234 



THE IKBIGATION AGE. 



instance the stores remained closed until the train de- 

 parted. 



It will hardly be necessary for the Government to 

 send a farm commission to the Willamette Valley to 

 investigate conditions, for they would have poor ground 

 to work on. The farmers that visited the train were 

 prosperous looking in every way. They had happy look- 

 ing wives and children, sleek horses and good wagons 

 and harness, and while they are intelligent, there was 

 evident inclination to know more. Mr. Miller, the of- 

 ficial representative of the railroad, told them the pur- 

 pose of this trip was to make them better farmers so 

 that they would increase their production, thereby mak- 

 ing traffic for the railroad. 



Dr. Withycombe, usually took for his subject the 

 "Old Eed Cow," insisting that her product may be in- 

 creased both in quantity and quality by selection and 

 testing. He stated that the net return from the dairy 

 products of the average dairy cow in a year is $50.00. 

 The life of an average cow is ten years. Therefore, 

 every cow the farmer "veals" represents a loss to the 

 farmer of $500. 



Prof. Scudder and his charts illustrating a soiling 

 crop system for the Valley was surrounded by a crowd 

 from the time the train stopped until it started. This 

 chart told how eight acres of kale will yield 294 tons of 

 feed, with rye, oats, vetch, clover and corn, a soiling 

 crops give 547 tons of continuous green feed, for dairy 

 herds the year around. By using these crops under the 

 Scudder system, fifty cows can be kept on twenty-five 

 acres of Willamette Valley land. 



Prof. A. B. Cordley, the entomologist, told the 

 crowds all about the bugs and pests and claims they are 

 a benefit to the grower as the entire elimination of same 

 would produce a condition that would make the growing 

 of perfect fruit so easy the product would be of little 

 value. The professor lost no time, however, in impres- 

 sing upon the mind of his visitors the bad effect of his 

 numerous pests and bugs and the best known methods of 

 doing away with them. 



Prof. F. L. Kent made butter while you waited 

 from the milk of Clara Eva and Lady King, and told 

 how to weed out cows from the dairy herd whose pro- 

 duction of butter fat was so low as to make the cows 

 unprofitable. There are thousands of cows in the Walla- 

 mette Valley eating more than they produce every day 

 and the simple tests of Prof. Kent, will, no doubt, result 

 in an increased shipment of beef to Portland in the 

 near future through the marketing of unproductive 

 dairy cows. 



Prof. Lewis, the horticulturist, told his story and 

 clinched it by showing several boxes of Willamette Val- 

 ley apples of as fine a quality as ever were grown. His 

 system of grafting and pruning, as illustrated by prac- 

 tical examples, was well received and many old orchards 

 will be rejiivenated as opportunity offers as a result of 

 his demonstrations. 



One of the most interesting talks given on the train 

 was by C. A. Malbouef, district freight agent for the 

 Southern Pacific, who accompanied the train. He was 

 supplied with a mass of statistics that prove the great 

 development in store for the Willamette Valley. 



"There are 5,000,000 acres of fruit lands lying west 

 of the Cascade Mountains in this state," said Mr. Mal- 

 bouef. "Today there are less than 35,000 acres in bear- 

 ing orchards. The total shipment of fruit green, dried 



and canned, is about 1,500 cars a year. When the pres- 

 ent, acreage is all in bearing, within the next six or 

 seven years, shipments ought, under ordinary condi- 

 tions, to multiply tenfold. In the Eogue River section, 

 which is in the highest state of development, particularly 

 in apples and pears, there is yet room to expand the 

 production to the extent of 200 times its present output. 



"The Willamette Valley has over 2,000,000 acres 

 of fruit lands, not counting the hill sections. Ship- 

 ments of fruit are limited, except dried, which amounts 

 to about 20,000,000 pounds a year. But every county 

 in the Valley is setting out fruit, Marion, Lane and 

 Clackamas especially planting pears and cherries, while 

 the berry industry has already assumed large propor- 

 tions. Markets depend, of course, on the establishment 

 of canneries and the shipment of the fruit green in re- 

 frigerator cars. In Washington, berries have been 

 shipped under ice satisfactorily, and cherries safely 

 across the country under refrigeration. 



"Prune crops of this state are increasing slowly, 

 the better care and improved markets helping this prod- 

 uct along. The recognition of the Oregon prune in the 

 East is increasing so as to justify a much larger pro- 

 duction. California ships prunes to the extent of 100,- 

 000 tons a year, while Oregon sends away barely 

 15,000 tons. 



"The production of apples in the United States has 

 averaged for the past fifteen years about 250,000 cars. 

 The product is actually decreasing, especially in the 

 Eastern States, while the production of the Pacific 

 Coast is increasing. This coast will be a large future 

 source of supply as far as the higher grades of apples are 

 concerned. Oregon shipped last year a trifle less than 

 1,000 cars. There should be an increase in shipments 

 of 50 per cent during the next six or seven years, based 

 on the new acreage not yet yielding. After that time, 

 production will depend upon conditions as they exist 

 then. Within eight years from now there ought to be 

 shipped away from this state 10,000 cars of apples a 

 year. Apples grown in the Willamette Valley are just 

 as good as those grown any where when care is given 

 this fruit. The Valley apple possesses great sweetness 

 and in that respect compares with the very best apples 

 grown in the Eastern States. 



"Dairy products of the Willamette Valley are also 

 bound to increase to a great extent. During the present 

 year Oregon will turn out dairy products to the value 

 of nearly $20,000,000, nearly all of which come from 

 the Willamette Valley. Washington County, the pioneer 

 in milk condensers, will turn out dairy products worth 

 about $1,000,000. Yamhill is following closely in the 

 steps of her sister county and will soon have three milk 

 condensers in operation. Creamery stations are being 

 established everywhere through the Valley. 



"Within the next ten years, it is estimated by com- 

 petent people who have watched the dairy industry in 

 this Valley closely since it was established, the product 

 of the state in this line alone will be valued annually 

 at not less than $50,000,000, and the fruit interests by 

 that time will be a source of wealth to the state of up- 

 wards of $15,000,000 as against the present production 

 of less than $5,000,000." 



The benefits to accrue from this trip will be better 

 stock and better methods of cultivation in all lines, the 

 disappearance of hopeless drudgery to be replaced by 

 less work, better education and more money. 



