Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 1955)
- Thursday, December 1, 1955 MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE SEVEN First Horticultural Society Meetings Centered On Naming Fruit Varieties Q3 While gold miners swarmed across the Sierras in 1849, a handful of pioneers of a different type pressed toward Oregon with a strange cargcL-- 13 Farmers, doctors, clergymen, nail businessmen aild settlers game bringing the source of their unexpected wealth oxen drawn wagons of nursery stock for plantirfg in "the salubrious climate" of western Oregon. Fortunes seemed assured when , jgftes of apples fciid for between S60 and $100 each in San Fran cesco. Like gold strikes, the boom and bust days made his tory rather than lasting fortunes. But unlike the 49ers, fruit grow ers lived to see better times. A core if the more fortunate grow ers built the foundation of to day's multi-million dollar fruit and vegetable industry, which holds its 70th annual meeting at Oregon State college today and tomorrow. Scant Similarity There will be scant similarity between Oregon State Horticul tural society's 70th meeting and those earlier days. Chemical war fare against weeds and insects, use of hormone sprays to in crease fruit size, and mechanical harvesting of beans will be dis cussed with other horticultural problems. ..... Early gatherings were primar-1 off the limb for growers who ' gon's horticultural growth is re-1 findings, fumigation of fresh ROGUE VALLEY i AND WEAVERS GUILD ANNUAL EXHIBIT and SALE Girls Community Club Dec. 2nd and 3rd , 2-9 p.m. ily "fruit shows" and the occa sion for naming new varieties. According to 1887 records, Seth Lewelling "exhibited two vari eties of cherries, both fine. The State Horticultural society named one of them Lewelling, and the other Lewelling named the 'Bing' after his favorite Chinaman." Lewelling also had pioneered the Willamette valley apple in dustry when he and Ralph Geer crossed the plains in 1847 with a "traveling nursery" a wagon bed of 700 apple trees and a half-bushel of apple seeds. Lew elling sold the first box of ap ples on the streets of Portland for SI. Market Problems The big problem in 1887 was finding markets and getting to them. And at this year's session for apple and pear growers, two topics stand out, reminiscent of the past "The Export Market What are the Potentials?" and "Fruit Packaging." , History shows that early grow ers were not completely devoid of profitable local markets. ; W. K. " Smith, a Salem settler, re ported paying $15 a bushel for apples in 1855-56 and was suf ficiently impressed "to go into the business." From his first crop, a single apple was sold to a Salem sawmill man for $5. But apples were not destined to profit the valley in the long run. Other nearby areas Hood River, Wenatchee, Yakima and in Idaho's Snake river valley grew them with better finish and growers were better organ ized to pack and market a qual ity product. The apple reversal did not saw were wiHing and able to shift plans. Western Oregon had other fruits better suited, and their sales today represent new wealth to the state each year. Pears top the list with 19,600 acres and annuar sales of $13, 000,000. Both counts are based on 1954 figures, with Jackson county having more than half Oregon's total acreage. Strawberries, a fast-growing second dollan-wise crop with 17, 000 acres bringing $8,500,000, are expected to post an all-time high of 19,000 acres by 1956.- Washington county has 3,700 of the total acreage. OCherries and apples each con tribute about $7,000,000 in year ly sales. Of Oregon's 17,200 cherry acres, Lane county has most of the sour varieties and Wasco county leads " in sweet cherry acreage. The Hood River valley grows the bulk of Ore gon's 13,300 acres of apples. "Purpl Plums' Prunes brought fortunes, then disaster, when dried prunes lost export markets and were pushed to the back of the grocer's shelves by year-round supplies of fresh and frozen fruits. tRe cent promotion of canned ""pur ple plums" has enhanced Ore gon' 19,400 acres with $2,500, 000 sales in 1954. Polk county leads with 3,600 acres. Peaches, like apples, go back far into Oregon's fruit history. In 1844, the Rev. Edward Evans Parrish came from Ohio with a sack of peach pits which thrived and multiplied in the valley. Last y$ar the state grew 8,300 acres valued at $1,000,000. Jackson county has 1,700 acres, leading the state's production. A stimulating chapter in Ore- Start Saving Two Ways Shop Oakdale for