soil and climatic conditions to enable it to grow the apple with profit. Hermiston and Stanfield, new fruit-growing districts, are beginning to get results. Better work in spraying for San Jose scale has never before been done in the county than in the past year. The fruit grown in the county the past year has been remarkably clean and free from scale and worms. The growers are fast learning that it pays to produce fruit of the best quality and are using the methods which produce such fruit. THE MILTON FRUIT GROWERS' UNION. The Milton Fruit Growers' Union of Milton and Freewater is the inspiring cause of the production of cleaner fruit and the obtaining of better prices. It was organized in 1901 and the capital stock was $2,000. Fairly good results were obtained from the start and from year to year its opponents grew weaker and the union stronger. With the growth of business it became advisable in 1908 to increase the capital stock to $10,000 and to erect a two-story building and basement, 40 by 80 feet. Capital and building were not fully adequate to handle the business in 1911, and in 1912 the capital stock was increased to $20,000 and a good building was erected at State line on the interurban railroad. The value of the fruit handled by the union in 1911 was $185,000. This year the union has shipped 75 cars of peaches, 40 cars of cherries, nearly 200 cars of prunes, and will handle over 350 cars of apples. In addition to handling all this fruit the union handles vegetables, hay, wood and coal for the benefit of its members and pays a dividend of 10 per cent on its capital stock. We hope to profit by the experience of each season's profits and losses and make the union a steadily growing factor in advancing the prosperity of this section. Year 1891 1895 1898 1899 1900 PRUNES EXPORTED FROM AND IMPORTED INTO THE The quantities of prunes imported into the United States and the quantities exported from the United States for the fiscal years ending with June 30th for the years mentioned below have been: 1901 |