MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE
Second
Section
Pages
9 to 16
FOUKTU YJ3A.R;
MI5DFOKD, OREGON, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 3909.
No. 215.
1 if in THE ROGUE RIVER VA LLEY. 1 APPLE KINGDOM OF THE WORLD
No more delightful or fnHolmiling
lifo tin 1 1 lie iiiiiiKiMcd than tlutt of tin
Roguo Rivor orohitriHhlM. A lour
through Hi" k' i on I fruit iojioii tribu
Inry lo Modford will convince m v
oho of tint truth of thin iiMHirlioi).
lMulifnl huino commanding i i i i
viuws of tho vnlloy not nliotil by i'm!
Ium row r f Indon fruit trees can lii
jtoHii on ovi'iy luiiiil, uiul tho ooeu-J
pnnla come from nvory .Foetiou ol
tho country n oultutml, InlolliMit
oImnm (lint would gineo any region
The Mini Juttuu nnd tho iilunl I
2m that of iliu orcliHnlint, tho mm
who mnko n good living nnd n lit '
inoif, hi on n Iiomn, freu mix! i
iliwnut, with oimrtunity for In"
., (tt tIvf)umioiil living bin lifo in
(tod' MUM MIIUnllltH),
lliulnt All1 .N'rcdcil.
Do not think, howevflr. that Intel
: ligiioe nd drain nru not needed on
i the orchnrd. It wiik no accident that
, the Kokuo Hivor vnlloy tipplex went
the firxt prize t tho National nppfo
1 show. Tho bout thought of I'm
hrniniovt men Iiiih boon applied
h'iiico tho pomdbilitioH of tho lim-iiie-
have hoen nppnront. In tho light of
thuir cxperienco tlicro need not lie
n ninglo failure among Uioho who1
now embark in thin buninosH. It U
not an ouotipnlion especially udnptcll
to tho wants of n luzy man, for ill
require tho closed attention at all
times, hut its nwnrds aro ho great
that It in very alluring to men of in
telligence. Since early day when ovcry farm
had itH orchard, producing many
kiudh of fruitn, Roguo Itivor npplos
havo Wen notctl for qunlity, and
only a week ago a body of compe
tent men at the N'ntiounl applo hIiow
judged them tho finest produced in
tho world.
It Ih n far cry from tho homo or
chard.. with its hundred varieties,
good, bad am indifferent, to tho
modern commcroinl orchard with its
one or two variolies only yet, for
scientific commercial reasons tho
Roguo River grower jjnH cj 0( 0f
calculation all but two varieties,
which aro standard tho world over,
and produced in perfection in an ex
THE WORLD'S LARGEST APPLE
At tho Spokane Applo Show a Spokane Beauty apple, grown by F. L. Post, of Chelan, Wn-h., wns said to bo the largest apple in the world.
It measures 17 1-8 inches in circumforcnco nnd weighs over -11 ounces. A Wolf River npplo from Sharon, Wash., is 18 3-8 inches in circumference,
but weighs only 87 ouncos. Horo is an npplo grown, in. tho Roguo Itivor valley of tho Red Cheek Pippin variety, that measured 18 inches,
showing that if local growors had entered their products, they would havo carried off the prize for producing tho world's largest apples.
started commercial apple nnd pear
jrri.vivjf in the Rogue River valley,
v !ih at the prosont time has reach
ed nn acreage that neither of the
two pioneers ever dreamed of when
they planted their orchnrds in the
early pionoor days of tho '50s. To
day apples from tho Rogno River
I valley go to all the corners of the
globe. With her product soiling on
the markets of the world at top
'prices with fruit growers of the
ontern nud contral states discour
'aged and destroying the worthloss
jorrhnrds which have boon a cum
brance on the ground for yonrs, it
i apparent that the world will look
'to the northwest for future major
(supply of apples and to the Rogue
River vnlloy when wishing to receive
j the, best.
Still In Infancy.
