Income From
Estimated $1
Stone Fruits
Million IrHere
(Edilor'i note: How Is agriculture doing in Jackson
county? What is its futura? How does it stack up as com
pared to the past? What are the major items of income?
(The following is one of a series of six articles, prepared by
the Mail Tribune in cooperation with the county agricultural
extension office and others, in an attempt to answer these
questions.)
Stone fruits contribute about
SI million annually to the ag
ricultural income of Jackson
county.
This Is about 119 of the
estimated gross horticultural in
come, and about 1'28 of the
estimated income derived from
all agricultural enterprises.
Much Competition
The story of Jackson county's
on-again-off-again peach produc
tion could be summed up in one-
wosi competition.
Until the 1980 s there were
no peaches in the county. Then
about 400 acres of early Craw
fords were planted in the Ash
land area. When the trees began
bearing fruit, growers found a
good California market.
Peach production became a
major agricultural enterprise,
and harvest and processing pro
vided a strong source of income
for residents. But .Californians
soon began raising their own
peaches. They developed late
season varieties, which by 1930
had viratually forced .Jackson
county growers out of the mark
et. Plant J. H. Hales
Local growers met the Calif
o r n i a challenge by planting
about 1,500 acres of J. H. Hales.
There were ready for market
even later than the California
grown varieties, and markets
opened there. Another import
ant market opened in Portland.
Yakima peaches then came in
to the picture and eventually
dominated the Portland market.
But Jackson county growers
fought back with high quality J.
' H. Hales and Rio Oso Gems.
These varieties were welcomed
in California and also enjoyed
some popularity in Portland.
The market picture was good for
about 15 years. Then Calif
ornians began developing com
peting varieties and demand for
local peaches declined.
Revised Acreage
Tough competition resulted In
reduction of acreage, which now
totals only about 1,000. Most
of the acreage is concentrated
in the Phoenix area, with some
in Medford and Ashland. Pack
ing and selling are now being
conducted both by packing,
houses and on an individual
grower basis and it appears the
"small grower" here is being
squeezed out of the peach in
dustry. Necessity has been emphas
sized in recent years for small
growers to channel their fruit
through1 central packing or sell
ing plants.
The stone fruit subcommittee
of the Jackson County Ag
ricultural council -has recom
mended that a market reporting
service be established and that
local growers assume the ex
pense for such a service.
Cordy said, "Peaches grown
here are of as high quality as
those grown anywhere. But we
need a greater volume of pro
duction (in the hands of fewer
sellers) to command market at
tention." The stone fruit subcommittee
has recommended that plantings
of late varieties for commercial
shipping be not less than 10
acres in size.
More Changes
Production of cherries was al
so once considered a major ag
ricultural enterprise here, but
has undergone drastic changes
in the past quarter-century.
Until the late 1930's, there
were about 400 acres of cher
ries in the county. The leading
varieties were Bings, Lamberts
and Royal Annes. Then, cherry
trees became infected with al
bino, a virus causing the fruit
to shrivel and turn white. The
disease eliminated most com
mercial ' orchards and in 10
years, acreage dropped to about
200. Now there are only an
estimated 90 acres of cherry
trees in the county.
Southern Oregon branch ex
periment station officials have
conducted much research in an
effort to find albino-resistant
cherries. Tests are now being
conducted on several of these
varieties. It is hoped that in a
few years one or two albino
resistant varieties will be ready
for commercial plantings here.
Committee Recommendations
The stone fruit subcommittee
of the Jackson County Ag
ricultural count.il is encourag
ing continuation of these efforts
and has recommended that no
sweet cherries be planted until
a suitable virus-resistant type
is developed.
The committee has also con
cluded that production of sour
cherries in this area is not pro
fitable in competition with
heavy production in other sec
tions of the nation.
Jackson county once had
about 6,000 acres of apples, but
-apple acreage now totals about
400. Cordy gives two main rea
sons for this reduction:
(1) Growers planted varieties
which were difficult to raise and
were not well accepted by con
sumers. (2) Trees were planted on
heavy, wet soil and consequent
ly contracted crown rot and
died.
With regard to the future of
apple production here, the apple
and pear subcommittee of the
agricultural council had this to
say:
"Some interest has been
shown in small apple plantings.
This has been confined largely
to the dwarf and semi-dwarf
types. However, lack of stable
markets would seem to make
any large plantings inadvisable
at this time."
