6 BULLETIN 518, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTUEE. 



River being located at its mouth. (See fig. 2.) The valley is nar- 

 row, varying from 2 to 8 miles in width, and the cultivated area 

 extends from the town of Hood River to Parkdale in the upper 

 valley, a distance of about 2i miles. It is divided into what are 

 known locally as the lower, middle, and upper valleys. The lower 

 valley contains the most bearing fruit and the greatest percentage 

 of tillable land. The middle vallev is considerablv less intensive in 



Fig. 2. — A topographical sketch of Hood River Valley, looking south from the north 

 bank of the Columbia River. 



its agriculture, being to some extent devoted to general farming, 

 while the upper valley is as yet little cleared, the small settlements 

 being scattered and separated by areas heavily wooded with pine. 



The Hood River divides the valley into what is known as the east 

 side and the west side. The east side is the more developed and inten- 

 sive. It is of a less rocky nature and seems better adapted to fruit. 

 The best bearing apple orchards are now found on the east side, 

 which is much narrower than the west side, but the cultivated area 