' But tho apple business in the
' Rogue River valley is as yet but in
iits infancy. This year the demand
J for fniit troos 1ms far exceeded the
available supply from all sources,
' nnd thousands of acres will not be
planted to trcc3 because the young
j sapling could not be secured. Next
I year the mnrkcts of the world -will
again be found waiting for the high
class fruit of the valley. The sup
plv will be greater and the demand
with it. Growers afe careful in
ranking their pack, nnd every box
that goes out is a good advertise
ment. In this way it has carried the
news of the vnlley to millions of peo
ple in the eastern and central states,
as well as in foreign lands, who eat
the fruit praise it, but know ns lit
tle of tho country which produces it
ns the American people know of the
Isle of Pines. It is an impossibility
to overdo the fruit business. Unless
radical changes in other sections of
tho united States are made in the
culture of apples, the American peo-
ooodingly small area, tho cllow
Nowtown Pippin and tho Aosopus
Spitzonbnrg, both of which aro pro
duced in perfection hero.
Yellow Newtown Pippins.
In the npplo markets of London
tho highest prices for nny vnrioty of
npplo aro obtained by tho lollow
Nowtown Pippin from tho Rogue
River vallyy. There is n marked
oharnctorUtic of this noted npplo of
which many aiv ignorant. With nil
its merit nnd it is thought by many
to bo tho ideal npplo of tho trade
today tho Newtown is in most sec
tions the fchyest benror nnd the most
capricious cropper of tho wholo list
only in Virginia !b it at all a suc
cess in tho eastern stntos nnd out
sido of tho Roguo Rivor vnlloy it will
novor ho produced on a commorcitil
ficnlo to cut nny figuro oven in the
host orchard sections of tho north
wostorn confct.
Horo it is almost ns prolific as tho
Bon Davis itself, nnd thoro has never
yet been n total failure of tho crop.
Sinco cnrlond shipments begun from
this vnlloy in tho Into 'l)()s, tho New
town npplo from this district has
practically driven tho intorior prod
uct of cortaiu valleys in Cnlifomia
nut of tho London market, nnd tho
high prices havo ovor prevailed.
In tho Now York market tho Spitz-
eiiliurg is the reigning favorite. In tho
Roliiq River vnllov it is most pro
ductive nnd of tho highest grade. In
some sections it not only outyiolds
tho wonderful Newtown, but appeals
to tho horticulturist becnuso of its
'fine flavor and high color. The
American buyer prefora n red applo
and tho Spitzcuhurg is tho grcnt fa
vorito for tho holiday trado.
Acreage In Orclinnla.
At present thoro aro 25,000 acres
of apples in tho Roguo Rivor valley.
Of this ncrengo, 2000 ncrcs aro in
hearing, 1000 carloads being pro
duced. It was late in tho '00s before
tho first cnrload shipments woro sent
out, nnd tho industry hns incrensed
over since. This year f000 acres of
apples will bo planted. When tho
rnilrond first reached tho Roguo
River valley in 1881 tho only orchnrd
of nny sizo woro tho npplo and pear
orchards of 13. K. Andorson of Tnl
out, of about ten ncrcs, nnd tho np
plo orchnrd of James . Vnnoy, four
and one-half milos west of Grants
Pnss, which contained about oight
ncros. Thoro wns no nmrkot for tho
apples and pears grown in thoso two
orchnrds, nnd tho surplus not re
quired by tho owners wns freely
given away to pioneer neighbors who
woro without fruit.
Tho Andorson nud Vnnoy orchnrds
which woro in thoir primo in 1881
mndo both of thoso pionoors rich,
ns tho demnnd cronted by transpor
tntion possibilities crontod high
prices for tho limitod product. Thoso
orchnrds woro tho primo factors that
AN APPLES PICKING SI2CBNK IN O NE OP THE FAMOUS ORCHARDS OF THE' ROGUE RIVER VALLEY.
pie will bo forced to import apples
instead of exporting them. Many of
tho middle western nnd eastern
states reported small yields this sea
son, duo to failuro in numerous in
stances, but generally becauso of
posts. Orchnrds have been neglected
nnd in scores of places tho trees
have been permitted to die becnuso
of the lack of even ordinary attention.
