Page:Portland, Oregon, its History and Builders volume 1.djvu/505

 obliged to accept the humilating price of from 3 to 6 cents a pound less than that paid for imported walnuts."

In Oregon the reverse is true. Our walnuts command a price above that paid for walnuts raised anywhere else. The size, cracking out quantity, delicate flavor and delicious creamy taste, are the qualities that give the Oregon walnut its surpassing excellence.

Hood River, Ore., Sept. 14, 1910.—Dr. W. R. Colley reports the largest yield of Gravenstein apples in the valley. He packed 251 boxes from eight 14-year-old trees It will be interesting to know that the fruit sold for $1.50 per box, or at the rate of $47.06 per tree. At this rate an acre containing 60 Gravenstein trees would bring in a gross return of between $2,500 and $3,000.

The average net profits to the farmer in raising strawberries m the vicinity of Portland this season of 1910 has been two hundred dollars an acre, counting nothing for the labor of the farmer producing the crop.

Profits on acres of the fancy varieties of apples—Spitzenbergs and Yellow Newtowns—in both Hood River and Rogue River valleys have been m orchards well taken care of, ranging from six hundred to one thousand dollars an acre. Cornice pears in Rogue River valley have produced even greater profits.

Discussing this question in a conservative tone, the Daily Oregonian of September 10, 1910, says:

"Let us look at this more closely. Orchards and orchard lands in Oregon are in a class by themselves. When orchards in bearing in organized or developed districts and therefore planted not less than seven years ago, realize from $500 to $900 an acre for their fruit, year by year, or even more, no one counts or at least ought to, object to a price based on four years produce. And yet one rarely hears of more than $2,000 an acre being asked for bearing orchards. In well cared for modern orchards there seems no sign of or reason for the trees growing old and wearing out for many a year to come. Nor does there appear any probability of the market being outrun by production. Good orchards in Oregon, then, must be good to buy and to live on.

The apple crop in all the states east of the Rocky mountains is Packed in barrels and sold by the barrel. The fruit crops of the states west of the Rocky mountains are all packed in boxes, and sold by the box. The box is much han^^-J and better than a barrel. And the fruit box now m universal "^e m the Facihc states was designed and developed in Oregon, and manufactured first at MUwau kie for Luelling, Meek and Lambert.

Fruit crops in Oregon for 1906, 7, 8 and 9.

APPLES. -^ ,

Boxes Value

.. 1,082,200 $1,423,800

^907 1,310,000 1,215,000

^900 1,100,000 1,350.000

1909 '

PEACHES. ^r.

Boxes. Value.

$172,750 1906 ^5 870 248,260

^907 • _ 420,000 210,000

^908 400,000 240,000

1909 ■ ■ ^