Growers here can produce
high quality apricots, but there
are only about 45 acres at the
present time, Cordy stated. This
amount of acreage the county
has had in the past. Cordy says
apricots have always been a
local-market product and com
petition, especially from Calif
ornia, has been keen. This has
tended to discourage expansion
of Jackson county apricot pro
duction. Susceptible To Disease 1
Apricots are also readily sus
ceptible to disease and are dif
ficult to culture, Cordy note.
They require well-drained soil
and frost-free locations. The
stone fruit subcommittee of the
agricultural council has in
dicated an increase in plantings
may be desirable if the plant
ings are on well-drained land
in areas out of frost danger. The
committee added that new plant
ings should be on soil where
good cultural methods can be
followed in order to produce
high quality fruit.
There is a limited filbert and
walnut acreage here and no pro
duction increase is recommend
ed at this time, according to
C jrdy. This area is remote from
processing facilities, he pointed
out, and market returns are not
great enough to justify more
plantings.
2 Insurance Men
Form Partnership
Cole Holmes, long-time . Med
ford insurance man, is in San
Francisco this week, completing
arrangements with insurance
companies for the licensing of
the recently-formed The Holmes
and House of Insurance.
Holmes, who this month ob
served the -37th anniversary of
his active participation in the
insurance business in Medford,
has formed a partnership with
Dick House. The agencies oper
ated by the two men have been
merged.
Holmes said he plans to re
main active in the business.
For the time being the two
agencies are operating separate
ly, but will be joined in office
space as soon as adequate ac
commodations are located.
Both men have been active in
civic, fraternal and service
group activities in Medford fot
a -long period of years. Holmes
came to Medford in 1909, and
became associated with his fa
ther's agency in 1920.
In 1926, upon his father's
death, he assumed control of the
agency. House has been,, a resi
dent of Medford since 1946 af
ter leaving service in the Army
during World War II.
Plumbing, Heating Group
Schedules Convention
About 200 people are expect
ed to attend the annual conven
tion of the Oregon Association
of Plumbing and Heating con
tractors here next month.
The convention will be held
May 3 and 4 at the Medford ho
tel. Officers of the association are
Walter Widmer, Portland, presi
dent; George Abrahamson, As
toria, vice-president; Frank Bur
fitt, Portland, secretary; Eugene
Spaniol, Stayton, treasurer;
and Roscoe E. Watts, Portland,
executive secretary. ,
Quotes From the News
By UNITED PRESS
Washington Sen. William F. Knowland, in calling for further
U.N. action on behalf of the freedom of Hungary:
"Is the conscience of the world that was so thoroughly aroused
in October and November to be complacent and satisfied in April
and May?"
New York New York Postmaster Robert Schaffer. on the extra-heavy
load of mail New York postmen had to tote Monday:
"I don't think there is any doubt this is. the biggest volume
since the Christmas rush, when we hit a peak of 20 million in one
day."
Galveston, Tex. Teamster Union boss Dave Beck, on whether
his recent appearance before the Senate Rackets committee will
result in a contempt of Congress indictment or his ouster:
"I've gone through these things for 40 years. It just runs off
my back like water off a duck."
, Miami Thirteen-year-old Richard Guillen on why he hitched
a ride in a cramped compartment of a Venezuelan airliner from
Caracas to Miami:
"I wanted to scare my Mama and Papa."
Richmond St. Clair Drake, Negro professor at a Chicago col
lege, in a letter to officials of a dinner for "distinguished Vir
ginians" who invited Drake and two other Negroes by mistake:
"I always remember that Negroes played a significant part in
the making of the first permanent English settlement at James
town in Virginia."
On The Side By E. V. Durling
(Distributed by King Future Svadicate. Inc.)
. Every year in . the United
States about 15,000 girls of 15
years of age are married. An
nually in this country about 250
females of 15 are divorced.
Every year here about 340
wives of 15 become widows. So
the statistics indicate. However,
I have yet to meet a 15-year-old
widow or divorcee.
Depressing Drama
The plays of Eugene O'Neill
are enjoying successful revival.
I concede that O'Neill was one
of our greatest playwrights but
his plays are too much on the
morbid side for me. He was one
of the most morbid of all mod
ern playwrights. In 30 plays by
him, there have been depicted
10 murders, six suicides, 19
deaths and six insanities. In
"The Iceman Cometh," the play
wright displayed some restraint
as to morbidity. In that play
there is only one murder and
one suicide.
Asides
For over 25 years George
Raft has paid his estranged wife
10 per cent of his income.
