Ntw Yea,', lain C
The Willamette ValleyTthe
Greatest
Hop
Section of World!
Following is a Reliable Article. Pr.n. j i.. . it
Industry of 0.:; ' UJ r n the Hop
6v, 1m r resent and Futi
t
ment Edition Daily Capital JournalSaturday. ZWmA, i
MIMMHtlHti..
fM MM MMM HHf
Although Continental Europe lves
the world about half of its hops,
whose value at 20 cents per pound is
eighteen million dollars, Its hop yards
are mere gardens of an acre or so In
extent, while the dry houses, etc., are
the property of the dealers, located In
the nearby cities, who buy the uncured
hops from the growers, and cart them
to town for curing.
About three hundred years ago the
hop plant was brought to England and
has ever since been one of her lead
ing agricultural Industries. Her aver
age crop Is about 225:000 bales, or the
same as the present normal crop of
the entire United States, while In 1905
she raised 400,000 bales.
About 100 years ago hojw became
an Industry of New York, and at one
time the state crop reached 25O,0iio
bales. Her 1911 crop, however, wrs
but about one-tenth that amount, in
appearance "State" hops, as they are
called, compare favorably only with
our poorest qualities; however, they
have certain peculiarities, which ap
peal to 'a great many brewers. ,
About 1858, the hop was Introduced
Into Wisconsin, and the industry grew
so rapidly there that In ten years her
crop was 176,000 bales, which Is 16.000
bales more than Oregon's largest crop.
That year, however, prices dropped
from 20c to practically nothing, and
the 1S68 growth was not entirely
bought up until some nine years later.
From this on her yield dropped off
rapidly until today "there are but few
yards left In thnt state.
Some time In the early seventies
Mr. Wells f Buena Vista planted Ore
gon's first hop yard.' He was followed
by the Kirkwoods of Wheatland, Doves
of Eola, Thornsbury of Gervals, Ike
Yoakum of Eugene and a good many
others In time to reap the harvest of
1882 when hops soared to over a dol
lar a pound, and almost as quickly
dropped back to the 20c level. In fact
the story Is still well known in the
hop trade h6w Ralph Geer of the
Waldo Hills refused $1.10 for his crop
which he later sold for 10c per pound.
I'p until the early nineties vermin
was unknown in Oregon, and the hops
were allowed to hang on the vines
until fully matured, and being cleanly
picked by Indians, the average Oregon
hop was a strictly fancy article, and
soon became a favorite of the English
exporters.
All during the eighties the industry
grew, and though an Important one
for Oregon, It was not until 1890 that
our production became large enough
to be a factor in the world's market.
At that time shortage of crops abroad
forced prices to 42c at one time dur
ing the season, though they later
dropped to a 25c level. Following this
year, not only the butcher, the baker
and candlestick maker, but the doctor,
the lawyer and merchant as well saw
visions of great wealth to be made In
hops and ' thousands of acres were
planted, with the Inevitable result that
as soon as they came into bearing
prices slumped so that for several
years a 5c or 6c sale was a good one.
The great loss this entailed to the
growers caused a gradual decreased
acreage, and proportionate rise in val
ues, until In 1902, prices were again
at 25c. This again started the hop
planting, which, received a further
Impetus the next year when 27o was
paid, and reached tys climax In 1904
' when a new record of 32c was made,
and then all caution was thrown to
the winds and new yards planted by
the hundreds, and In September, 1905,
the growers who refused 30c for their
hops, sold them for 5c per pound.
In 1904 we raised 90,000 bales and
In 1905 115,000 bales, while the full
acreage came into bearing In 1906 with
a yield of 160,000 balea Twas in this
latter year that, underestimating the
crop, one firm attempted to corner
the market, and bought up 40,000
bales, at a probable cost of one mil
lion dollars. Stocks, however, were
too large for the success of the under
taking, and it was not until five years
later that the firm was able to sell
the hops without an enormous loss.
The 1907 crop was smaller, only
138,000 bales, but he panic appearing
In the midst of the hop season, forced
prices down to five and six cents.
