72 The Commercial Apple Industry 



advisable in the growing of cover-crops and is common 

 among most of the orchards. 



Many persons were attracted by the unusual scenic 

 beauty of this little valley, which lies at the foot of Mount 

 Hood. Unfortunately Hood River did not escape the 

 effects of inflated land values and growers experienced a 

 period of depression for a few years prior to 1917. The 

 region has become widely advertised and known, although 

 its production has never exceeded 2,200,000 boxes and 

 will never approach in quantity that of the Yakima and 

 Wenatchee valleys. Cooperative marketing has featured 

 in the development of this region and the output of the 

 valley commands unusually high prices. As stated above, 

 the production in this region is largely confined to two 

 varieties, the Yellow Newtown and the Esopus (Spitzen- 

 burg). 



Rogue River Valley. 



The Rogue River Valley, although now widely known 

 as a pear section, is the second largest apple-producing 

 region in Oregon. The valley is somewhat highly special- 

 ized, although its development has been slower than in most 

 other apple districts in the Northwest. Land values at 

 one time were very high and a large number of easterners 

 were attracted to the valley. A period of drought years, 

 during which the annual rainfall dropped from the normal 

 twenty-two inches to as low as twelve inches, caused great 

 loss and emphasized the need of irrigation, which is now 

 practiced in about a third of the orchards and is being 

 extended to the others. 



The fruit acreage lies almost wholly in Jackson County 

 and plantings are centralized in Stewart Creek and Rogue 