George hasn't seen Mrs. Raft for
20 years. He says he isn't cer
tain he would recognize her it
he did . . . Minnesota means
"land of the sky blue water."
That's what a Minneapolis jour
nalist claims. It doesn't. In In
dian language Minnesota means
"cloudy weather."
Sidelights
Libra (Sept. 24-Oct. 23) men
find beauty of face and figure
more appealing in women than
intelligence. That is why so
many Libra executives have
shapely "oomph girl" type sec
retaries. Or, so say the stargaz
ers . . . "Like Grant took Rich
mond" is a frequently voiced
expression. How did Grant take
Richmond? Do you know the
details? Or should your former
history teacher blush for your
ignorance? .
Announcements
Should divorces be announced
as engagements and marriages
are? It has been recently sug
gested they should be. It is. not
a new idea. Fifty or more years
ago divorce announcements
were not unusual. What follows
is one that appeared in a Yank
ton, S.D. newspaper: , "Mr. and
Mrs. Peter Travis take the plea
sure in announcing the divorce
of their daughter, Philopena
Amelia, from Mr. John Jones
Robinson, Yankton, S.D., April
10, 1896."
Get It Right
-The great tenor, Enrico Car
uso, was the' 19th and last child
of his parents. So I note it said
by a contemporary who should
know better. Enrico was the
19th "child of his parents but
not the last. From the brilliant
ly written biography of Caruso
written by Dorothy Caruso, I
quote: "Anna Caruso had 21
children. Eighteen died. The
Edmund E. Hass
Vice-President
Heine Northwest Compant
I 1
fc y- v-; if"
5 1 QOvJr
Since 1913
HOTEL MEDFORD LOBBY
Phone 2-8379
Consult With Mr. Hass on
INVESTMENT and RETIREMENT Programs
Using the Securities of . . .
Utilities Banks Insurance Industrial Investment
Company Shares. Dependable Incomes of 5 to 6 Can Be Obtained.
'Other offices in Portland, Salem, Eugene, Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma,
Aberdeen, Bellingham, Yakima, Wenatchee and Walla Walla.
nineteenth, Enrico, lived and be
came perhaps the greatest sing
er of all time."
Desertion Charged
To Soldier Hero
Poitiers, France (U.PJ A
31- year- old Brooklyn soldier
who disappeared from his Am
erican World War II unit and
turned up 11 years later as a
French Army hero went on trial
here today on charges of deser
tion. Pvt. Vito Sala faces a possi
ble death sentence on the charge
that he deserted the 339th In
fantry Regiment of the U. S.
100th Infantry Division in 1945.
But the general courts mar
tial will hear an almost incred
ible tale of an amnesia victim
who fought heroically with the
French Foreign Legion in Al
geria and Indochina. The tale
is supported by French creden
tials and the testimony, of psy
chiatrists. Sala turned himself in to Am
erican authorities at La Rochelle
last October. He said he had suf
fered from loss of memory and
asked them to try to trace his
past.
U.S. Army records disclosed
that Sala was listed as absent
without leave from the 100th
Division after a battle near Heil
bron, Germany, in April, 1945.
" Sala said he lost his memory
during a shock and partially re
gained it only during later
shocks when he was fighting in
Indochina and Algeria.
French officials supplied - a
bushel of testimonials to back
Sala's claim.
In recent years the average
amount of cotton produced on an
acre of ground has doubled in
the United States, according to
agricultural records.
Tuesday, April 16. 1957
MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNEFIVE
Cool Weather Seen
For Coming Month
Washington U.R) The U. S.
Weather Bureau forecasts that
the next month will be a bit on
the cool side over most of the
eastern part of the nation.
The 30-day outlook for mid
April to mid-May is for below
normal temperature averages
east of the Continental Divide;
except along the South Atlantic
and Gulf Coast.
Precipitation is expected to
exceed normal over most areas
between the Rocky and Appa
lachian mountains. Subnormal
amounts are indicated in the
Northern Plains, upper Great
Lakes area and west Texas.
Imogene Crawley Named Vehicles Comptroller
Salem (U.PJ Appointment ' Mrs. Crawley Will replace J.
of Imogene Crawley as comp- R. Williams, wno
nas ueen in me uumuci -
sition in the comptroller's divis
ion since mid-July, 1956, shortly
after the Department of Motor
Vehicles was set up.
troller for the Department of
Motor Vehicles, effective May 1,
has been announced by James F.
Johnson, director.
SMUDGE?
Appointments for FREE estimates on rug and upholstery cleaning are
being made now before the rush.
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