In 1908 the effect of the adverse
prices were shown In the state yield,
and only 110,000 bales were raised,
but the surpluses from the former
years werev sufficient to keep priecs
below 7c.
These bad years Induced many
growers to contract their crops for a
number of years at ten cents, a pound
which at that time was indeed a large
Price, but looked very small the next
year, 1909, when with a short English
crop, and our own at but 82,000 baU-s,
prices went to 25c, In November of
that year. Many growers, however,
felt that conditions warranted much
higher prices, while on the other hand
prices continued falling until some
were sold as low as 5c.
The 1910 crop was 92,000 bales,
which with the old stocks carried
over, was sufficient for our needs, if
evenly distributed, however, the large
Middle Western brewers were very
heavy buyers and practically the entire
crop went to them and to exporters
at about 12c per pound, and our At
lantic seboard brewers awoke In Jan
uary to find storehouses empty and
but a few thousand bales of 1910 hops
available. Prices rose until 20c was
reached, at which price practically
evy bale was bought up. Then the
demand dropped back on the old 1906
"P. until the last of It was lso
boght at about 20c. " In fact the one
last lot In the state sold for 28c, just
before the 1911 crop was harvested.
All these years, Blnce 1906, some of
our growers had been holding their
bops, some of them having as many
as five different crops on hand, and
as the ;i909s were exhausted, the de
mand fell back on the older growths,
which as far as Oregon was con
cemed were, mostly absorbed before
the new crop came on. A few 1906s,
however, are held today, which are
worth about 18c a pound.
Early in 1911, when It was seen that
'l the hurplus old hops would be used
rld over, for 8hnfi'r,ing C10th
normal consumMn " be
'tocks ,o7a, TZlZ n 'd
would preva hiSh Prices
Prices for m,
-VUU H ' IB
by ahi A", Janu-y and
on 1311s, start-
were lbc
unfavorable , TT' ,ooU
t 20c was n ade' b h"r ivia
however, extrenielv 1J V.
from n unVnu,n5TOrbi
"rices to 25a Then dn'r01e ton
Ports of the extr.r? as 'be re
en.e In, price rnBhe,at ln Gy
ta the cliTabTut f adlly'
41c, when a cesml ??f 20th-
many causfd Z ht A6 heat
I'orts. and caused thi k 3 better r
"evelopments duril buJ!e to alt
Prices sagged to Sft ! !? walt
"Mai Europe fnv0',.'! 2,0- cntln.
two-thirds o a' i "ed .bout
Picking in Oregon P: "J as 800,1
op Estimate! we COmmenced
M.0OO bales to 70 000 h PPed ,rom
the actual coun t, f?- anuben
ably be found "Ut Z l " WiU prob"
"an that amount Most tne8ted le8S
satisfied with the . era were
rp,in o ' " lne Prices, and unin
Q f two, uurj
Soon however, stocks
reduced to a few " ,w ' ic
nri.. " , ,r" oaies at
well i,.. ' u 'o oc.
' 7, u,at 8 great
Think II . 1,11
to.a rt t back
is well known tk; .
brewers are delavinT gl'eat many
gon hops will be sold
bagrta?;7h8rOWer 11 has
netted VeirCners yDaerrdShaVe
at these prices nni h n 8 p nt
a a whofeZ d aVfty e'ents waPs
worth over six mlUlon oUa s 'h
Is over a million and a half Zi.
n:precrhoan ts:B,.ur &
value J'fh 8 a ruIe' however, the
value of the crop does not vary this
much, as the price Is nearly alwavs in
"direct proportion to the yield wi S
WZ'M(,,!T o anion
M r millions to three and one-half
thousand men, who are aided by at
least one thousand women and child
ren durin- the training season. At
Picking time, however, for any average
Oregon crop, fifty thousand pickers
are required, wh6 earn eight hundred
thousand dollars, and ten thousand
day laborers who earn half that
amount, and adding the value of the
wood necessary to dry the hops, we
have a total of one and one-quarter
million dollars paid out direct for the
harvesting labor of the crop, and al
lowing that one-fourth of this goes to
those, to whom It is not absolutely
necessary, we still have paid out the
most popular million dollars in the
world.