In 1890 the total crop of tho conn-
try was 77,000,000 bushels. Sinco
thon hundreds of thousands of ncrcs
have been added nnd methods of
frpit growing have improved yet
the government reports show thnt
tho nggregnte crop in 100S was about
02,000,000 bueheR
Always a JinrkCf,
There will always be a market for
apples. There never can bo nn over
production of first-clnss stock. It
i in fact impossible nt tho present
time to produce tho qunntity of good
apples requisite to meet the demand.
This is evidenced bv the fnrt
England, Germany, France, Den
mark', Australia and tho Orient nro
already drawing upon tho orchards
in the northwestern states.
There is no section in the United
States that is as free of 'nesfs ns i
the Roguo River valley. This is not
tne result of accident. Tho Roguo
River vnlley irrowers nro th mnf.
intelligent in the world." Tho Roguo
River vnlley is tho first and only
section of the United States nt tho
present time in which the depart
ment: of agriculture has permanently
iMnuoncn an export to assist in tho
cultivation of fruit. So many de
mands have been made upon tho de
partment that Professor M. B. Wait,
in chargo of the bnrenu of plant in
dustry, hns named the Rogue River
vnlley the star section of tho United
States in the matter of fighting fruit
pests. The Roguo River valley is as
regulnr in its crop production ns nny
part of tho known world, p.nd ono
can bo certain that ho will li
laborod in vain if ho concentrate
his efforts on tho right variety of
fruit on tho right kind of land here.
Manager Georsro Rae. of Ann k
ITatficld, of New York City, tho
largest firm dealing in western
fruit, says: "Tho finest fruit in tho
United States, without exception, is
produced in tho Roguo River vnlloy.
Some years ago I thought that with
mo constant plantiner of new nrch.
ards there would be nn overproduc
tion nnd thnt tho fruit could nnt hn
marketed at a profit. Exnorienoo.
however, proves that thero is no-such
thing ns an overproduction of high
quality fruit such as is produced
about Medford. With tho incronso
of tho country in populntion nnd
wealth has come also nn increase in
the demnnd for fancy fruit, nnd only
a few places grow it. Tho demand
exceeds tho supply. Tho enst can
not produco tho quality of apples
and pears grown m tho Rocruo Rivor
vnlley. Whorcvor your fruits aro of-
lereu tho highest prices aro paid, and
it js always in demand at fancy
What tho future can mean to tho
fniit industry in tho Rguo River
vnlley cau only bo conjectured. Her
pears havo smashed nil records in
prices paid for fancy fruit. A board
of competent judges havo named her
apples tho finest grown in tho world.
Tho demand for fancy fruit cannot
bo mot. Judgo, then, for yourselves
ns to her future
What the Victory Means j& jz? Views of J. A. Westerund
Onq of tho most onthusinstio or
chardists in tho Roguo Rivor vnlloy
is J. A. Wostorluud, prosidont of tho
Westom Oregon Orchard compnny,
who owns tho largest commercial or
chard in tho World, no is woaring
tho smilo that won't oomo off. "Think
of it," ho snys, "I havo booon in tho
vnlloy only n short timo, yot a fow
npplos from our orchards, which nro
not yot in full bonring, onrrlod off
ono of tho prizoB at tho socond nn
ttonnl npplo show, nnd that on a
pinto oxhibit, whoro wo hnd 1323
competitors, 43 of thorn competing
for tho prizo of tho snmo vnrioty,,
Yollow Nowtown Pippins, ns wo hnd
on oxhibit.
