IQl6 



BETTER FRUIT 



Page 39 



can ever be brought back to profitable 

 I'mit production again. If this, then, is 

 tlic condition of one of the best valleys 

 of the Northwest, what must we expect 

 of some of the less favorable areas'? 



Let us stop for just a moment and 

 learn the conditions of one of the less 

 favored fruit areas of the West. I be- 

 lieve I betray no one's confidence when 

 I say that less than a week ago one of 

 the largest orchard operators on non- 

 irrigated land said to me: "Tlie last 

 three years has conclusively taught us 

 that it is folly for us to continue to en- 

 deavor to compete with the favored 

 districts of the West. It is a losing 

 game, for when we do produce fruit 

 less than six per cent of it will pass as 

 extra fancy, as compared with from 

 fifty to as high even as seventy per 

 cent in the favored areas, and while 

 our land is cheaper our returns are so 

 much lower that our losses are even 

 greater." This party has alread>' iiulled 

 300 acres and will pull another 160 

 acres this year. Converting, as he is, 

 all of his orchards into wheat and 

 alfalfa land. I am of the opinion that 

 when a new census of the orchard 

 areas of the Pacific Northwest shall be 

 made that instead of it representing a 

 half-million acres that less than a 

 quarter of a million will more than 

 cover it, and even this will be mate- 

 rially reduced if owners do not use 

 reasonably sane judgment in their haste 

 to get from one crop to another. 



The Causes for These Conditions. — 

 A person needs only to visit one of the 

 overdeveloped districts of the West to 

 learn fairly accurately why thousands 

 of acres of land was planted to or- 

 chards that should never have been 

 planted. The story is a repetition of 

 the "Razor Seller's' Story." They were 

 never expected to bear fruit. No one 

 ever intended that they should, nor was 

 there ever any provisions made for the 

 fruit should there ever be any. The 

 problem resolves itself into over- 

 zealous real estate boosting without 

 sufiicient knowledge or honest judg- 

 ment of what constitutes good orchard 

 lands and climates. Very briefiy, we 

 may easily sum up the factors that 

 brought the fruit industry of the West 

 to the conditions that now prevail, and 

 in doing so we likewise portray the 

 conditions of the East, that materially 

 assisted in doing for the East what we 

 have done in the West: (1) Unreason- 

 able boosting of orchard and orchard 

 lands. (2) Misrepresentation of the 

 possible returns of orchard lands. (,S) 

 The keen American desire to make a 

 change. (4) The inborn desire to 

 speculate. (.">) The cutting up of or- 

 chard properties into such small units 

 that it is almost impossible for the 

 average family to make a living upon 

 the given area. 



Were I considering the most serious 

 factor entering into the problem as it 

 now stands, I would certainly name the 

 size of unit as the factor because of 

 the intense hardships it is bringing to 

 many because they cannot suflicienlly 

 diversify to make orcharding success- 

 ful. If ten acres had been used as the 



Forkner Alfalfa Cultivator 



aerates the soil — uproots grass and weeds — destroys 

 clover root weevil — leaves dirt mulch and 

 conserves moisture without cutting or injuring 

 ttie alfalfa. It will 



Put New Life and Vigor 



into old meadows, pastures and tiide- 

 bound wheat fields. W rile for catalog 

 and free book "Modern SoilTillage." 

 LIGHT DRAFT HARROW CO. 

 Dept. 601 n Marshalltown, Iowa 



i 

 J 



I 



Well Known 



is a tree by its fruit; equally well known is a bank by its 



dealings. Good fruit means good revenue and the place 



to keep the revenue is in this strong state bank, well 



known for its security and fair dealings. 



Ladd & Tilton Bank 



Oldest in the Northwest 



PORTLAND, OREGON 





FWBALTESAND 

 COMPANY 



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Unexcelled facilities for the production of Catalogues, Book- 

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CORNER FIRST AND OAK STREETS 

 PORTLAND, OREGON 



Oregon Nursery Company 



ORENCO, OREGON 



Extensive g^rowers of all lines of Fruit, Nut and Shade Trees, Evergreens, 

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