Report of Judd Geer. 61 



thousands of trees planted and being planted, and it will be 

 but a few years until it will be known as one of Oregon's best 

 fruit raising sections. 



Union County is another of Eastern Oregon's large fruit 

 growing counties. This county is known by the medals it takes 

 at all the world's expositions and national apple shows. The 

 young orchards in the northern end of the county known as the 

 Imbler and Elgin sections where large commercial orchards 

 of from 40 to 200 acres have been planted in the past few 

 years, some of the older orchards are beginning to bear and 

 in a personal letter from Geo, L. Cleaver who is now in Iowa 

 to F. K. Bridges of La Grande, Mr. Cleaver says that he has 

 just sold a carload of Cleaver-Bridges crop, grown at Imbler, 

 at $2.50 per box. This is perhaps the largest price that a 

 carload of apples from here has received in several years, 

 and indicates that this Valley is able to vie with any other 

 apple growing section in the world. 



Malheur County comes under the head of what is known as 

 an irrigated district, and for fruit growing, stock raising, and 

 alfalfa hay is one of the leading counties of the fifth district. 



Baker County is divided into three distinct Valleys — Eagle 

 and Pine in the eastern part, and the Baker Valley in the west 

 or central part. Baker Valley is a light clay loam and on the 

 western side is irrigated and subirrigated by numerous streams 

 and Springs, while the eastern side is irrigated from large 

 ditches and reservoirs, and on account of the higher altitude 

 raises apples, cherries, pears, peaches, etc., of unsurpassed 

 flavor and keeping qualities. Eagle Valley is perhaps one 

 of the finest Valleys for its size in the entire northwest, and 

 can raise anything in the fruit line that is grown in the 

 Pacific northwest. Pine Valley is separated from Eagle by 

 a ränge of hills and is some five or six miles distant, with a 

 gradual slope to the east of about ten miles to Snake River. 

 Both of these Valleys have just come into connection with the 

 outer World by railroad facilities. 



Grant County though exporting but ä small quantity of 

 fruit up to this time has some very fine orchards, and there 

 will be a great many more planted in the near future as they 

 raise fruit of excellent quality. 



With Harney County I am unacquainted personally, but 

 have seen fine samples of fruit, grain, etc., from there, and 

 it is only a question of a short time until they will have 

 railroad transportation, when it will become one of the lead- 

 ing counties of the State. 



There is no doubt about the fifth district being one of the 

 best fruit sections in Oregon, and I know that we can grow 

 anything that can be grown in the northwest, but the growers 



