HOOD EIVER-WHITE SALMON RIVER AREA. 17 



is confined almost exclusively to the Underwood loam. In the former 

 valley irrigation is practiced wherever berries are produced, as this 

 assures a heavier yield and a longer beaiing period. In the White 

 Salmon River Valley water is seldom available for irrigation, and the 

 yields, consequently, average less than those on the opposite side of the 

 river. 



In the Hood River Valley the acreage devoted to berries shows a 

 slight decrease from year to year. Most of the plantings are made 

 between the young fruit trees, and as these come into bearing the 

 growing of other crops is discontinued and the soil is given clean 

 cultivation. Eventually the growing of strawberries may decline to a 

 point where it will be of little importance, but in Adew of the fact that 

 new blocks of trees will be planted for some years to come there is no 

 immediate danger of this. Moreover, there are some soils in the 

 valley that are particularly adapted to this fruit, and a certain pro- 

 portion of these soils will doubtless be devoted to tliis crop for many 

 years. As development progresses in the White Salmon River Valley 

 the acreage of strawberries will continue to increase and the growdng 

 of this fruit will be one of the important industries of this part of 

 the area. 



Prior to the development of the commercial aj)ple orchards in either 

 of these valleys apples had been grown in a large number of small 

 family orchards for several years, and the growth and productiveness 

 of these trees gave some idea of what might be expected from com- 

 mercial planting in suitable locations. 



In the early days of tree planting it was observed that the trees oh 

 the west side of the Hood River Valley were not as thrifty as those 

 grown on the east side, and, for some reason, it was supposed that 

 apples could not be profitably grown under irrigation. As a conse- 

 quence the development of the commercial orchards began on the 

 Hood silt loam, east of the Hood River, and for many years no serious 

 attempts were made to extend the orchard planting west of the river. 

 Later a number of small orchards were planted on the west side of the 

 valley, in spite of j)redictions of failure, and although there was noth- 

 ing to guide the planters in handling trees on these soils, their efforts 

 were successful, and the j^lantings increased raj^idly, until at present 

 the larger part of the valley lands west of the Hood River is devoted 

 to the production of apples under imgation. The returns from bear- 

 ing orchards gave an impetus to land values, and in the last few years 

 the high prices asked for the lands in the lower valley have forced the 

 development of the upper, or southern, part of the valley and the 

 extension of the jjlanted areas over the slopes of the mountains sur- 

 rounding the lower lands. In the White Salmon River Valley the 

 earhest orchard development was on the Hood silt loam, where there 

 96828°— 14 ^3 



