170
WEST SHORE.
jlay of apples, pear ami grapH in superb, ami amply
sustain our growing reputation for producing the
choicest of them- kind of fruit, but it in the prune
and plums, dried, Imxed and ready for the market,
that eall for eecial comment, since the "Oregon
prune " in the one great fruit that id going to give thin
region an enviable reputation the world over. Two
miierh exhibit are made by gentlemen, both resident
of Portland, who nre well known throughout the state
as enthusiastic and ahle NimologiHtH, I r. J. A. Card
well and 1 r. O. I'. S. Plumiiier. Their display of
Italian (Fuhlnihfnj), Petit d'Agen, (Iron d'Agen, (!er
inan, Cue's (iolden Drop, Silver and Keiue Claude
prune, and Peach, Yellow Egg, Jefferson. Washing
ton, (iencral Hand and Columbia plums, probably ex
eel anything that can Ik- produced in that line else
wherein the world. An examination of thin magnifi
cent fruit in an object lesson in the climate and noil of
Oregon that in most impressive. Both of thene gen
tlemen have devoted many year and much time, la
Ih ir and thought to achieve thi triumph, ami their or
chard, situated on the outskirts of Portland, are well
worth the visit of anv one intended in fruit culture.
Comparatively few people are aware of the giant
strides being made here in prune culture. Taking the
authenticated Hales o( two seedsmen in Portland fur
the bum of calculation alone, the subject assumes
actually vast proportions. It is the custom in Oregon
to plant peach pits from which to raise stocks on which
to graft the prune ami the plum. This is owing to the
tendency of stocks from plum and prune pits to '"sucker
out" Remembering this, hear in mind that the two
seedsmen above referred to sold during the past sea
son at least 2,(HH),(KK) peach pits. Using these figures
it i not unreasonable to suppose that within the next
ten years at the furthest, making all due allowances
for losses and sales to California for that state is t
heavy purchaser of Oregon prune and plum stock
and elsewhere, Oregon's bearing orchard of these
fruits will number anywhere from 5,(KK),(XK to 10,
(KKI,HX trees. These are huge figures, but by no
means unwarranted by the facts. They suggest two
things, one the importance, indeed the necessity, of
looking out for and securing markets for the immense
output of the future; ami, second, the eijual iniKir
tance and necessity of mastering the art of putting
f I UMIIIKKRY NAIL.