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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



sold. The trees generally bear large 

 numbers of perfect fruit of beautiful 

 color, fine texture, and excellent flavor. 

 Hood River Valley, Oregon, is one of 

 the most famous apple localities, but there 

 are many others in both states. The fine 

 apples usually sell for $2 to $3 per box 

 of 50 pounds, or about a bushel, the price 

 depending on variety and quality. Some 

 range higher, and a record sale of New- 

 town pippins in London, in 1905, reached 

 $5.43 a box. The market for them is 

 always active, because the demand is far 

 greater than the supply. 



Many readers will be surprised to know 

 that the total apple production of the 

 United States has decreased from 60,- 

 540,000 bushels in 1895 to 25,000,000 in 

 1907. In 1908 Oregon produced 1,310,- 

 000 boxes of apples, valued at $1,215,000, 

 and the total fruit crop was valued 

 at $3,256,000. The value of the fruit 

 crop of Washington is estimated at $19,- 

 000,000. 



Extraordinary profits are reported from 

 many apple orchards in the Northwest, 

 $500 an acre a year being not unusual. 

 With all other northern fruits the results 

 are similar. The cherries raised in Salem, 

 Oregon, and elsewhere are shipped far 

 and wide. At many places they yield a 

 profit of $500 an acre. Prunes are a 

 great crop, and in the vicinity of Van- 

 couver alone there are a half million pro- 

 ducing trees. Oregon's prune crop of 

 1907 sold for $1,590,625. Strawberries 

 are raised with great profit and shipped 

 to Salt Lake, Denver, and as far east as 

 the Mississippi Valley. They frequently 

 are so large that 20 will fill a quart box, 

 and the)' possess fine flavor and texture. 

 Other small fruits give heavy crops and 

 high profits. 



Almonds are now being produced 

 in various places, notably in Klickitat 

 County, southern Washington, where 

 they yield from 1,200 to 1,500 pounds to 

 the acre. The shelled nuts sell for 10 to 

 15 cents a pound. Walnuts have also an 

 encouraging future, for they yield large 

 returns. There is an active market for 

 nuts in this country, for we import over 

 20,000,000 pounds a year. 



MILLIONS OF BUSHELS 01? WHEAT 



The eastern half of Washington and a 

 large part of northeastern Oregon is one 

 of the greatest wheat regions in the 

 world. Thousands of square miles of 

 rolling plains formerly thought to be 

 suitable only for cattle-ranging have 

 proven to be most favorable for wheat. 

 Crops of from 20 to 40 bushels an acre 

 are obtained. In 1907 Washington pro- 

 duced 40,000,000 bushels and Oregon 

 18,500,000 bushels, and the area under 

 cultivation is still on the increase. 



Oregon is the leading hop-growing sec- 

 tion of America, Salem being the great 

 center of the industry. In 1907 the crop 

 was approximately 24,000,000 pounds, or 

 nearly half the entire crop of the United 

 States. The selling price averaged only 

 10 cents a pound, but even at this low 

 figure there was profit for Oregon, which 

 is not the case in some other regions 

 where the yield is lighter. Western and 

 middle Oregon have the proper climatic 

 conditions, and the yield is from 1,200 to 

 1,800 pounds to the acre, 1,500 pounds 

 being frequently obtained. It requires 

 25,000 people to gather the crop and they 

 are paid about $700,000 for their services. 



While the region west of the Cascade 

 Mountains has plenty of rainfall, the 

 country east requires more or less irriga- 

 tion. One of the greatest contrasts is 

 that presented by the great desert plains 

 before and after irrigation. Usually 

 this contrast may be seen most impress- 

 ively along the main ditches. On the 

 one hand is the wide expanse of arid 

 plains sparsely covered by sage brush and 

 scattered blades of bunch grass. Below 

 the ditches, where water is applied, are 

 cultivated fields with splendid growth of 

 alfalfa or grains, fine orchards yielding 

 superior fruits of various kinds. These 

 products support a prosperous population 

 with fine farm-houses and bustling vil- 

 lages. Often the water is brought many 

 miles from the mountains, but it is not 

 expensive, considering the value of the 

 products which it enables the farmer to 

 raise. There are many private irrigation 



