Report of Judd Geer. 59 



REPORT OF JUDD GEER, 



Co7iiin7ssioncr for the Fifth District. 



To the Hono7'able State Board of Horticulture: 



I herewith submit my report as Commissioner of the fifth 

 district for the year ending September 30, 1910. 



The fifth district embraces the counties of Umatilla, Union, 

 Wallowa, Baker, Grant, Malheur, and Harney, with a total 

 area of approximately 35,000 square miles. To cover the 

 entire district once a year and visit all of the fruit growing 

 sections is practically impossible on my allowance of the money 

 appropriated by the State. 



The advent of the railroad into Wallowa County has opened 

 up a great fruit growing section, and Wallowa County will 

 be heard from from a horticultural standüoint in the near 

 future. I had the Dleasure of visiting the Wallowa County 

 fair a few weeks ago. Of course I exDected to see fruit, but 

 I was astounded when I looked at the aiDDles, Deaches, grapes, 

 etc. There were all of the well known varieties and a great 

 many of the newer ones, and not infrequently one would see 

 a fine plate of Gano labeled King of Tompkins County, or vice 

 versa. But exnerience will soon overcome all of that. Although 

 the larger Valleys of the county have an over-abundance of 

 water for Irrigation nurposes, there are large bodies of land 

 on the surrounding hills where dry farming is practiced, and 

 from these sections with the driest season the county has ever 

 known, I saw some as fine exhibits of fruit of all varieties 

 as are grown in the State. 



Umatilla County perhaDs ships more fruit than any other 

 county in the district. The Freewater-Milton district lies in 

 one of the best fruit growing sections of the famous Walla 

 Walla Valley. At Freewater there is a strong Organization 

 of fruit growers, and a good part of the fruit grown there 

 is handled through the union, and the successful manner in 

 which the crop was handled this year puts it on a firm 

 foundation. 



The western part of Umatilla County is practically new to 

 fruit growing commercially, It is mostly what is known as 

 the arid lands, and it is only in the last few years that they 

 got water on these lands. Now there are thousands upon 