"Troii8on & Gulhrio's succoss in
carrying off tho grand awoopstakos
prizo of $1000 makos Roguo Rivor
vnlloy tho applo kingdom of tho
world. In my opinion thoir task was
onsy. Thoir carlond of Spitzonhurgs
wns so far suporior to any othor that
tho gonoral public's opinion nt tho
show, pronouncod it tho host, oven
boforo tho judgos pnssod on its mor
ita. "This cloarly domonstratos thnt
tho Roguo Rivor vnlloy is tho homo of
tho Nowtown and Spitzonbnrg npplos,
Thoro is no othor locality that can
produoo thoso vnriotios to porfootion
liko tho Roguo Rivor vnlloy. It wns
unfortuniito that our npplo growers
did not tnko inoro interest in tho
untional npplo show. I am fully con
vinced from whnt I snw nt Spokn.no
that hnd our growors b5en thoro with
tho different vnriotios of npplos, tho
Roguo Rivor vnlloy would havo car
ried off tho majority of prizes. Wo
have, of ourso, tho "Applo King of
tho World" horo now, Our growors
should got togothor and show the
world whnt tho vnlloy can produco
nnd hold this honor in tho future
Tho Roguo Rivor vnlloy can do it, but
it will not continuo to hold this honor
if wo do not tnko moro intorost in
demonstrating to tho Vorld nt nn ex
hibition liko tlio national npplo show,
tho splondid vnriotios of npplos that
wo grow horo.
''Wo nil know whnt wo havo and
can do, but tho rest of tho world
doesn't know it, nnd if it knows, it
is so npt to forgot, becnuso tho othor
follows nro making so much noiso
nbout thoir particular locality. It is
by constant demonstration nud proc
clniming tho nows thnt you can hold
tho attontion of tho gonornl public.
"I hnd a convorsntion with ono of
tho onthusinstio grovoi-s from tho
Wonntcheo valley, and ho told mo
thnt boforo thoy enrriod )off tho
sweopstnkos prizo Inst yenr thoir np
plos wont hogging for buyors at from
$1.25 to $1.50 por box. This yonr
tho bulk of thoir crop sold for $2.50
a box nnd up. IIo snid tho wholo
world soomod to think that tho only
spot on earth whoro you could grow
apples to perfection wns in tho Wen
atcheo vnlley. Thorefore, tho buyers
this yenr stood rondy to pay most
nny price. ITo snid tho sweepstakos
prizo had tho snmo effect on their
lnnd vnluos. Orchnrd Inuds thnt sold
for $800 to $1000 por aoro boforo tho
prizo was captured, has sinco sold
for $1500 to $2000 per noro, and in
somo instances orchnrds ovon
brought tho enormous price of $3000
por noro.
"In my opinion," Mr. Wostorluud
continued, "tho Roguo Rivor vnlloy
hns n most brillinnt fuluro boforo
it, particularly now whon tho world
at largo will rond in all nowspnpors
nud mngnzinos that tho Roguo Rivor
valloy enrriod off tho grand swoop-
stakes prizo at Spokane, nnd nlso Columbia rivor or in Washington
will know that tho finest npplos and Brititsh Columbia, and that is
grown como from this vnlloy. our climntio condition. Tho wintor
"In tho noxt 12 months wo shall horo is very mud. In Washington
sco nnd hoar fronuhomoscckcrs nnd and tho northoro part of tho Pacific
cnnitnlista from nil tinrts of tho 'northwest, tho onrlv frost nnd win.
world. Tho publicity that tho swoop-! tor gives tho fruitgrowers consider-
stakos prizo will givo this valloy can nblo Gnxiety at timos. Tho Roguo
hardly bo estimated. At another np- Rivor vnlloy fruit industry is yet only
nnd tho wildest
plo show tho othor localities will try, in its infancy,
thoir host to win tho prizo thnt wodroamor can hardly predict what a
havo captured. It behooves tho .brilliant futuro thoro is in storo for
growors, thoroforo, to begin early and tho progressive people in this valley.
proparo for tho noxt npplo show, so .Wo nro busy building a beautiful city
ns to hold this prizo, if possible Wo ( horo now, nnd thoro is no ronson why
can boat tho world on pears, apples Modford should not grow to bocomu
and grapes. Thoy can bo grown horo, an important oommorcinl center,
to a degroo of porfootion. Wo havo ( What Spokane is to Washington,
ono condition absolutely in our favor jMedford will soon bo to Southern
thnt is not to bo found nlong tho Oregon nnd Northern California."