Report of W. K. Newell. 17 



OCTOBER MEETING, 1908 • 



To tlic Honorable State Board of II orticiilltirr: 



As is customary at this time, my report will show tlu' (|iumtities 



of fruit produced in the entire State during the ])ves('iit year and 



the aggregate values, as nearly as they can be ascertained. Also, such 



observations and suggestions as seem pertinent to our work at thi.s 



time. The yield and the values are as follows : 



Value. 



Apples, 1,. ■500. 000 boxes $1,225,000 



Pears, 272,000 boxes 135,000 



Peaches. 600,000 boxes 300,000 



Cherries, 4,950,000 pounds 165,000 



Plums and fresh prunes, 5,120,000 pounds 95,000 



Apricots, 12,000 boxes 9,000 



Dried prunes, 15,700,000 pounds 785,000 



Grapes, 2.500,000 pounds 76.600 



Strawberries, 8,900,000 pounds 375,000 



Blacltberries, 2,400,000 pounds 76,000 



Raspberries, 1,750,000 pounds 75,000 



Loganberries, 1,850,000 pounds 40,000 



Currants, 425,000 pounds 22,000 



Gooseberries, 400,000 pounds 15,000 



Other fruits 30,000 



Walnuts, almonds and filberts, 150,000 pounds 20,000 



Total value $3,443,600 



The peach crop of the Eogue River Valley, particularly around 

 Ashland, was very large, as in fact it was all over the State, but 

 the apple and pear crops were light in that district, partly owing to 

 the enormous crop of last year and partly to unfavorable weather 

 conditions in the spring. In this connection I wish to call your 

 attention to the success attained in the Gore orchard at Medford in 

 building fires to prevent frost damage. In this orchard a large 

 number of fires were built early each morning when frost threatened, 

 with the result that the orchard bore a very heavy crop of pears, 

 being the only one so lieavily loaded in the valley. Many other 

 orchardists will make arrangements for similar treatment next spring. 

 There is a controversy over the relative efficiency of the smoke 

 (smudge) system and that of heating the air with open fires. Both, 

 methods will he fully ti'ied out next season should there be oceasicu 

 for their use. 



The dried prune crop of the state is but little over one-half of 

 the crop of last year, according to the best estimate which can be 

 made at this time. The bulk of this season's crop of dried prunes 

 has been sold at 5 cents per pound for the 40-50 size, a fair price 

 in view of present conditions. 



There has been a very notable increa.se in the ])roduction of all 

 kinds of fruit in the ^lilton and Freewater district, and the newly 

 irrigated lands in western I^matilla County are beginning to make 

 a showing. Production here will cortainlv increase with leaps and 

 bounds. 



