gold at the rainbow's end when the
clouds of prohibition had nearly made
them abandon hope.
Fros;s' F-yfi Are Cameras.
Boys' Life.
The smallest camera In the world
which has actually "taken" pictures
Is doubtless the eyes of the frog.
It has been found that if a frog is
kept in the dark for some time the
retina of the eye, on being dissected,
is found to have a purple reddish
color, which fades away or becomes
bleached on exposure to daylight. If
the eye be placed in front of a win
dow and left there, or "exposed" for
some time and then fixed in a 4 per
cent solution of alum the optogram Is
partially fixed and retains an inverted
picture of tn window. It is claimed
that by a similar photographic proc
ess the last picture or image retained
by the eye of a dead man or animal
may be preserved.