The factory, the railroad or the mine
may have a pay roll of even greater
amount, but it is the regular wage of
the home and does not serve the pur
pose that the hop picking money does,
earned and brought home by the
wives and children of the working
man, and is ln addition to all the
regular Incomes. The million from
the factory goes to those who would
have a 'million from some other
source, were It not for the factory.
The million from the hop fields goes
to those who would otherwise have
nothing. It means a new suit, new
hat, gloves and shoes for the wife,
who would otherwise have to draw on
the regular income for her clothes,
and not only winter clothes complete
for the youngsters, but school books,
and often enables them to secure some
cherished luxury which they would
otherwise be unable to have. No other
million, probably. Is so quickly and
so wisely spent, nor for such a variety
of purposes. Every tradesman gets
his share, as well as the professions,
the dentist his for work that would
otherwise be neglected, the doctor his
for a bill long past due, the preacher
his for the marriage fee, while the
washerwoman not only gets her win
ter's groceries and children's clothes
from the million, but has been known
to also use a portion of it to free
herself from her recreant husband, in
which way the lawyer gets his share.
Regardless of market conditions,
this popular million is handed out
each year. It was paid In 1908 when
the crop itself was hardly worth that
amount, it was paid this year, and It
will be paid next year, and the next
and each year fifteen thousand fam
ilies are thereby able to obtain neces
saries, extras and perhaps luxuries
that would otherwise be beyond their
rTuhe International Hop and Barley
exposition, Just closed at Chlcawi, Or
egon took first prize on quality over
California, Washington and New York
which are the only othe. -three
in the union producing hops. Oregon
r many years has held the tanner
as the largest producer and tho-igh
with our crop 30 per cent short 0 al.
,1 ?ln9 in 1911. California took
naryleadlnqaantl 1.
...jinn Orexon Will J
erage - ;. - , 192. for
ittaan regain . depiines
r,oUP to net he gret hop
growers,
with av-
:nore
who carefully select tneir
! win,,, soil, build tneir r -
nici " . . th.ir varus wiui
nent plants, and work their j
the same thoroughness ar a
ye8!k regnf tie Orego'n industry, and
backbone of the Oreg tM
Tthrp t to Oregon's glory
have in the pai i. h eyer.
and profit wllho0"(,3,y favorable
l6tIng .oil. u' Port
cllmate. and our proximi y ft
;ZoT tbat th.
rare.
Industry win not fade
he advent of low prices as ft
ad miUl m0St to Product
acd continue to dispense not only on?
t popu.ar million, but to br!ng?n
two to three extra millions yearly as
land for three centuries, so will OrL
fn be the Kent" of America flvt
ten or perhaps u.emy geM-
WILLIS S. Dl'MWAT-PBISTER,
STATE
The splendid record made In the
office of the state printer during the
enmbene, of Willis s. Dunlwfy so
horoughly impressed the people of
the state of Oregon that he was re
elected to that important office last
November and will continue to effect
a. Phenomenal saving to the taxpayers
k"B h0S i1'8 term' A compared
with methods In vogue before Mr.
Dun way took charge, the saving on
all kinds of state printing averages
more than UOOO per month, a strong
Illustration of the absolute integrity
of this popular official, as well as his
marked ability In an executive capac
ity. Honest officials have long been
demanded by the people, and they are
not slow to recognize and reward
those who fulfill expectations.
In the meantime Mr. Duniway con
tinues to discharge his official duties
as state printer in a manner highly
pleasing to citizens of the state as a
whole, and will further popularize
himself thereby. The saving of more
than $1000 per month Is actual, not
theoretical, and the man who follows
Willis S. Duniway as state printer will
doubtless be forced to keep expenses
of the office down to the low maxi
mum established by this gentleman.
Mr. Duniway enjoys a wide acquain
tance throughout the state and is
Justly popular with all who know him.
He is an enthusiastic and consistent
worker for the further development of
the vast resources of the state; a public-spirited
and progressive citizen,
and highly worthy of the high esteem
in which he Is held.