Quality 6t Valuable Premiums .Free With Northern Stamps 11th and Oakdale ft irapes - 2 fr 23 ' ii : ; i 3 x-iJSLWS V jfZZ&ri-h3mlXJCS mmA jwr... - ,. .mpefor Grapefruit Avocados cOrded in a vegetable industry which gains strength each year with new techniques in process ing. Green beans hit a new high of $10,000,000 in sales last year from 9,500 acres; 56,400 acres of green peas yielded low ' and still brought $3,500,000; and sweet corn from 14,200 acres sold for $1,500,000. Early members of the State Horticultural society attached aesthetic values3 to productive soil and climate. Rose Exhibit The first rose exhibit in Ore gon forerunner of the present Rose Show was held in Port land in June, 1893, by women of the society. "It attracted much attention but did not fully pay its way," according to, the rec ord. The women in charge, ap pointed by society president J. R. Cardwell, were Mrs. George Lamberson, Mrs. Henry E. Jones, Mrs. M. E. Shafford, and Mrs. Ella Lehigh. Dr. Cardwell was a Portland dentist and first president of the organization. He served con tinuously from the society's founding in 1885 until 1907. For many years he cultivated 80 adres of mixed fruit four miles south of Portland courthouse. Dr. Cardwell came to Oregon from Decatur, 111., in 152 with a wagonload of nursery stock. His uncle, who was to follow later, was financing the 50-50 enterprise in exchange for Card well's labor. Hauled by Oxen The nursery stock "planted in the ' black dirt of the Illinois prairie" was drawn by four yoke of oxen on the six-month, eight day journey. As it neared Ore gon, the 'vsagon skidded and roll ed on a sharp bank of the Snake river, dumping the casgo into : the current. Dr. Cardwell. re trieved only one rose cutting. Actually, Oregon's first hortie cultural group was formed in 1858 at the suggestion of Amos Harvey, Polk county grower, ; and had its first meeting in Sa lem. It later joined the Oregon State Agricultural ' society, but emerged again as a separate group with spasmodic meetings. Since 1885, it had had official stature with - regular annual meetings, and solidified its po-, sition in 1889 by bringing about creation of the Oregon state ' board of horticulture. Key speakers for the morning ' general assemblies at the 70th annyal meeting are Dr. Irving Krick, meteorologist, who will review "weather control," and Dr. Edward Vaughn, OSG bot anist and recent visitor in Eu rope, who will give an illus trated report of agriculture in six European countries. The assembly each day will divide, into four production groups small fruits, stone fruits, apples and pears, and vegetales to hear reports by experts, who will conduct more than 50 special sessions. Experiments with wood wastes in heating orchards, introduction -of new "Siletz" strawberry, fer tilizer and irrigation research market cherries for shipment! into quarantine areas, and pro motion of canned purple plums are among topics to be discussed. A SLIGHT HINT Bismarck, N.D. (U.R) Two Dickinson, N.D., men escaped injury here recently when a Soo Line train nudged their auto off the tracks while they were de; ciding where to have lunch. The men said they heard the train but were unable to get their car off the tracks in time. The en gineer slowed the train suffic iently so as to just busnp the car to one side. Dead line for Sunday Classified Is at noon Saturday 19EE& END USDA CHOICE n CHILI MEAT or GROUND BEEF FRYER 214 to 2U average RABBITS ST lb. END GUT PORK CHOPS lb. Borde' 0 j pIi "JV STARLAC 1 PEAS " JL 3 Durle' Fre6iet HAYOtlHAISE J J OIL JV Clov&rloaf brand , 4 SHOTS GIVEN Dunsmuir About 55 second and third grade children were given Salk polio vaccine inocu lations at Dunsmuir elementary school recently, it was an nounced here. They were young sters who failed to get shots last spring when the program was temporarily discontinued. o A MEAL IN A MINUTE avz- -x im Jftsf Hi ftilk wi Igffar . . . terra Open Week Da 8 'Til! 8 Sunday-10 'Till 6 We Givs lorifcern Full 1 5 ounce can mates four fjeiwous servings for 10c or Is per serving. parous HEAETY BUTRITIOuf Pre-Christmas IMPORTED TWEEDS, FLEECES FANCY CHECKS SOFT VELOURS POODLE CURLS VALUES FROM $29.95 to $32.95 VALUES FROM $49.50 to $59.50 OPEN 1 eWED. & EVENINGS 9 p.m. . f Jai Sizes 6 to 16 In Ail Colors! 7t4d Prints and Plain Colors ONE and TWO-PIECE DRESSES In Sleeveless, Short and Length Sleeves Sizes 10 to 20, 9 to 15 and 14V2 to 24V2 ONE BIG GROUP OF DRESSES FROM OUR REGULAR $5.95 and $8.95 STYLES NOW AT ONE y LOW PRICE n v n v i G 0