0 .
r.F.ROTAL BRIDGE CONTRACTOR
The development of a new section
of country naturally Includes the
building of a great many bridges over
the various rivers and streams and
for a man skilled ln the art, this
country furnishes a fine field.
Mr. C. P. Royal, long a resident of
this city, has built more bridges In
the western part of Oregon than any
other contractor. He has always been
held in high esteem by his business
associates and neighbors. His busi
ness connections are of the very
highest.
The particular line of bridge build
ing gives emnloyment to a great num
ber of workmen. They are one of
the hlgheat-pald class of workmen
there is, so this combined with the
fact that Mr. RoyaJ, hires Salem men
almost exclusively, makes him one of
the leading contractors in this part
of Oregon.
Salem recently passed an ordinance
to the effect that Salem workmen
must be employed on public works.
Mr. Royal has done this in all his
work.
Mr. Royal Is still in harness, and
expects to build a good many bridges
before the time comes for him to take
the trin last long bridge.
There are very few men In Salem
who have done more to advance its
Interests than Mr. Royal. He Is al
ways willing to put In time and money
for Its advancement.
The office of Mr. Royal Is at 412
Twenty-first street North, where he
resides.
: 0.
SQIIRE FAKRAB POSTMASTER.
The postoffice at Salem Is the sec
ond ln Importance in the state of Or
egon, and it Is highly essential there
fore, that a man of executive ability,
sound judgment and progressive Ideas
should be selected as postmaster.
However, the past few years have de
monstrated that Squire Farrar is the
proper man to fill this very important
office. The volume of business has
Increased enormously during the past
ten years, which has come through the
rapid growth of the city and contigu
ous territory.
Mr. Farrar is now serving, his sec
ond term as pnsimcster, and he Is
directly responsible for the excellent
mall service- that, we now enjoy. He
is a pioneer of Salem, and his pro
.ir.nn has done a great deal
to build up the city; and as he Is a,
firm believer In the future of Salem,
he can be defended uron to do his;
share of the ne-sry work to make
" AU of Mr. Farrar' 1 friends are very)
anxious that be shall be retained In 1
his presT-nt position upon tiie expira
tion of his ivrm of iiffice-and so long
as he is in oihoe the c'tlzens enn look
forward to the very hghest class of
service.
o
TILLSON k (0 IXC.
TPe prune packing Industry of Sa
lom Is one of the city's mam Indus
tries and the firm of Tlllson & t o.,
!nc ' is one of the packers They
have houses at both Salem and Rose
burg the largest establishment being
at Salem. Thf.y pack approxImatMy
stx million pounds each year, and
about half of their pack Is shipped to
hThe?r business Is strictly commer
cial, and they buy. their fruit, paying
cash on delivery.
Mr Tlllson Is manager, and Is an
nrnt-ressive business man.
I1E IU UU
always w
the upbulMing 01 m i - -----
The prune industry is one of the
very valuable assets of Marion coun-
. ia k fn.it.rf.d. AS cen-
ty. ana 11 ww " . , .
'rally spiking prune growing Is more
profitable than other fruit..
f "
y .- IU J m-, llllllll ...
' iWsunsE. FLOWERS-
ft?'
II
m
ft
to'-
are famous the world
over. Also its soen-
did hostelries, fine beaches,
. orange groves, hot springs,
and Pleasure resorts. All
. reached with ease
by the
SOUTHERN
PACIFIC
"Road of. a Thousand Wonders'
Route of Shasta Limited
Excursion Tickets
Costing
$ss.oo
Portland to Los Angeles
and return
On tale daily, good tix months with stop -over going or
returning. Corresponding low fares from other Oregon
points
1
CALL ON OUR AGENTS FOR
Handsomely Illus
trated Literature
Describing San Francisco, Oakland, Stan'
ford University, Lick Observatory, Santa
Cruz, Del Monte, Paso Roblea Hot Springs,
Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Long Beach,
San Diego, The Old Spanish Missions, Yo
Semite National Park and Big Trees, and
other places of interest in the Golden State,
or write to
JOHN M. SCOTT
jttY TU Cen'IPass'r Agent, : : Portland, Oregon
M -'W1
tYr
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